New Zealand Native Plant Kaikomako

New Zealand Native Plant Kaikomako or Pennantia Corymbosa is one of my favorite of all the native trees. It is probably one the rarest native trees.
UPDATED:
Legend has it that Maui tricked Mahuika to learn the art of making fire by rubbing wood together. Maui discovered several trees had the best qualities to create fire. Kaikomako is the best of the hard woods for doing this.
This tree is truly one of our National Treasures that must not become extinct.
From my research, these are the five trees that Maui discovered that were used to make fire by friction:
Pukatea - Laurelia novae-zelandiae - Hardwood
Kaikomako - Pennantia Corymbosa - Hardwood
Pate / Patete / Seven-finger - Schifflera Digitata - Hardwood
Mahoe / Hinahina / Whitey Wood - Melicytus Ramiflorus - Hardwood
And possibly?
Totara - Podocarpus totara - Softwood
or
Houhere/lacebark - Hoheria spp. - Hardwood
My best educational guess, would be that the fifth tree is more likely to be Totara - Podocarpus totara - Softwood.
My reasoning for this is that Totara is a softwood and would make for a perfect base board on the bottom due to the fibers being able to break down easier than a hardwood. And therefore heat up into an ember much easier and faster. Also that Totara has more flammability, compared to Houhere/lacebark - Hoheria spp. - Hardwood.
I created this video with the TH-cam Video Editor ( / editor )

[@opsykaraoke]

Thanks information.nice sharing my friend 👍👍👍

[@truthsupporter4119]

Thanks for this video! Very informative and straight to the point, not like those other videos that waste time on irrelevant information.

[@peteoneill3351]

Hi Glen. Nice work. I appreciate your videos showing some of the stuff we should know. Cheers

[@WouldyoubelieveHim]

great video Glen

[@KiwiBushcraftAndSurvival]

Cheers Shane

[@olsim1730]

Puriri and Mahoe = best friction fire mix ;)

[@olsim1730]

And I was taught that Wineberry/Aristotelia serata was Kaikomako/Makomako.

[@michalkocis4175]

Awesome video, what camera you using for the excellent zoom?

[@KiwiBushcraftAndSurvival]

panasonic hc-v250 camcorder

[@Saxtafunkta-fecta]

Kia ora Glen Im hearing traffic in the background but this tree Is only found supposedly on Three King Islands(Manawatawhi) so where is this presentation being held?Cheers

[@KiwiBushcraftAndSurvival]

eugene davis Kia ora Eugene, this is in South Auckland. These trees can be found growing on the outside/forest edges from South Auckland and right down through the South Island. There seem to be more around the Wellington area. They are very hard to find though. They don't grow from Auckland Central and northbound.

[@Saxtafunkta-fecta]

What a surprise !!Would you happen to know its history on how long the tree has been growing on the mainland?

[@KiwiBushcraftAndSurvival]

eugene davis
It can only be presumed since the time of Maui. As legend tells it, Maui deceived the ancestress Mahuika and the flames were extinguished and the seeds of fire remained in certain trees. The chief of those is the kaikomako*, which ever since that day has been the fire-friction timber of the Maori. Some fire also entered the hinahina or mahoe, the patete and the totara, but most of it is in the kaikomako.

[@KiwiBushcraftAndSurvival]

@@Saxtafunkta-fecta Have no idea how long. But www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/trees-native-botanical-names-m-to-q/kaikomako-pennantia-corymbosa.html

[@brendonbates2320]

Where was the location of this tree please?

[@neilmarshall5087]

So why are you not taking cuttings ?? If you create 200 more and get them planted around maraes you will be doing a great service to all. Not being rude - but i dont know where they are, so i cant do it.
And thanks for the videos - nice to watch a genuine survivalist instead of the paracord bracelet idiots that you tube is riddled with.

[@big_scrubb4748]

good intentions but kaikomako is a dioecious plant, meaning trees are either male or female. this means that if you take 200 cuttings of one tree and plant them close to each other, they won't produce any fruit because all of the population will be either female or male. i know your comment was three years ago but there are places where you can buy heaps of the seeds for pretty cheap if you're interested

[@nicholastautuhi5031]

Chur for the info on the kaikōmako boss.
Totara though, is not a hardwood.

[@lincoln7184]

Yeah, i dont think any of the trees in the pine family are hardwoods. Too straight grained.

[@tealkerberus748]

@@lincoln7184 Isn't that the definition of softwood? Conifers are softwoods, trees with dicotyledons and proper flowers are hardwoods. Which leads to balsa being classified as a hardwood, but shrug.

[@lincoln7184]

@@tealkerberus748 good observation. Yeah, maybe easier to draw a distinct line, family-wise between what qualifies as a softwood than a hardwood. I was mostly referring to the emergent trees in the ecosystem as classifications around them are clearer since they were the ones clear-felled wholesale for their timber.

[@KiwiBushcraftAndSurvival]

Yes you are correct about Totara. It was generally deemed hardwood when still green, due to it holding copious amounts of moisture. Scientifically you are 100% correct and I have updated it in the description.
Appreciate your input.

[@lincolnhobartmiller]

Chur bro are you ex NZDF? Too much channel anyway, subbed

[@KiwiBushcraftAndSurvival]

Yeah brother, 2/1 Battalion RNZIR. Cheers and thanks for the sub.

[@lincolnhobartmiller]

Kiwi Bushcraft And Survival 2/1 aye? Course you are, everyone else are just poges aye bratha lol.