In the Company of Giants
It is near sunset when we pull into the empty parking area at Puketi Kauri Forest near Kerikeri. Golden light bathes the unmistakable tall ragged tops of the kauri trees on the skyline. As I walk over to the boardwalk I hear a haunting, unfamiliar bird call and I peer into the treetops trying to see the bird. It is the rare kōkako singing a duet with other kōkako, calling from across the forest like a forest choir.
The Manginangina boardwalk wanders down through nīkau and tree ferns then suddenly I catch a glimpse of tall white tree trunks, like ghosts of an ancient forest. I have walked back into an ancient time when kauris ruled the forest. Among these majestic trees I feel insignificant. I reach out and press my hand against the cold hard trunk – it is firm beneath my hand. Does the tree feel my warm hand? I like to think it does.
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