Mar 22, 2010: Kauri Staircase
 

New Zealand is home to the Kauri trees, a giant evergreen that has almost disappeared, mainly because it's light, strong and rot resistant, so favored for ship building. Of the remaining trees, the largest is 16 meters in girth and several are 2000 years old. Cape Reigna, at New Zealand's north end, was a swamp at one time, and the locals dig preserved trunks and stumps out of the bog. They use the wood to fashion musical instruments and crafts, from wood thousands of years old.

The Kauri mill has a shop where people can buy pieces of wood, or things made from it, that's centerpiece is this staircase.

http://cellar.org/2010/treestairs.jpg

This staircase was hollowed out of a stump, reportedly 75,000 years old.
That may or may not be true, but it sure was a big one.

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Nice find bruce. Here's an article on some of the oldest living trees on Earth: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...-tree-gallery/

Ah, I think back to the days when Frodo, Sam and Bilbo used to play hide and seek around this tree in the Shire.

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If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made out of meat?!

Frodo - exactly.

I thought THE oldest tree was a Yew in England?


Anyway - I have a very personal love/hate/hate relationship with yews.

Taxotere is from the yew tree.

You think that's big? You should see the trees in Old Zealand!

A roughly 4,841 year old tree in California has that honor. There was an older one, but scientists cut it down to study it.

wooden it be cool to have that in your home?

Yeah. It wood.

If I was carving it out, I'd be nervous about messing it up. Laying out a spiral staircase isn't easy.

I wondered if they used all that wood they cut out for other stuff?

Yup, sawdust.

I think they missed a great opportunity when they made it a staircase. Picture it as a nicely polished spiral slide instead! That would be amazing to have in your home (it would be great just to have a home big enough for it!).

Wow, and no one's mentioned how Kauri smoked <insert random cute critter here> would taste. Yer slippin guys! :)

No. But I thought it.

To all Englanders - what a waste of a good tree, that could have been the Slippery Slip!