Tane Mahuta New Zealand's famous icon: a ticking time bomb

By Diana Gordon

New Zealand’s famous icon Tane Mahuta is in great danger.
The Kauri trees are dying in the forests of an incurable disease, and no-one knows how to help them.
Meet Joshua whose alcoholic father beats him up. He is taken into foster care and is sent to live in Opononi near the Waipoua Forest, Northland, New Zealand.
Joshua has special gifts. He has visions, experiences time travel, and out of body experiences.
He meets a little nature spirit called Piper who becomes his guardian, and she takes him to meet Tane Mahuta.
To Joshua’s shock and amazement he hears Tane speaking to him. He can’t believe his ears! A talking tree!
Tane Mahuta becomes Joshua’s mentor and teacher, and this is the beginning of Joshua’s education. Tane is deeply anxious about the state of his family, and the devastating effects of chemicals being dropped in the forests.
He asks Joshua to pass on an urgent message to the children of Aotearoa. He needs their help.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diana Gordon
• Release date: Oct 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463386163

Diana Gordon

I am a proud New Zealander, and very passionate about the environment, natural health, healing, and photography. I grew up in Central Otago in the South Island. After leaving school, I trained as a hairdresser - and became interested in natural therapies after having my children. I practised as a Naturopath for 25 years, and have now retired from running a clinic, but still work part-time in the natural therapies field. I love gardening, photography, reading, and travel. My children died in car accidents, which inspired me to write about their survival after death. I self-published my book called "I'm Alive my Children are Dead - or Are They?" It was voted a finalist in The Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Awards in NZ in 2013. (Balboa Press) available from Amazon, Fish Pond etc.In 2014, I was asked to contribute along with 364 other authors for a book called 'Inspiration Bible' The unseen force transforming lives worldwide, published by Emily Gower of Gower International Publishing Australia. We each contributed a page of our writing to inspire readers. My contribution is on page 96 and is called, 'There is Only Love'.I have now written an ebook for young adults/adults about Tane Mahuta a famous Old Kauri Tree whose life is under threat because of an incurable disease, and a young lad called Joshua who wants to save the Kauri trees and forests worldwide. Read on and be inspired.

Book preview

Review Tane Mahuta

Tane Mahuta’s family are dying of an incurable disease. Joshua who has out of body experiences meets up with this wise Old Tree and hears his plea for help. Joshua’s parents are alcoholics – they beat him up. Sad and unhappy he got into trouble and was put into foster care. He escapes his life by being able to get out of his body and communicate with nature – he meets Piper a nature spirit, and they have many adventures in the forest. Tane takes on the mantle of a wise Old Man who teaches Joshua about the environment, the critical situation of the Kauri Trees, and many trees worldwide. A New Zealand story for young and old, to create an awareness of how important it is to look after our environment and to work with Nature.

Tane has a powerful message…………….not just for New Zealand – but for the World.

Tane Mahuta

New Zealand’s famous icon – a ticking time bomb

Diana Gordon

Introduction

Tane Mahuta – Lord of the Forest – New Zealand’s most famous icon in the Waipoua Forest is being threatened by a serious disease that has no cure. Kauri trees are dying. If no cure is found New Zealand’s eco-systems will be seriously compromised. Kauri-dieback disease is a ticking time bomb. The situation is critical. Tane Mahuta asks the children of Aotearoa for help to save his family – the Kauri trees. I was inspired to write this story on behalf of Tane when he ‘told’ me he was desperate for help. I had visited him in the Waipoua Forest, several years ago. He is a magnificent specimen of Kauri, and he invites you to listen to his message through the eyes and heart of a young lad called Joshua.

I grew up in a family who loved the ‘great outdoors.’ We went on camping holidays and had lots of fun exploring life on the rivers, lakes and beaches - climbing hills and skating on ponds and dams in the Central Otago winters. The environment then was still very pristine and I can’t remember ever seeing any pollution at all. The water in the lakes and rivers was crystal clear. Oh so good to drink. My siblings and I were taught to take care of our environment – to respect all living things – to give back, and not to take more than was needed: To become aware and appreciate the beauty around us – to be grateful that we lived in such a wonderful country.

Nowadays it is not safe for people to drink from, or swim in many of our rivers, lakes and streams, and that is tragic. I love my country New Zealand with its stunning and beautiful landscapes – the rolling green hills, the high mountains – the magnificent forests – the wildlife - the once clear crystal waters of our lakes and rivers, and the gold, white and black sands of our beaches. I love trees – I love the forests. I live near the Redwood Forest in Rotorua. Such magnificent trees – thousands of tourists visit the Redwoods and the Waipoua Forest every year where Tane Mahuta the oldest Kauri Tree in the world lives.

In July 2018, a Kauri tree only 60 meters from Tane Mahuta was discovered to have Kauri die-back disease. Our great and famous icon is now under serious threat. A toxic chemical 1080 has been dropped in many of the forests. The science that the Department of Conservation and others follow - allow the dumping of 1080 and other harmful pesticides over our forests and farmlands. The opposing scientific evidence says these chemicals, pesticides, and poisons are having a very detrimental effect on the trees and their ecosystems – as well the effects of solar winds, the change in the earth’s magnetic field, and the magnetic tides of the moon. Perhaps Tane Mahuta knows best.

