whau so light its wood was used as fishing floats

Size
Height: 6–8 m
Lifespan
20–40 years
Diet
Absorbs nutrients through an extensive root system. Fast-growing and light-demanding. Thrives in open, sunny locations with well-drained, fertile soils. Found in regenerating forest and along forest margins.
Habitat
Lowland forests, scrublands, and regenerating bush. Prefers open, sunny locations with well-drained, fertile soils. Often found along forest margins, in clearings, and in disturbed ground. A pioneer species.
Range
Found throughout the North Island and northern South Island in lowland forests, scrublands, and regenerating bush. Most common in coastal and lowland areas, from Northland to Marlborough. Also widely planted in gardens.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
No significant threats as this species is common and widespread. Localised risks include habitat loss from land development, browsing by introduced mammals, and competition from invasive weeds.
Population
Whau is a fast-growing, short-lived pioneer tree with large, light green, soft, velvety leaves shaped like a fig. Bark is corky and light, and wood is extremely light and buoyant. Flowers are white with a prominent central boss of yellow stamens.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Human Risk
harmless
Handling Note
native broadleaf tree, safe to handle
Conservation Note
Endemic coastal tree; widespread in northern North Island and threatened locally by myrtle rust.
Assessment
NZTCS Vascular Plants (2023)
Te Ao Māori
In Māori tradition, Whau was the tree of the fisherman. Its light, buoyant wood was used for making fishing floats, rafts, and surfboards. The name whau is also used for the cork tree. The wood was prized for its lightness and durability in water. Whau was associated with the atua (spirits) of the sea. Its presence was a sign of a healthy coastline where the forest and the ocean met.
Māori used its wood for surfboards. Whau is the cork tree of the New Zealand forest. It is a tree that floats. Whau has a wood so light it can float on water. At six to eight metres in height, it is a small, fast-growing tree. It has a spreading crown and large, light green, soft, velvety leaves shaped like a fig. The bark is corky and light. The wood is extremely light and buoyant. A tree that does not sink. Whau grows in lowland forests, scrublands, and regenerating bush. It prefers open, sunny locations with well-drained, fertile soils. You often find it along forest margins, in clearings, and in disturbed ground. It colonises areas after fire or land clearance. It is a short-lived pioneer. It grows quickly. It produces flowers and fruit within a few years of germination. The flowers are white. They have a prominent central boss of yellow stamens. They appear in spring and summer. The fruit is a spiky, woody capsule. It splits open to release small, black seeds. The most remarkable thing about Whau is its wood. It is one of the lightest woods in the world. Its density is comparable to balsa. Māori used it to make fishing floats, rafts, and the famous whau surfboards. The wood was also used for making floats of fishing nets and for outriggers of canoes. A tree that helped people float. To see a Whau is to see a tree that has been shaped by the needs of the people who lived along the coast. The coast is windy. The whau grows. Its light green leaves are velvety. Its corky bark is light. A piece of its wood is cut and shaped into a float. It does not sink. It bobs on the waves. The tree does not know it made surfboards. It just grows wood that floats. And that seems to be enough.