These Kauri groups vary greatly in extent. They often occupy 
several square-miles; sometimes there are only 30 or 40 trees clus- 
tered together which thus, mutually protecting each other, thrive 
splendidly. Upon cutting down the woods , however, and allowing 
but a few, single, trees to remain, the latter wither away. In 
vain have the colonists tried, to keep and preserve upon the exten- 
sive tracts which they wrest from the wild woods for agricultural 
purposes and for the raising of cattle, some few beautiful trees as 
ornaments of the landscape, and to grace their farms. The offspring 
of the shady, humid wild woods will always pine away, as soon 
as it is exposed to wind and sun; and in the same manner every 
trial hitherto made to plant and cultivate that son of the wilder- 
ness , has sadly miscarried. 
Closely connected with this peculiarity that the tree thrives 
and grows only in groups , is the other , that the trees of one 
and the same group or grove are usually of nearly the same age. 
Hence there are “clumps” with trees of 100, 200, 400 and 500 
years; and the grand impression made by the Kauri forest is chiefly 
based upon this circumstance, that it is a forest as of one cast; 
that tree by tree rises of equal thickness and of equal height, like 
pillars in the halls of a cathedral. In these clumps, the Kauri pine 
suffers no larger forest-trees by its side; only smaller trees and 
shrubs compose the undergrowth. 
Young trees have a very different appearance from the older ones. 
In its youth, the Kauri pine resembles more our red pine; and in 
matured age, rather the full-grown white pine. Young specimens 
of from 60 to 100 years have sharp pointed conical crowns; the 
trunk runs perfectly straight from the root to the topmost end of 
the crown. In advanced age, the sidebranches grow stronger and 
form in continual duplication an irregularly ramified, umbrella- 
shaped crown. The trunk, on the other hand, perfectly cylindrical, 
and almost imperceptibly lessening in its ascent, presents, as far 
as the crown , a majestic pillar whose beautiful stature is disturbed 
neither by sidebranches, nor parasitical plants, such as usually 
cover other forest-trees. The eye follows unimpeded the beautiful 