It is my hope that you, the reader, will enjoy the wisdom of this wise old Kauri Tree as he takes on the mantle of teacher and friend to a small boy called Joshua who is anxious to save the Kauri trees. To take on board the lessons that he teaches. For you, the children are the hope of the future – the brave ones who will challenge the old ways, and find new solutions to the enormous challenge of cleaning up the environment before it is too late.

New Zealand is chemically green. We must return her to being organically green and pristine once more. We have the choice. We must wake up – Help Joshua save Tane Mahuta and his family.

Diana Gordon

In memory of Andrew Niha

Who first told me about Tane Mahuta- Lord of the Forest.

Andrew left this world suddenly on Boxing Day 2017 before he could read my story.

So this is for you Andrew - you who loved and cared so much for the environment and

this magnificence Land - Aotearoa New Zealand.

Whatungarongaro te tangata toitu te whenua.

As a man disappears from site, the land remains.

Thank you Mirjana & Mama

Who first took me to meet Tane Mahuta.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 Joshua

Chapter 2 Opononi

Chapter 3 Joshua meets Tane Mahuta

Chapter 4 Joshua learns more about his environment

Chapter 5 Arai Te Uru Walk

Chapter 6 Joshua meets Maia and Rangi

Chapter 7 Feeling Scared

Chapter 8 Lessons with Tane Mahuta

Chapter 9 Bad News

Chapter 10 Joshua’s meeting with Gaia – Mother Earth

Chapter 11 The Hokianga Harbour

Chapter 12 Tane Mahuta calls for Help

Epilogue

Credits

About the Author

Chapter 1

Joshua

Joshua cringed under his bedclothes. They were arguing again. He heard the sound of doors slamming and his father yelling at his mother. He was terrified that his father would barge into his room, pull him out of bed and slap him around the ears as he often did when drunk. He hated when his father drank. He hated being on the receiving end of his fists. His father was shrewd enough, even when drunk, not to belt him where the bruises could be seen. He caused havoc in the household. Joshua waited with baited breath for the door to crash open. When his mother began to swear at his father, Joshua put his fingers in his ears so he couldn’t hear them arguing and abusing one another. This time, however, he was left alone. Eventually, Joshua managed to go to sleep. He knew what it would be like in the morning – broken dishes, beer, wine bottles, and stale cigarette butts scattered all around the lounge. No one got up to make his breakfast, or see him off to school. He made himself a piece of toast then left the house trying to make up his mind what to do, or where to go.

Joshua O’Connor was a troubled and scared little boy – not very tall for his 12 years. His piercing blue eyes stood out from his fair skin and brown straight hair. All of his short life he felt ‘different’ from other kids. He couldn’t explain why – he was just ‘different’ and he felt like an ‘outsider’. His parents didn’t seem to care much about him. Something changed a few years ago - they began to drink heavily, argue and fight. He was often at the end of a fist and suffered verbal abuse when they were drunk. It hadn’t always been like that. There were happy times when they all had fun together. He could remember going to the footy with his father, and his mother taking him to swimming lessons. There were other happy family occasions such as visiting his grandparents – Christmas and birthdays. He often wondered what it was that changed them - what was it that made them drink and take drugs? Joshua became anxious and afraid for his own safety. He figured that the only way to survive was to act tough, like the boys he had seen roaming the streets. He disliked going to school. He was often in trouble with the teachers. His schoolwork began to fall behind. To make matters worse his parents couldn’t pay for his books, sports equipment or his school fees. He often went to school hungry. The housekeeping money was spent on booze and drugs. Joshua had no brothers or sisters. He had no one to go to when his mum and dad got drunk - he felt very sad and alone. His grandparents had died some years ago. He missed their loving presence in his life. He felt he had been born into the wrong family. He was so different from his parents. Often at night, he had dreams and visions of a different world full of ‘light’ with loving Beings who comforted him in tough times. To escape his difficult home life he liked to daydream and go inward – he imagined many different dimensions where he made friends with many kinds of lifeforms and aliens! Life there was a great adventure and he saw himself as a great warrior – like Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, or Superman and Batman fighting evil.

Joshua had a heightened sense of the ‘invisible’ world around him. He found it difficult to relate to his parents, or to his teachers who lost patience with his difficult behaviour. He could sense who was kind and who was not. He felt like a ‘fish out of water’. He often behaved badly. He felt very much alone – that no one cared, and no one understood him. Joshua gravitated towards a group of boys who thought it cool to break the law, to steal, vandalise schools, and scrawl graffiti on public buildings. For those boys, this behaviour was an everyday event. It made them feel tough – it made them feel important in the world. Deep down Joshua knew it was wrong. He knew in his heart that he needed to change – In his quiet moments he mentally cried out for someone to help him – to love him. He wanted a happy life – he wanted his parents to be loving and kind like they used to be. But his parents continued to drink and fight. He had met other children whose family lives were happy, whose parents didn’t argue, do drugs, or get drunk, and he was desperate to find someone who would take good care of him. Joshua thought of running away – but where could he go – he had no money, and he didn’t know anyone who would take him in. The world seemed against him – he was in a very dark place – a hole so deep that thoughts of death crossed his mind. Perhaps he would be better off dead. He shivered - with a great effort managed to push them from his mind each time they arose. He knew there had to be more to life than this.

One day he was walking by himself in a park. It was spring – all the flowers were in bloom like the colours of the rainbow. Many of the trees were sprouting their soft green leaves. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze – the leaves were dancing and shimmering in the