Botanist Philip Simpson has dedicated a book to the totara tree
A ‘waka tree’ on H Track, Whirinaki Forest, August 2011. It took careful management for a tree to grow well in the forest, decaying the trunk evenly without upward or downward spread, and healing the scar in a regular habit to create an incipient waka form. Philip Simpson
This Taumarunui whare is in poor condition after years of use and repair, including an old waka used to close up a gap in the wall. The roof, however, is in good condition, constructed of sheets of bark (inner bark facing down) folded over the ridge pole and held onto the supporting framework by poles. Burton Brothers.
Farmland at Karamea. Tōtara trees pruned by wind and salt are characteristic of the New Zealand coast. Philip Simpson
Tōtara is one of the few species of forest tree that grow on sand dunes, and it can extend right to the edge of the sea. Philip Simpson
A surviving group of tōtara in the Mangawiri Basin, Whirinaki. Ian MacDonald
The skin of the tōtara, the first tree that Tāne created, evokes chiefly qualities such as strength, protection and persistence. Phillip Simpson
Botanist and author Philip Simpson
Totara - A Natural and Cultural History cover
The images in this gallery are used with permission and are subject to copyright conditions.
