This clock has been crafted from Ancient Swamp Kauri wood. A light grain colour. Made in New Zealand Does not include batteries. Brief Overview of the Kauri Tree The Kauri Tree is one of New Zealand's largest tree species and is also one of the world's largest and longest living trees. Kauri forests are some of the world's oldest, its ancestors date back to the Jurassic period, 190 million years ago. Living Kauri Trees have been dated at 4,000 years old, though none of these trees are still alive today. There is an ancient Kauri tree alive in New Zealand named Tāne Mahuta (meaning 'Lord of the Forest' in Maori). It's 51m (168ft) tall and a 4.4m (14ft) in diameter at the trunk. The tree is thought to be between 1,250 and 2,500 years old. Kauri timber is very strong and from the mid 1800s kauri forests were cut down and used for building boats and houses. By the year 1900 less than 10% of the original Kauri population was left standing. This provoked major efforts to preserve the native tree and it is now prohibited to cut down any living trees. Swamp Kauri Thousands of years ago a number of huge natural disasters caused many Kauri forests to be flattened and the trees to be buried in swamps. The wood was perfectly preserved and radiocarbon dating has revealed that some of this wood has been buried for up to 50,000 years. This makes the Swamp Kauri used for all these creations the oldest workable wood in the world.
