The natural range of the New Zealand kauri is restricted to the sub-tropical forests in areas north of latitude 38° S (in Auckland, Northland and the Coromandel Peninsula), where it grows from sea level to 600 metres.
Kauri forests were harvested to make room for agriculture.
Here we should acknowledge William Roy McGregor, a New Zealand zoologist and conservationist. He spearheaded halting forestry in the Waipoua forest and establishing a protected sanctuary.
This section tells the story of the logging of those forests, and the status of the remaining forested areas.