1200 YEAR OLD GIANTS
5 AUGUST 2022
Arabella in the Trounson Kauri Park
Add This To Your Roadtrip
Trounson Kauri Park is a predator free reserve with giants of the forest looming above you, some as old as 1200 years! It's a place full of nature, peace and history and you will find yourself looking up most of the time in absolute awe, at the sheer size of these gentle giants.
The park has been well maintained and is an easy walking trail with flat paths and boardwalks to help protect the land and keep people from straying too far into the forest. Every corner you turn is breathtaking and offers a new view.
We saw the sign for the kauri park as we were driving back from Maunganui Bluff and decided to explore it while we were still in the area. We did a little research and saw some photos, but nothing prepared us for how beautiful the place actually was going to be!
The park has been well maintained and is an easy walking trail with flat paths and boardwalks to help protect the land and keep people from straying too far into the forest. Every corner you turn is breathtaking and offers a new view.
We saw the sign for the kauri park as we were driving back from Maunganui Bluff and decided to explore it while we were still in the area. We did a little research and saw some photos, but nothing prepared us for how beautiful the place actually was going to be!
Entry/exit to the track
Sienna running along one of the many boardwalks in the park
The park has many information plaques on the walk
Information Tent
It's always helpful to have information posted at the beginning of walks and the Trounson Kauri Park trail is a great example of this.
Set under a huge canopy is an abundance of information about the park, James Trounson (who the park is named after, obvsss) and pests.
Aside from it being an information tent, it's also a giant umbrella. When we started our walk, it started raining so we were thankful we could get a break from the rain and have something to look at while we waited for it to stop!
Set under a huge canopy is an abundance of information about the park, James Trounson (who the park is named after, obvsss) and pests.
Aside from it being an information tent, it's also a giant umbrella. When we started our walk, it started raining so we were thankful we could get a break from the rain and have something to look at while we waited for it to stop!
Heading to the information tent
Finally the rain stopped so we went on our way
Hunters and gatherers board in the information tent
James Trounson
James Trounson (1839 - 1929) was an early settler in Northland, New Zealand who could see how the huge kauri timber industry in New Zealand was threatening to destroy all of the beautiful kauri trees.
In the 2nd half of the 19th century, kauri timber was the biggest Auckland export - it was a HUGE industry which threatened to destroy New Zealand's kauri forests. In 1890, the government reserved and protected 8.25 acres of Northland's kauri forest and James Trounson also donated 54 acres and thus the Scenery Preservation Club was formed. Incredibly, James added another 900 acres of forest and in 1921 the reserve was officially opened as Trounson Kauri Park. Today it is a 1448 acre forest with over 600 protected kauri trees.
In the 2nd half of the 19th century, kauri timber was the biggest Auckland export - it was a HUGE industry which threatened to destroy New Zealand's kauri forests. In 1890, the government reserved and protected 8.25 acres of Northland's kauri forest and James Trounson also donated 54 acres and thus the Scenery Preservation Club was formed. Incredibly, James added another 900 acres of forest and in 1921 the reserve was officially opened as Trounson Kauri Park. Today it is a 1448 acre forest with over 600 protected kauri trees.
Cleaning our shoes at the boot cleaning station to avoid the spread of kauri die back
Sienna loved checking out the information on the plaques
Amazing native bush
Flora & Fauna
The park is abundant in a diverse range of flora and fauna. We saw everything from vines growing up and around trunks, to chunky fungus growing on trees. There was so much green, brown and black going on in the forest but each element stood out from the other so it was a lot of fun to find the next awesome, or disgusting, thing. It was a great learning experience for the kids as they discovered new things they hadn't seen before.
There are (obviously) different types of trees in the park including native rimu, totara and kowhai.
One of the cool fungi we saw was the ganoderma applanatum aka artist's conk, that looked like it belonged in the ocean. It grows on mostly dead or decaying trees/stumps.
There are (obviously) different types of trees in the park including native rimu, totara and kowhai.
