Kahikatea

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Newspaper photograph
In 1983 one of the largest Kahiatea trees in New Zealand was stolen from Te Ohu. It could have been another Tane Mahuta attracting visitors from all over the world. Most of the timber went to waste.

 

 

The photograph shows Kevin Whittaker dwarfed by the size of one of the logs from the tree which his father, Gill, is trucking to the Rowsell and Rowsell sawmill at Kaikohe from land adjacent to the farm of Kyrke Watkins at Rangi Point. Mill Manager Mr Fred Gee said the enormous tree was one of four or five coming down from land adjacent to the Watkins farm. 

The tree on the truck is 9.5 metres long, 5.5 metres in girth, and was estimated to contain 5400 cubic feet of timber.

"There are not many trees trees of that size left around these days." Mr Gee said.

10 March 1983