Common Name(s): Swamp kauri, ancient kauri
Botanical Designation: Not a distinct species of kauri; trade name for kauri trees (Agathis australis)that have been harvested from salt marshes and swamps in New Zealand’s North Island
Distribution: New Zealand
Average Dried Weight: 34.0 lbs/ft3 (540 kg/m3)
Janka Hardness: 730 lbf (3,230 N)
Comments: These kauri trees are thousands of years old—with logs being further preserved underground for many more thousands of years. The massive trees were buried with a seemingly violent and sudden force, possibly in a large storm, tsunami, or flood. (Curiously, New Zealand is located right at the boundary of two major tectonic plates.) The bizarre circumstances leading to the swamp kauri’s burial bears a striking similarity to many flood accounts of early civilizations, where “all the fountains of the great deep [were] broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” (Genesis 7: 11).