One of the cool fungi we saw was the ganoderma applanatum aka artist's conk, that looked like it belonged in the ocean. It grows on mostly dead or decaying trees/stumps.
A climbing fern.... er, well, climbing a young tree
Native New Zealand fern
Ganoderma applanatum aka artist's conk
Animals: Friends and Foes
Trounson Kauri Park has the highest-density of North Island brown kiwis in Northland as well as being home to the New Zealand pigeon, kauri snails and bats.
Trounson Kauri Park is predator free which keeps the native wildlife thriving. Possums are New Zealand's number one wildlife enemy, killing birds and eating their eggs. It's estimated that over 22,000 tonnes of vegetation is destroyed EVERY NIGHT by possums all over New Zealand. Other threats to the park include mice, rats, ferrets, cats and dogs.
We saw a few kereru kererū (wood pigeon) flying around but other than that, it was a pretty quiet forest.
Trounson Kauri Park is predator free which keeps the native wildlife thriving. Possums are New Zealand's number one wildlife enemy, killing birds and eating their eggs. It's estimated that over 22,000 tonnes of vegetation is destroyed EVERY NIGHT by possums all over New Zealand. Other threats to the park include mice, rats, ferrets, cats and dogs.
We saw a few kereru kererū (wood pigeon) flying around but other than that, it was a pretty quiet forest.
Sienna on a giant fairy house (apparently)
Don't I blend in well with my surroundings?!
The Track
This is a really easy track suitable for most abilities. You can complete it within 45 minutes but we took longer as there was so much to explore on the way and of coooourse I had to take a million photos.
The forest was petty cold when we went in because the sun hadn’t broken through and it was winter. Bella wasn't wearing anything warm and she was freezing buuuut we did tell her to bring something warm! She barely wears pants in winter, so you know it's cold if she needs them!
The paths were easy and flat to walk on and the boardwalks have been really well built. They have some black netting on them for extra grip in wetter months.
Along the way we found a couple of “press here” buttons we assumed used to make noise for certain native birds but unfortunately, they weren’t working at the time which is a shame because the kids looove pressing buttons! (Especially pressing our buttons! Parents know...)
We all loved seeing the HUGE kauri trees. The sheer size of them is incredible and not something we are used to seeing on our bush walks we had been doing in Auckland. Every corner we turned, there was another incredible kauri tree towering over us, reaching for the sky, further than we could see.
There were a few plaques with info about native trees in the park, their height and any berries and flowers – great learning tool for the girls. Sienna was especially interested in them.
The forest was petty cold when we went in because the sun hadn’t broken through and it was winter. Bella wasn't wearing anything warm and she was freezing buuuut we did tell her to bring something warm! She barely wears pants in winter, so you know it's cold if she needs them!
The paths were easy and flat to walk on and the boardwalks have been really well built. They have some black netting on them for extra grip in wetter months.
Along the way we found a couple of “press here” buttons we assumed used to make noise for certain native birds but unfortunately, they weren’t working at the time which is a shame because the kids looove pressing buttons! (Especially pressing our buttons! Parents know...)
We all loved seeing the HUGE kauri trees. The sheer size of them is incredible and not something we are used to seeing on our bush walks we had been doing in Auckland. Every corner we turned, there was another incredible kauri tree towering over us, reaching for the sky, further than we could see.
There were a few plaques with info about native trees in the park, their height and any berries and flowers – great learning tool for the girls. Sienna was especially interested in them.
The forest was dominant not only in green colours but also brown and it was actually really pretty
The Kauri Trees: Gentle Giants
I'm not sure how many kauri trees are in the park but it is a lot! Every where you look, you see a new kauri tree and no doubt see adolescent trees that you're unaware are kauri.
It's hard to imagine Northland forests covered in kauri trees and how big they would all be if there wasn't such a destruction back in the pioneering days.
Kauri are one of the largest and longest living trees in the world. Many of the trees in the park are 600 years old and some even up to 1200 years old. They've got nothing on Tane Mahuta!
