Kauri Forest and Museum

Heading south we drove through Kauri forest and had a visit to the kauri museum. We aren't really museum people, at all, so we didn't think we'd spend all that much time there.  However, it was incredibly well done with full size dioramas and working models.  All very interesting!

 This is the pathway through the kauris to the largest standing kauri (that they know of).

 The size is unbelievable!!  Ralph is probably standing 20' in front of it. It is awe inspiring.

We had someone take a photo of us from the farther viewpoint...gives you an even better idea of the size of it...can you see us there??

 This is a tree fern unfurling.  Looks just like a fern at home, until...

 Until you see the real size they grow to...hence the name 'tree fern'.  Looks like a palm tree, but not!

 Inside the museum, this is Ralph standing beside a plank sawn from one of the old kauri trees...just an unbelievable size!  Some of the stumps and logs, recovered from the swamps, are 30,000 to 50,000 years old!

 This stump was turned into a bench.

There was so much to see that we were actually quite worn out by the end.  We'd still be there if we'd read everything there was to read.