NEW ZEALAND TIMBEES 
243 
Ch asm Creek Gorge. ^ The Maoris distinguish it from the 
other beeches by caUing it Tawhai-raw-nui. 
Miro {Podocarpus ferrugivea), known as Bastard Black 
Pine in Otago, is a reddish brown coloured wood and not 
unlike Matai, but may be detected by the cross section of 
the dark coloured heartwood. Often star shaken and 
irregular, it is less durable than Matai. Miro is very 
suitable for interior work ; it is also of considerable strength 
and may be used for beams carrying heavy weights ; it hag 
also been used for piles and timber work of wharves. It is 
straight and even in grain and can be got in lengths 20 to 
30 ft. long. 
Weight about 46 lbs. per cubic foot. 
Rata, of which there are two species (Metrosideros liicida 
and M. robusta), is not only useful for shipbuilding, railway 
sleepers, wharves, wheelwrights' work, etc., but may be 
referred to as a natural curiosity, insomuch as its seeds are 
propagated on other forest trees, sometimes at a height of 
80 ft. above the ground. It rapidly increases in growth 
until its limited supply of nourishment is exhausted, when, 
in search of further nourishment, the roots grow steadily 
down the sides of the sustaining tree until the ground is 
reached, after which they gradually assume the appearance 
of stems, some of them 3 ft. in diameter, put forth shoots at 
right angles, and grow round the trunk of the supporting 
tree, gradually crushing it under their enormous pressure. 
The only tree which it fails to destroy by this process is the 
Puriri, which opposes greater strength and comes out 
victorious in the contest. 
The wood of the rata is of a reddish brown or reddish 
yellow colour, and is hard, dense, and heavy, of great 
1 Min. of Proc. Inst. O.E., Vol. 143, p. 254. 
R 2 