Some of the kauri we spotted had a really interesting pattern on them and this is caused by the bark flaking off from fully grown kauri.
It's hard to imagine Northland forests covered in kauri trees and how big they would all be if there wasn't such a destruction back in the pioneering days.
Kauri are one of the largest and longest living trees in the world. Many of the trees in the park are 600 years old and some even up to 1200 years old. They've got nothing on Tane Mahuta!
Some of the kauri we spotted had a really interesting pattern on them and this is caused by the bark flaking off from fully grown kauri.
Large kauri tree
Amazing vine going up the tree
One of the biggest kauri trees in the park
Vivid greenery surrounding us on the walk
Creepy Crawly Wētā
On one part of the track we came across a wētā house - what a cool idea! We all love interactive stuff, so this was such a treasure to find and Sienna had a lot of fun opening and shutting it a few times. The wētā were probably thinking... Good morning! Good night! Good morning! Good night!
It's a fantastic design, with perspex inside, holes for the weta and inside a log. There is a hook on the side of the log and once it's undone, you get to see what's inside - giant wētā, hopefully! We saw a few that had made their home inside the log and we got to take a closer look at their long legs and even longer feelers. I thought I had clearer photos of the wetas but they all came out blurry, so you'll just have to go and see them for yourself.
It was really cool to see the wētā up close as we've never seen them before on any of our walks and it's a fun learning experience for the kids to be able to inspect them up close without having to catch them and potentially harming them in the process. They'd be hard to see in the forest otherwise, without having to go off the track (which is a big no-no, pluhlease don't) because they are found in rotting or decaying trees and under bark.
They are definitely something you do not want crawling over you or to find in your shoe!! Nightmare stuff!! Oh and remember to keep it closed so the wētā can keep sleeping as they are nocturnal.
It's a fantastic design, with perspex inside, holes for the weta and inside a log. There is a hook on the side of the log and once it's undone, you get to see what's inside - giant wētā, hopefully! We saw a few that had made their home inside the log and we got to take a closer look at their long legs and even longer feelers. I thought I had clearer photos of the wetas but they all came out blurry, so you'll just have to go and see them for yourself.
It was really cool to see the wētā up close as we've never seen them before on any of our walks and it's a fun learning experience for the kids to be able to inspect them up close without having to catch them and potentially harming them in the process. They'd be hard to see in the forest otherwise, without having to go off the track (which is a big no-no, pluhlease don't) because they are found in rotting or decaying trees and under bark.
They are definitely something you do not want crawling over you or to find in your shoe!! Nightmare stuff!! Oh and remember to keep it closed so the wētā can keep sleeping as they are nocturnal.
Opening the wētā house
A great interaction to have in the forest
How many wētā can you spot in our blurry, bad quality photo?
Arabella looking at up one of the many kauri trees
The Stars of the Show
Trounson Kauri Park is filled with so many beautiful kauri trees, most of which stand proudly around 30 - 40 meters tall (although not as tall or wide as Tane Mahuta not far away in the Waipoua Forest).
We couldn't believe how many kauri trees were actually in the forest and we always seemed to get surprised by their size each time we saw a new one.... it isn't something you get used to.
Some had really cool bark patterns on them or greenery growing snaking its way around the trunk and we even saw some sap leaking out of them which will one day become a nugget of kauri gum (also known as amber, although not as old). One tree had some strange as black growth on it... it wasn't a pretty sight! Someone call the tree doctor!
We couldn't believe how many kauri trees were actually in the forest and we always seemed to get surprised by their size each time we saw a new one.... it isn't something you get used to.
Some had really cool bark patterns on them or greenery growing snaking its way around the trunk and we even saw some sap leaking out of them which will one day become a nugget of kauri gum (also known as amber, although not as old). One tree had some strange as black growth on it... it wasn't a pretty sight! Someone call the tree doctor!
Fascinating bark patterns on one of the adult kauri trees
Part way through the walk
One of the highlights of the park were these fallen trees that had been cut through to make way for the park. Great feature!
