Story: Kauri forest

Milling kauri, 1839

Milling kauri, 1839

From the mid-1820s, kauri timber stations were established around the coast and on rivers in the top half of the North Island to meet the overseas demand for spars and timber. This kauri milling camp on the Wairoa River in Northland was painted by artist and surveyor Charles Heaphy in 1839. In the foreground, men haul a log into position. Behind them a squared-off log is suspended so it can be cut into planks by two men using a pit saw, one standing above the log and one beneath.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: C-025-014
Watercolour by Charles Heaphy

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Joanna Orwin, 'Kauri forest - Using kauri', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/10030/milling-kauri-1839 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Joanna Orwin, published 24 Sep 2007