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Gumdiggers Park: See Ancient Kauri in New Zealand

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Gum washing machine in Gummdigges Village, Awanui New Zealand
Gum washing machine used from 1930 - 1950. There was also a hurdy gurdy used prior to 1930.

Gumdiggers Park is an authentic piece of New Zealand history. Home to the oldest non-fossilized wood found on earth, the buried ancient Kauri trees are something to see. Developed only enough to make it safe for visitors, Gumdiggers Park is fascinating, even to our teens.

Walking along lush green forest paths, we found labels explaining just about everything. We saw young and mature kauri trees, an ancient buried forest, an old gum diggers’ village and rare geckos.

It only takes about an hour to explore this ancient Kauri kingdom. We recommend it for everyone driving up the Aupouri Peninsula to the top of the North Island.

What are gum diggers?

As explained better in the photos below, gum diggers are the people who dig in the ancient Kauri forest for the tree gum or resinous sap. From the late 1800s to 1920 gum digging was a principal income source in this part of New Zealand.

The fossilised sap, or kauri gum, hardens over thousands of years into beautiful (when polished) New Zealand amber. A more practical use of the gum is in high-quality varnishes.

Ancient kauri log estimated to be 100k-150K old at Gumdiggers Park in Northland New Zealand
It is ok to touch this ancient kauri log estimated to be 100k-150K years old.
How did ancient kauri logs end up at Gumdiggers Park in Northland New Zealand
The signage throughout the park is excellent. This one explains why the log in the photo above is flat.
A young kauri tree on the eco trail in Northland New Zealand
A young kauri tree on the eco-trail. We also saw an enclosure with rare geckos along this trail.

Gum Diggers Village

In Gumdiggers Village, there is a short (15-minute) loop video of gum-digging history. Apparently, the original gum diggers wore leather boots but soon changed to rubber boots to keep their feet dry. The name “gumboots” has stuck in New Zealand. You may know them as Wellingtons, mud boots, or rain boots in other parts of the world.

A hut in Gummdigges Village, Awanui New Zealand
A hut in Gumdiggers Village. It is recreated here with traditional building materials.
Gummdigges Village, Awanui New Zealand
Examples of gum digging equipment can be found in the Gum Store (again, it is okay to touch carefully things here).
Kauri tree gum washing machine at Gumdiggers Park in Awanui New Zealand
Gum washing machine used from 1930 – 1950. There was also a hurdy-gurdy used prior to 1930.

Ancient kauri

Huge ancient kauri stump estimated to be 100k-150K old at Gumdiggers Park in Northland New Zealand
In the foreground of this giant hole is the stump from a tree the size of Tane Mahuta (New Zealand’s current largest tree). It is also estimated to be between 100-150k years old.
A deep walk in hole at Gumdiggers Park in New Zealand
Our teens give a bit of perspective to the depth of this walk-in gum digger hole.

Keep a close eye on children. Many of the guide ropes are just on the other side of gum digger holes. Falling into the holes would be dangerous to both the child and the land.

Gumdiggers Park in Northland New Zealand
Most of the gum digger holes we walked by were big and obvious, but some were a bit harder to spot. The rope guides are a reminder, but keep an eye on small children.

Rubbing amber: is it like a fountain of youth?

A large piece of New Zealand amber in Northland
This large piece of New Zealand amber is on display in the gift shop area. I rubbed it for youth. Is it working?

What Makes Gumdiggers Park special

“All around we see the devastation in the name of progress, so it is a no-brainer for us to keep the habitat here as a sanctuary for the last remaining indigenous plants and animals that live here. Out of just this valley of 4000 acres, this is the last 70 acres left. And also the ancient forests that lay buried here, are truly unique and help scientists worldwide with their study into climate change, and  the history of this once huge industry that helped to found Auckland and Northland.”

John
owner/caretaker

Practical information on visiting Gumdiggers Park

Remember to walk through Gumdiggers Park with respect. Everything you see is authentic, old, and irreplaceable.

  • Gumdiggers Park is open daily from 9 am – 5 pm.
  • Allocate about an hour for a visit, although if you are in a hurry and skip the video, you could see it all in about 30 minutes. It is worth the time and cost.
  • Located at 171 Heath Road in Awanui, this Park is quite easy to find on the way up to Cape Reinga. From Kaitaia, travel north on SH1 for about 20km. Turn right at the second time the loop road Paparora Road intersects, followed by a left turn onto Heath Road.
  • Keep a close eye on children. Many of the guide ropes are just on the other side of gum digger holes. Falling in the holes would be dangerous to both the child and the land.
  • This part of our favourite 4-5 day self-drive itinerary around the top of the North Island.

