Lookout 2000 celebration milestones

A Kauri tree begins to grow

At the lookout tower site is a memorial to the man whose work did the most to save the kauris of the Waipoua forest: McGregor. A stone carries a message. A tree lives the message.

Here is the Kauri as it existed in 1997. If it is still here at the beginning of the next millennium, make it a gauge of health of the planet for the next millennium. Check it each year. Keep a report. This tree should live a thousand years. It is Gaia's Thermometer.

Overview. A standing stone with a bronze plaque marks the planting of the kauri. But where is the tree? As a baby tree, it needs the protection of larger trees overhead.

Closer. Climbing up the lookout tower and zooming in on the memorial, you can see the baby kauri in line behind the stone. A really big file records the site as a baseline.

Kauri. Here it is, the handsome infant kauri tree. It was planted in 1979. It will mature in 1000 years. That's just in time for the 3rd millennium.A really large file records the milestone tree we'll be watching for the next millennium.

Kauri's leaves. Look at the foilage now. As the kauri grows, the bottom branches die.

Rickers. On a path down from the lookout is a fine stand of young kauri trees. The memorial kauri will look like this in a few years, if all goes well.

Discussion

What could affect health of the Kauri? Are these factors important to us and the planet too? Artificially planted, does it have the forest protection it needs? Will it survive the legal battle between native Maori and paheka (recent settlers)? If land becomes Maori-owned, what are the plans?