Chinese Herald Article Transal

CHINESE HERALD ARTICLE

Introducing New Zealand’s kauri gum: Hu Po’s precocious younger brother

China has a long and proud association with the otherworldly beauty that is hu po (very old tree resin), stretching back over 4000 years. Hu po has long been revered in China; for its use in the Imperial Palace, in burial ceremonies, and in important rituals. In recent years, the Chinese community’s enthusiasm has exceeded even that of the Europeans for Baltic hu po. 

More widely, hu po can be found all over the world, even Antarctica. The main forms include Baltic, Dominican, Burmese (Myanmar), Mexican and Canadian. In the last few years, gem quality hu po has been discovered in Vietnam. 

“Chinese” hu po is sourced mainly from Fushun within China, and from Myanmar. Spiritually, hu po is regarded as the tears of the dying tiger. The tiger itself is regarded as a protector against evil. The gold colour of much hu po signifies wealth, power and nobility.

The story of Chinese hu po is a fascinating one, with many parts. But it is not told here. Rather, this is the story of kauri gum, or a qing po, the younger brother of hu po. This is the young resin of New Zealand’s mighty kauri tree, and is a treasure found only in the Northern regions of the country. 

In kauri gum, the story begins with the Maori. In Maori legend kauri gum can be thought of as the tears of the spiritual brothers "Kauri" and "Tohora" (the Southern Right Whale), representing their anguish at being forever separated when Tohora returned to the sea. 

The photo shown above was taken at the Kaikoura coast. This is fitting. The last whale taken by whalers in New Zealand waters, in 1964, took its last breath close to here. Perhaps shown is a whale tear washed ashore by the passing storm?

And like the Chinese with hu po, the Maori used kauri resin for medicinal purposes, including as an antiseptic, and to treat asthma and arthritis. The ash from burnt kauri gum was used as a pigment for the famous Maori tattoo. In the 1840s, post Maori immigrants found kauri gum had other uses, commercial uses that made it highly sought after, in particular in Europe and North America. These rapidly industrialising parts of the world used it, in particular, for making varnish and linoleum. To get it to the United States and Europe typically took 3-5 months, and was a dangerous and expensive journey. Yet kauri gum still made enough to become one of New Zealand’s largest export industries, responsible for funding much of the development of the fledgling country north of the Waikato. 

By1905, 10 800 tons were being exported, although by 1945 this had fallen to a little over 1 000 tons, and 20 tons by 1970. Growing scarcity, poor quality control and the arrival of synthetics combined to bring the industry to a close. 

Initially picked up off the ground, it quickly became necessary to dig kauri gum from the earth (even the lumps weighing over 250 kg!), in the ranges and swamps of Northland, South Auckland and the Coromandel. Later, kauri trees were climbed for the gum in the forks of the trees, and to “bleed” the tree for future collection of the resulting resin. But the practice was quickly stopped because of the damage done to the trees. And it was not just the trees that were at risk. There are reports of collectors scaling a tree only to find the skeleton of someone who had come before, the unfortunate having lost their rope, making descent impossible from such a height. 

While the Chinese dominated the early New Zealand goldfields, this was not the case in the gumfields. There is very little evidence of Chinese involvement, although some Chinese carvings can be seen in collections of polished kauri gum. This is believed to have been because work on the goldfields pre-dated the gumfields, with legislation restricting Chinese migration and wider involvement in the economy coming into effect later, before the kauri gum industry got into its stride. 

By way of further explanation, in 1865-1870, Chinese immigrants had been sought by the Otago regional government to work the goldfields. They arrived quickly, mainly from Guangdong and Australia. From the 1880s, these policies were reversed. Central government restricted Chinese migration (both to and within New Zealand) and opportunities for them to participate in the economy and society more widely. From that point, Chinese immigrants had little choice but to seek out local occupations with low barriers to entry (no licensing, low capital), where family members could provide the labour, and where European immigrants had less interest. This included market gardening and small retail businesses.