Crystal Clear Stream & Crayfish
Right at the end of the track was a stream with super clear water (in most of the parts anyway). We were quite surprised at how clear it was because usually the tannins from the vegetation breaking down in forests can make the water pretty brown, so this was a nice surprise.
We didn’t see any fish or eels but we saw a sign said that said they come out at night.
The girls wanted to play pooh sticks (if you love Winnie the Pooh, you'll know what we mean), but decided to play pooh leaves instead buuuut they ended up just getting caught under the bridge so everyone lost lol.
The stream is home to not only eels and native fish, but also crayfish. There was a sign saying they come out at night, so unfortunately we didn't get to see any.
We didn’t see any fish or eels but we saw a sign said that said they come out at night.
The girls wanted to play pooh sticks (if you love Winnie the Pooh, you'll know what we mean), but decided to play pooh leaves instead buuuut they ended up just getting caught under the bridge so everyone lost lol.
The stream is home to not only eels and native fish, but also crayfish. There was a sign saying they come out at night, so unfortunately we didn't get to see any.
Sienna searching for fish in the stream
Fallen kauri logs have been cut to make way for the path
Visitors Book
Just before you get back to the carpark, there's a little house that holds a vistors book. It's pretty cool!
We managed to find some space to write our names in there (let us know if you go and can spot them!) but the book was pretty jam packed!
We love the unique things this walk has to offer, like the visitors book house, what a cool idea and a great finish to the walk.
We managed to find some space to write our names in there (let us know if you go and can spot them!) but the book was pretty jam packed!
We love the unique things this walk has to offer, like the visitors book house, what a cool idea and a great finish to the walk.
Opening the mystical, magical wonderous book of visitors names
Visitors book house
Heading back up to the carpark
Know Before You Go
- No drones allowed
- No dogs allowed
- During January - April there can be a large amount of wasps around (we went in July so luckily we didn't see any)
- Try visiting at dusk to have a chance at seeing a brown kiwi!
- Entry is FREE!
- Plenty of parking
- There are toilets at the beginning of the walk, near the big tent
- As normal with any NZ walk with kauri trees, you’ll need to brush & wash your shoes at the boot washing station to avoid carrying kauri die back into the forest
- There is a DOC campsite, open in summer
Mappy McMap Face
Getting There
990 Trounson Park Road, Donnellys Crossing 0379
The turn off from the main road is clearly sign posted and the road to the park is sealed. It’s beautiful drive to the park, snaking along the country side surrounded by New Zealand bush.
There’s plenty of parking when you arrive and enough space for campers!
The turn off from the main road is clearly sign posted and the road to the park is sealed. It’s beautiful drive to the park, snaking along the country side surrounded by New Zealand bush.
There’s plenty of parking when you arrive and enough space for campers!
Conclusion
It was a beautiful walk that we highly recommend. It takes around 45 to do the loop and the exit takes you right back to the carpark where you started.
It can be a little slippery if there has been lots of rain (and probably more likely in winter) but just wear sensible shoes and she’ll be right! The forest canopy also shelters a lot of weather, whether it be rain or intense heat from the sun. Buuuut that also means it can be freeeeezing in winter, so wear ya woolies!
It can be a little slippery if there has been lots of rain (and probably more likely in winter) but just wear sensible shoes and she’ll be right! The forest canopy also shelters a lot of weather, whether it be rain or intense heat from the sun. Buuuut that also means it can be freeeeezing in winter, so wear ya woolies!
Gallery of Trounson Kauri Park
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
More to explore on the Kauri Trail in Northland
MATAKOHE KAURI MUSEUM
NORTHLAND An integral part of the Kauri Coast Trail in Northland, this museum is HUGE and has so much to interact with.
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TANE MAHUTA
NORTHLAND A completely underwhelming tree... until you turn around and look the right way then WOW! New Zealand's largest and oldest kauri tree.
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BAYLYS BEACH
NORTHLAND If you like isolated areas and the rugged west coast, then Baylys is the right place for you. Explore the cliffs and black sand patterns.
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