Pouakani

very little signposting, follow the track from the parking lot (and pay attention). takes about 15min at leisurely pace. two massive trees along the way, the second one being the mighty pouakani - almost 2000 years old! what an amazing experience to be in the presence of such an old life form

beautiful

It’s a nice rainforest walk but I would not go for the main attraction (the big tree) alone especially if you’ve seen other big tees elsewhere.

Huge big Totara Tree well worth a stop.

Grateful for the work that's been done on the track and around the tree since my last visits (steps, pontoon, arrows, viewing platforms...)

There is very little signage or information here. It is a 20min easy walk in. About 10min in you will see one fairly large Totara with a barrier. This is not Pouakani, keep going, it has two barriers around it and a sign saying respect the tree.Pouakani TōtaraIt is a privilege to be in the presence of such an old life form. This is one of the greatest trees in NZ, and one of the largest and oldest Podocarps in the entire world.Tōtara are conifers. In the rest of the world these are mostly short trees, but in NZ we have the most enormous and unique conifers found on Earth, including tōtara, rimu, kahikatea, matai and miro.PouakaniAge 1,800 yearsGirth over 12mHeight 42mIt takes 500yrs for a Totara to reach maturity. tōtara was the star of European settlement in NZ. All the things that made it the most valuable of trees to Māori – it’s a light, rot and water-resistant, straight-grained, easy-to-split, easy-to-carve wood – were also of enormous value to settlers, who cut down forests at a time to build houses, bridges, railway sleepers, wharves, furniture and art.One of the world’s most wonderful and beautiful timbers. It’s a special part of New Zealand.Which is why there are almost none left of this age.The name, To’ means stem or stalk; ‘tara’ means spiky or sharp.Tōtara was the important tree to Māori in their everyday life, with the wood used in carvings, and the bark shaped into storage containers (patua and pōhā) for preserving food.Nearly all of the most treasured carvings in New Zealand are made from tōtara.Totara contain totarol which has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and is the reason why the wood is resistant to rotting.Totara leaves last a long time up to 45 years.You’ll sometimes hear people referring to a ‘mighty tōtara falling’ when someone important dies. It comes from an old proverb, denoting how valued the tōtara tree was to Maori culture:“Kua hinga te tōtara i te wao nui a Tane.”“The tōtara has fallen in the forest of Tane.”From Tōtara – A Natural and Cultural History By Philip Simpson

Nice walk through the bush. Serene and back to nature experience.

Out of curiosity, follow the signposts and, at the end of a beautiful forest path, discover the fifth thickest tree in New Zealand, a totara, entirely by accident.