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Ancient kauri log estimated to be 100k-150K old at Gumdiggers Park in Northland New Zealand

Have you been to Gumdiggers Park?

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Disclaimer: We were granted entrance to Gummdigger Park to take photos for this article. However, the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gum diggers Interesting!!! I’ve never heard about it. I’m glad that i stumbled upon your web blog and got to Know an Interesting thing to Know.This place looks amazing and worth visiting.

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  2. My partner comes from Paparore, just around the corner (literally) from the Gum diggers Park. Over the years on our visits back there we have watched the park develop saw the signs go up and the buses and tourists arrive. It’s been great seeing this development in the Far North take off. Congratulations on a job well done. One day we may even pop in and have a look around.

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    • How cool. What a wonderful place to grow up. The scenes all around there are magnificent, and the gum digger information is really interesting. You really should check it out next time you are there.

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  3. Thanks for sharing this interesting bit of history from our neighbouring country to the south. I never knew about gum diggers. Now I wonder if such an occupation also existed in Australia’s past; I’ll have to do some digging myself (on Google).

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  4. 150,000 year old trees?! Holy cow! It’s amazing, and I love the part where it says “Warning” but you’re allowed to rub the amber for youth. Oh, if it were only that easy… Awesome pics! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂

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  6. What a fun tour, it was fascinating learning about the tree and the special sap and amber that can develop from this, love the tropical vibe of this forest.

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  7. My great grandfather was a gum digger in the far north of NZ. This was fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing. I’ll be sure to visit here myself one day when I go to NZ.

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    • Wow, that is so cool. Owner/caretaker John is really approachable so be sure to tell him about your great grandfather. I’ll bet you have some great stories to share together.

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  8. We have been to New Zealand half a dozen times. I thought we had just about ticked everything interesting off our list but you keep putting up blog posts which make me want to plan another trip there.

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  9. How beautiful, Rhonda! I guess it must be nice and warm in New Zealand now, not that I have to complain about California. I really love parks like this, I wish we had some closer to where I live. That stump hole seems huge! I guess that tree must have been larger than a sequoia. Very beautiful pictures, like always.

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    • We lived in the San Francisco area for 15 years before coming to New Zealand. The weather is quite similar, although it rains more often here – and opposite seasons. As for the trees, you have me curious so I looked it up, and am still confused. If the sequoia are the Sierra redwoods, then they are bigger, otherwise it looks like it is Kauri. But this is only comparing the largest of each tree:

      Largest diameter
      Sierra Redwood 32 feet—unusual, 40 feet
      Kauri Pine 24 feet
      Coast Redwood 18 feet—unusual, 22 feet
      Mexican Cypress 20 feet—unusual, 40 feet
      Bald Cypress 15 feet
      Japanese Cedar 12 feet
      *source

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    • New Zealand was an untouched paradise for so long before people discovered it, so there was plenty of time for the trees to grow. It is a Kauri Tree.

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  12. Quite awesome. Seeing something so old really puts into perspective our place in this world’s history, doesn’t it? I’d love to visit someday.

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  13. Wow! Thank you for sharing! What great photos and I really enjoyed learning about gum diggers. I had never heard of this before finding your blog!

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    • Such a huge industry in New Zealand from early in the last century, it surprises me how little people (including myself) know about it.

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    • Allow a few extra days to explore the top of the North Island. Too many people land in Auckland and only head south.

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  22. I enjoyed this story so much. Your information and photos are interesting, and if I were there I’d certainly go see this fascinating place. It’s remarkable what our old earth does with things, such as the sap from these trees, making them into gorgeous pieces of amber. Excellent, and thank you for sharing.

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  23. I’ve never heard of this before today. How cool. I would have loved to visit this park. So rich in history and I love history. Great shots too.

    Have a fabulous day Rhonda. 🙂

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  26. This looks so interesting! I have never even heard of gumdiggers or gumdigging. One of these days I need to get over to New Zealand and explore!!

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    • This is very close to the top of the North Island. Schedule a long trip so you will have time to explore the whole country.

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  31. Interesting to know about gum-diggers,never heard before.Now,I searched in Google and read few more articles too.Beautiful photos of the place..

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  32. Hi Rhonda – interesting to read about the gum-diggers .. I’d never heard of them before … fascinating to read that the forests used to cover most of North Island. Wonderful trees and history .. I’d definitely visit at some stage … cheers Hilary

    Reply

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