Podocarpus totara D. Don
Family: Podocarpaceae
Softwood
Country of Origin: New Zealand

The tree:
Podocarpus totara is a tall, often massive tree with thick, fibrous bark which comes off in strips. The adult leaves are dark green or yellowish brown and yew-like. The total tree height is generally around 30 m, although specimens up to 40 m are known. In its early stages it is bushy in form, but as it grows in height it acquires a massive trunk up to 2.5 m in diameter. These veterans may be 800 or more years old. It is found from North Cape to Bluff and on Stewart Island, but is most abundant in the central North Island.

The wood:
The heartwood of totara is an even reddish brown, and the sapwood pale brown. The growth rings are indistinct. It is very straight in the grain, so that it splits easily, and it has a fine, even texture which cuts smoothly across the grain, so that it splits easily, and it has a fine, even texture which cuts smoothly across the grain in spite of its softness. It should not be kiln dried because the process is slow and uneven; air drying is also rather slow. In northern New Zealand kauri and totara were held in equally high regard by the Maori. Over the rest of the country, however, totara was indisputably the most revered tree in the forest. It grew to magnificent proportions, was easy to split, easily adzed and carved, and very durable. Its best known single use, however, and the main reason for its supreme status in Maori eyes, was the ocean-going war canoe.