The History of the Kauri in Northland
About Us
Jaap has been a woodworker his whole life, and began working as a boat builder and Cabinetmaker, working with many different woods from over the world. It wasn’t until immigrating to New Zealand that he first discovered Ancient Swamp Kauri and the totally unique and beautiful grain pattern and colours the wood has, particularly timber from the roots of the tree.
He now not only uses milled slabs for furniture, but creatively utilises the large tree root stumps which provide the most visual interest, and crafts these into solid tables, sculptures, seats and other furniture.
Jaap is one of the only people around who uses the roots in their natural format to craft furniture, as they can be difficult to work with.
Natural gum and bark inclusions must also remain intact for best visual results. He has also perfected a method of sealing and stabilising his products to ensure they remain stable and crack free, because of this, his customers from all around the world have enjoyed their Swamp Kauri furniture for many years.
When you come along to Kauri Craft and Furniture you are given a range of natural designed and sculpted furniture and sculptures, created from the oldest workable wood in the world. Explore our website for more information on what we can do for you.
New Zealand Kauri (Agathis Australis), has been around for 150 million years, since Gondwanaland began to break up, leaving New Zealand isolated and free to evolve its own vegetation, including forests of kauri trees. Gigantic tsunamis and other natural disasters, laid these forests flat in ensuing peat bogs. A combination of gum density in the trees and lack of oxygen under the bogs and years of compacted earth, has preserved these trees in such a way that most of the tree is still useable today, after 40,000 years of being buried underground. This has provided us with an Eco-Friendly resource to utilise and show off, as there is no felling or deforestation involved, it is all naturally created, and with the colours, patterns, and grains, makes for the most unique and sought after wood in the world.
What is a Swamp Kauri?
Coping With a Changing Landscape
Over millions of years there have been great geological changes in New Zealand, involving the Ice Age, earthquakes, eruptions, severe gales, vast floods, catastrophic landslides and continental plate movements.
Forest trees were overwhelmed by the varying forces of nature. Kauri trees of all ages and sizes were swept from the forest hillsides ending up in the lowland swamps, eventually to be covered by river silt and subsequent landslides to remain in a state of preservation.
Kauri Tree Facts
Its Ancient Name
The Latin name for the kauri tree is Agathis Australis.
Its Measurements
Can be up to 5 metres ( approx. 17 feet ) in diameter with a potential height of over 50 metres ( approx. 150 feet).
Its Age
One of the dinosaurs of the plant kingdom, the kauri can grow to be over 2.000 years old and is a protected species.
