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The kauri was first discovered by the 1772 expedition of French explorer Marion du Fresne. When the first Europeans came to New Zealand the northern parts of the North Island were covered in vast kauri forests, estimated at around 1,200,000 hectares in total. Today barely 4,000 hectares of original forest remain, the rest felled for timber or cleared for farming.

The kauri grows in the subtropical northern part of the North Island, with a natural range as far as latitude 38 degrees south, roughly on a line joining Tauranga and Kawhia. However kauri are quite hardy and will grow as far south as Stewart Island.

Kauri 2000 in action: planting and sponsors.