Gumdiggers Park is an authentic piece of New Zealand history. It takes about an hour to explore and is a worthwhile stop if heading to the top of the North Island. It is home to the oldest non-fossilized wood found on earth.
I’ll be honest, when we first saw Gumdiggers Park on the map, we worried it would be an overpriced tourist trap. But what we found was exactly the opposite. Built up just enough to make it safe for visitors, Gumdiggers Park is fascinating, even to our teens. Walking along lush green forest paths, we found labels explaining just about everything. We saw young and mature kauri trees, an ancient buried forest, an old gum diggers village and rare geckos.
What are gum diggers?
Explained better in the photos below, gum diggers are the people who dig in the ancient forest for the tree gum, or resinous sap. From the late 1800s to 1920 gum digging was a key income source in this part of New Zealand. The fossilised sap, or kauri gum, hardens over thousands of years into beautiful (when polished) New Zealand amber. The gum is also used for making high quality varnishes.
In the Gumdiggers Village there is a short (15 minute) loop video of gum digging history. Apparently the original gum diggers wore leather boots, but soon changed to rubber boots to keep their feet dry. The name gumboots has stuck in New Zealand. In other parts of the world they are called things like Wellington Boots, Wellies, mud boots, and rain boots.
What Really Makes Gumdiggers Park Special
~ A quote from John, the owner/caretaker
- Walk through Gumdiggers Park with respect, remembering that everything you see is authentic, over 100 years old, and irreplaceable.
- Keep a close eye on children. Many of the guide ropes are just on the other side of gum digger holes. Falling in the holes would be dangerous to both the child and the land.
- Gumdiggers Park is open everyday from 9am – 5pm. Cost of entry at time of publication of this article is adults: $12.50, children 8-16 $6, family $30, and children under 8 are free.
- Allocate about an hour for a visit, although if you are in a hurry and skip the video, you could see it all in about 30 minutes. It is worth the time and cost.
- Located at 171 Heath Road in Awanui, Gumdiggers Park is quite easy to find on the way up to Cape Reinga. From Kaitaia, travel north on SH1 for about 20km. Turn right at the second time the loop road Paparora Road intersects, followed by a left turn onto Heath Road.
- It is possible to do some sandsurfing and visit the white sands of Rarawa Beach, Cape Reinga, Ninety-Mile Beach and Gumdiggers Park in one day. They are all part of our favorite 4-5 day itinerary around the top of the North Island.***
Have you heard of Gumdiggers Park before today? Will you stop there on your next trip up to the top of the North Island?
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This post is also linked to BeThere2Day for Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday, Our World Tuesdays, Wednesdays Around the World at Photographing New Zealand, and Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer.
Disclaimer: I was provided entrance to take photos, however the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.