Story: Kauri gum and gum digging
Gum diggers often worked on the drier hills in winter and headed for the swamps in summer. Teams would locate the gum with very long spears. Here they are keeping the pit relatively dry with a simple hand-powered water pump and pipe, as men take turns to dig. This hole looks to be about 3–4 metres deep. Any deeper than this and the sides could collapse, so they were sometimes shored up with timber.
About this item
Alexander Turnbull Library, Northwood Collection (PAColl-3077)
Reference: 1/1-011220; G
Photograph by Arthur James Northwood
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.