Tāne Mahuta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tane Mahuta |
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Tāne Mahuta, the biggest kauri tree alive, in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand
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 Tane Mahuta
Location in New Zealand
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| Species | Kauri (Agathis australis) |
| Coordinates | 35°36′04″S 173°31′38″E / 35.60111°S 173.52722°E |
| Height | 45.2 m (148 ft) |
| Girth | 15.44 m (50.7 ft) |
| Volume of trunk | 255.5 m3 (9,020 cu ft) |
| Date seeded | 500 BC – 750 AD |
Tāne Mahuta, also known as the God of the Forest, is a giant kauri tree. You can find it in the Waipoua Forest in the Northland Region of New Zealand. No one knows its exact age, but experts believe it is between 1,250 and 2,500 years old. It is the largest kauri tree still standing today. Its name comes from the Māori god of forests and birds, Tāne.
New Zealand's Giant Kauri Tree
Tāne Mahuta is a leftover from an ancient subtropical rainforest. This forest once covered the Northland Peninsula. Other huge kauri trees grow nearby, like Te Matua Ngahere. Tāne Mahuta is one of the most famous trees in New Zealand.
People first officially found and identified Tāne Mahuta in January 1924. This happened when workers were surveying the route for State Highway 12 through the forest. In 1928, Nicholas Yakas and other forest workers building the road also identified the tree.
In April 2009, Tāne Mahuta became a partner with another famous tree, Jōmon Sugi. This tree is located on Yakushima Island in Japan.
How Big is Tāne Mahuta?
Tāne Mahuta is truly enormous! Here are some of its impressive measurements:
| Tree girth | 15.44 m (50.7 ft) |
| Trunk height | 17.8 m (58 ft) |
| Tree height | 45.2 m (148 ft) |
| Trunk volume | 255.5 m3 (9,020 cu ft) |
| Tree volume | 516.7 m3 (18,250 cu ft) |
Dr. Robert Van Pelt, a forest researcher, took these measurements in 2002. You can find older measurements from 1971 on The New Zealand Tree Register.
Protecting Tāne Mahuta
Giant trees like Tāne Mahuta need protection. During a drought in New Zealand in 2013, Tāne Mahuta started showing signs of not having enough water. To help it, 10,000 litres of water from a nearby stream were directed to the tree.
In 2018, the tree faced a serious threat from a disease called kauri dieback. This disease is usually deadly for kauri trees. It had already infected other kauri trees nearby. New Zealand's Department of Conservation started a plan to protect Tāne Mahuta and save it from this disease.
See also
- In Spanish: Tāne Mahuta para niños
