PREHISTORIC FOREST

Southland Times, Issue 20396, 27 January 1928, Page 11

PREHISTORIC FOREST

REVEALED AT ARAPUNI. BEFORE THE MAORIS CAME. The most remarkable development at Arapuni has been the exposure of the stumps of an ancient forest evidently destroyed by the last deposit of pumice from some volcano (states the New Zealand Herald). No authority in geology has yet reported upon the matter, but it is evident that the forest grew and flourished after the Waikato River left the course which is now the headrace and cut the gorge over 200 ft deep in which it has now been dammed. Three geological periods, it appears, have been cross-sectioned by the river in its new year adventures on the Waiteti Flat. The earliest is shown by boulders and rocks that are well worn by water. Obviously the river once flowed there. In the second period this old bed filled, the water was diverted and upon the new layer that is now clay, a forest grew. It could not have started to grow less than 600 or 800 years ago, for among the many stumps of rimu and matai there are some 4ft in diameter, indicating such an age. The tops of these stumps, some of which are now standing 18ft to 20ft above the rushing water mark the level of the swamp water and their wonderful state of preservation is evidently due to this form of sealing. On some the bark still firmly holds. Some punga stems have been noticed. The appearance of charcoal suggests that the forest was destroyed after the pumice layer was deposited, which marks the beginning of the third geological period. What the theories are as to the length of the pumice period is not at present known, but clearly centuries have passed since the trees died. Hence they were growing long before the Maoris came to New Zealand, and doubtless long before the Norman Conquest—possibly they spread their first leaves to the sun at a much earlier time- But sealed from the air by swamp water, the stumps still stand, and when they are washed down stream, as undoubtedly they will be as the water undermines them, river-bank people will drag them ashore, and some of them may yet become fence posts. Certainly they will supply many a “back log” for the winter fires and their end will be ashes. It is significant that no timber was uncovered above the level of the stumps. Probably fire took most of it and decay the rest. On the upper part of the flat the stumps are very thick.