The Coromandel Peninsular once was a huge forest of Kauri Trees. It must have been an amazing sight. Awesome!
We visited a rare grove of Kauri that has survived the deforestation of the Coromandel; just off the 309 Highway on our trip to Coromandel Town.
The Kauri Tree grows to a great height and they are amongst the most ancient trees in the world; living for thousands of years. The oldest is in the Northland of New Zealand and is called ‘Te Matua Ngahere’ (Father of the Forest). It is 2000 years old!
The British apparently prized the Kauri for ship building, especially for use as masts – because the Kauri grows straight with very few branches for much of its height.
The specimen we are pictured with above is only a mere 600 years old. That’s from around the time of Joan of Arc.
The New Zealand Word Lolly translates as Sweet, as in sweeties – those hard sugary confections that children eat. If someone in New Zealand offers you a lolly, it is not an ice lolly, it’s a sweet.
In consequence of this the term ice lolly cannot be used. It will cause confusion. If you want an ice lolly you must ask for a popsicle…
There is even a classic Kiwi recipe for Lolly Cake. , for which one of the main ingredient is ‘Eskimos,’ – a popular NZ lolly, sorry, sweet.
