TANE Mahuta is the Maori name for New Zealand’s revered kauri tree. Indeed, a Department of Conservation sign in front of one such tree in Northland’s Waipuna forest informs visitors:
“You are in the presence of one of the most ancient of trees. This is the largest living Kauri tree in New Zealand...it may be that Tane Mahuta sprang from seed around 2,000 years ago, during the lifetime of Christ.”
