New Zealand Buried Kauri Wood

The wood used in this range of very special products is buried Kauri, which is pronounced "cow-ree". This buried kauri is salvaged from swamps and peat bogs around New Zealand. The wood has sit, preserved in the swamps or bogs for over 45,000 years. This means that the massive Kauri trees fell and were buried more than two ice ages ago.

Due to wetlands forming around the fallen trees, the kauri was cocooned in a protective, balanced environment which preserved the wood in pristine condition.

Kauri Wood - oldest workable wood in the world

The majority of the buried kauri wood which is extracted from the earth is more than 45,000 years old. To put that in context, it is older than the migration of Neanderthal man into North America, cave paintings in Europe and the extinction of the Mammoth.

The wood has been carbon dated to accurately measure its age and it has been proven to be 45,000 old or older.

Unearthing Buried Wood

Most of the buried kauri is to be found in the north of New Zealand, in fact in the northern most part of the north island is the most common area for unearthing swamp kauri. The method of unearthing the wood is very difficult, time consuming and expensive. It requires large machines and skilled people to perform the extraction.

The professional extraction team have to work in wet conditions, the massive logs of kauri are slowly brought to the surface. One they have been removed from the earth the timber is then milled, this is to ensure the best possible grain and timber quality is met.

View the video below which shows the techniques used when extracting 45,000 year old New Zealand kauri from the earth.

Buried Kauri to Fine Art

These are some of the carvings which have been made from the unearthed anicent New Zealand kauri, all are available for purchase, click on the images for more information.