Tane Mahuta, Lord of the Forest
I wrote this in 2016 or 2017 during the two years I lived in New Zealand. Some details — prices, hours, what’s open — may have changed, but the experience and my love for this place haven’t.
We decided to make a road trip this weekend and head up to Cape Reinga, the Northern-most tip of New Zealand — it’s about a six hour drive from Auckland so I hadn’t made it up that far before. I’ll post more about the cape in a few days but we opted to take a longer route and go up Highway 12 and do some exploring.
Highway 12 takes you through the Waipoua Forest – an amazing majestic forest with huge kauri trees, rimu and northern rata. Just a few months before I moved to NZ, I drove through the Redwood National Forest in California. The redwoods are humongous, tall, towering trees that are large enough to drive a car through in some instances. Kauri trees are second only to the redwood in diameter and they have less mass but Kauri are thick, with big thick branches and a presence about them that is simply awe-inspiring.
The largest of the remaining kauri trees is Tane Mahuta, Lord of the Forest. According to Maori legend, Tane is the son of Ranganui (the sky father) and Papatuanuku (the earth mother). Tane “tore his parents apart, breaking their primal embrace, to bring light, space and air and allowing life to flourish.” Tane Mahuta is thought to be roughly 2,000 years old and he measures about 55 feet at the trunk.
What I appreciate most about him though is the respect and admiration he is given by the people of New Zealand, especially those who have a Maori heritage — he has a deep and meaningful connection with them and when you meet him for the first time, you will see why.
If you decide to pay him a visit, the track has been completely upgraded as of December 2024 — a new raised boardwalk and viewing platform keep you a full metre off the forest floor, specifically designed to protect against kauri dieback disease, which has been found within 60 metres of Tāne Mahuta. The threat is real and there is no cure. The new infrastructure is New Zealand’s best effort to keep him safe. You’ll see signs for Tāne Mahuta just a few kilometres before leaving the forest heading north on Highway 12.
