1930s: Kauri dieback?

October 1, 2018

By AHNZ

Here’s how Elsie Locke, Allen Curnow, et al sprayed their feet for Kauri dieback in the 1930s. How? By walking in salt water? No. By not doing it at all of course! No need.

Considering how prolific the 1930s human foot traffic in the Waitakeres was it is a wonder this kauri fungus didn’t menace kauri sooner! Not they nor the gum diggers nor the sawyers can be accused of what we are asked to take the blame for. Which is that kauri trees are dying from some new and hitherto unknown disease.

Where was this disease before?

Like..when only the wild pigs or dogs roamed. Did moa transmit the fungus on their great hoofs? What about when there were still great stands of kauri forest rather than the few odd trees we have now? The little Phytophthora fungus surely would have had a literal field day back then and killed Tane Mahuta in his crib.

But, no, I’m sure the politicians telling us what to do in the bush know best and aren’t up to anything manipulative. 🙂

Here’s what the entry to the walking tracks look like these days…like a checkpoint to Eastern Germany during a war…

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Image ref. learnz.org.nz/
Image ref. Auckland Tramping Club, Muriwai; Sir George Grey Collection

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