So, instead, it was the Dalmatian community, in particular from coastal Croatia, that dominated the gumfields. By working in teams, and with great vigour and skill, they outperformed all others. In parallel with the treatment meted out to the Chinese community before them, for their industrious effort they were discriminated against in custom and in law. And like the Chinese community, the Dalmatians went on to provide an outsized contribution to New Zealand's economy and culture, in particular providing a strong foundation for New Zealand's wine and horticulture industries. 

As well as for industrial purposes, kauri gum was once also highly valued for its natural beauty, once the “raw” piece had been shaped and polished. While kauri gum comes in many different grades (colours and hardness), the most prized were hard, transparent and depicting impressive landscapes and, occasionally, with recognisable insect and plant inclusions. The most prized grades were rare, and could easily fetch ten times the price of poorer grades, more if being purchased by a collector. 

Today, the stock of existing collections of kauri gum suffer surface cracking and oxidation, obscuring the beauty within. In particular, sunlight, high temperatures and fluctuating humidity wreak havoc on highly polished kauri gum, as it does with polished hu po. The tragedy here is that only when touched by the sun does kauri gum reveal its true beauty. Yet it is that touch that so quickly destroys it. 

With the end of the kauri gum industry also came the end of the flow of new pieces to be polished. For the small number of pieces found on beaches or uncovered by random excavation, few are of the best quality, and fewer yet find their way into the hands of people with the knowledge or passion to reveal the secrets within. In comparison, around the world, hu po continues to be mined and eagerly sought by collectors, as it has been for thousands of years and will likely be for many years to come. 

So it can be said that the curtain is coming down on this incredible New Zealand treasure. And this has been one of the key reasons for staging a photographic exhibition - to preserve kauri gum’s natural beauty for all time. 

The exhibition, created by the talented Belgium photographer Pieter (Pete) Verlaak, is the first, and will perhaps be the last of itskind (depending on whether it is successful). It is being held at the Arataki Visitor Centre for the two months from 3 April. The online exhibition can be found at https://dasforestltd.queensberryworkspace.com/index . The Visitor Centre also houses a modest kauri gum collection, and the centre itself sits within a young kauri forest; contrasting with Baltic hu po and traditional Chinese hu po, where the trees which produced it became extinct long ago. 

Alongside the exhibition, public talks are being offered on the history of kauri gum (uses, mythology, its importance in shaping New Zealand culture and economy); and separately on its morphology (what it is, where to find it, what to do with it). The timing and location of the talks are as follows: 

• Kauri gum morphology: Saturday, 18 April, 2 pm at the Arataki Visitor Centre, 300 Scenic Drive, Titirangi.
• Kauri gum history: Wednesday, 22 April, 7 pm, Waitakere Gardens, 15 Sel Peacock Drive, Henderson (this talk is nearly booked out).
• Kauri gum history: Saturday, 25 April, 2 pm, Arataki Visitor Centre, 300 Scenic Drive, Titirangi.
• Kauri gum history: Sunday, 26 April, 2 pm, the Dalmatian Cultural Society, 10, New North Road, Eden Terrace".

For those interested in attending the exhibition and talks, you might like to consider a long weekend in the Waitakere ranges, visiting the wonderful beaches and scenic walks the area has to offer. The friendly staff at the Visitor Centre are happy to offer advice on places to go, staying safe and conservation practices (a critical problem being managed in the park is the “die back” threatening its kauri trees). There are also many wonderful accommodation and restaurant options to choose from in the area, many with outstanding views back over the city. 

For the more adventurous, you might like to consider a trip further afield, to the Kauri Museum at Matakohe, a little south of Dargaville. Among other things relating to the kauri gum and timber industries, they hold the greatest collection of polished kauri gum there has ever been. Its like will never be seen again. 

Finally, the kauri gum featured in the photographic exhibition are part of a private collection numbering over 800 pieces. Efforts are currently being made to distribute that collection amongst public institutions in New Zealand and overseas. Because of the Chinese community's unequal passion for hu po, a key objective is to donate the heart of the collection to an appropriate institution in China, if it would be welcomed.