Tutamoe

Tutamoe
Tutamoe as seen from the south
Tutamoe as seen from the south
Highest point
Elevation770 m (2,530 ft)
Coordinates35°45′36″S 173°48′08″E / 35.76000°S 173.80222°E / -35.76000; 173.80222
Naming
Language of nameMaori
Geography
Map

Tutamoe is the second highest mountain in Northland, New Zealand, with a height of 770 metres (2,530 ft).[1][2] It is located in the Kaihu Forest, approximately 20 kilometres north of Dargaville.[3][4][5]

Historically, the slopes of Tutamoe were densely forested with kauri trees (Agathis australis).[6][7] The eastern slopes of Tutamoe were home to the largest kauri tree, Kairaru, having a circumference of 20 m and being 30.5 m to the first branches, double the size of Tāne Mahuta.[8][9] Kairaru was lost to a fire in the late 1880s.[7][8][10]

Gibbons and Harris engine moving kauri timber at Tutamoe, 1905

The mountain's soils, primarily composed of soft sedimentary material, provide ideal conditions for kauri trees to establish deep root systems and access moisture during the summer months.[7] Additionally, basalt rocks, originating from the ancient Waipoua volcano, are abundant on the slopes.[8][11] These mineral-rich rocks contribute to the fertility of the soil over time, creating favourable growing conditions. Many of the large kauri trees that remain today are found in areas with deep, fertile soils.[8]

According to Māori mythology, Tutamoe is the guardian of the tribes in the area surrounding present-day Dargaville.[12]

  1. ^ "Getting high in Northland: A peak-bagger's guide to the North's 10 highest mountains". Ramblings. 28 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Mount Tutamoe Track".
  3. ^ "Tutamoe, Northland". NZ Topo Map.
  4. ^ "Tutamoe". Places in the World.
  5. ^ "Tutamoe, New Zealand". Peakbagger.com.
  6. ^ "Te Raupua and Tutamoe: Climbing Northland's highest peaks". The New Zealand Herald. 19 January 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Grant, Simon. "The Memory Tree". NZ Geo. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Miller, Nigel; Holland, Wendy (2008). Natural areas of Tutamoe Ecological District: Reconnaissance survey report for the Protected Natural Areas Programme (PDF). Whangarei, New Zealand: Department of Conservation. pp. 15–16.
  9. ^ Hutchins, D. E. (David Ernest) (1919). New Zealand forestry. Part 1, Kauri forests and forests of the north and forest management. Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira. Wellington, NZ : Dept. of Forestry. pp. 42–43.
  10. ^ "NR/1737". The New Zealand Tree Register. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  11. ^ Hayward, Bruce W.; Jamieson, Alastair; Morley, Margaret S. (2017). Out of the ocean, into the fire: history in the rocks, fossils and landforms of Auckland, Northland and Coromandel (PDF). Geoscience Society of New Zealand miscellaneous publication. Wellington, New Zealand: Geoscience Society of New Zealand. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-473-39596-4.
  12. ^ Taonui, Rāwiri. "Ngāpuhi". Te Ara — the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.