Kauri Gum.

Kauri gum is essentially an Auckland article of export. It is the turpentine of the Dammara Australis, found in a solid form as far south as Taranaki, and it is excavated from the sites of old kauri forests. The first export of the article is said to have been made by Captain Mair, a resident of the Bay of Islands, before 1840, but his venture proved unprofitable, as the price realised was only some £5 a ton. At first the exports were small, and the price unremunerative, but when it became an established article of commerce it was more earnestly sought and competed for, the selling price ranging from 30s to 50s a hundredweight. A large portion of the produce of the gumfields is sold to American buyers, principally for New York and Boston, whither it is generally carried in sailing vessels; or it is sent to London, for transhipment to the American cities.