Solid Timber, Kauri

Sizes available: 128 x 19mm / 165 x 19mm / 172 x 19mm / 200 x 19mm / 200 x 19mm / 210 x 19mm / 220 x 19mm

Finishes Available: Can be Stained, Polyurethaned and Oiled.

Surface type: Smooth

Scientific Name: Agathis Australis 

Pale yellowish white to golden brown heartwood. Sapwood is typically the same color as heartwood. Grain is usually straight, with a fine, even texture and a moderate natural luster. 

The Kauri, Agathis australis, is New Zealand’s largest and most famous native tree, and were considered by Māori to be the kings of New Zealand’s forest - with the sheer size of the tree comparable to the great Redwoods of the USA.

Although revered, Kauri was considered less useful than other trees such as tōtara and miro, which not only provided superior timber for buildings and carving, but produced berries that attracted birds, an important source of food. Kauri gum was valued more highly than the wood: it could be used as a fire starter, and for medicinal purposes. The soot from burnt gum was a tattooing pigment. The straight-grained, buoyant timber was, however, ideal for canoes.

The wood was prized by Europeans as spars for sailing ships and became popular in construction. With logging, tracts of native forest soon dwindled. Today the patches that remain are being carefully protected, and the forest is being restored

Therefore, Kauri Floorboards are milled only from demolition timber, from old buildings and beams. Occasionally new timber is milled from fallen trees on private land.

Sources: 

Joanna Orwin, Te Ara / Kauri 2000