The Siamese Kauri is a kauri

Agathis australis

Agathis australis, commonly known as the kauri, is a coniferous tree found north of 38°S in the northern districts of New Zealand's North Island. It is the largest but not tallest species of tree in New Zealand, standing up to 50 m tall in the emergent layer above the forest's main canopy. The...

 tree (Agathis australis) growing in Kauri Grove, about 10 kilometres south of Coromandel

Coromandel, New Zealand

Coromandel is the name of a town and harbour on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula, which is on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand...

 township in the north-east of the North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. The tree gains its name from the conjoined lower trunk that the two trees share. It grows in the Kauri Grove, one of the few remaining stands of mature kauri on the Coromandel Peninsula

Coromandel Peninsula

The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west...

. It is about 500 metres off the 309 Road

309 Road

The 309 road is a long gravel road between the towns of Coromandel and Whitianga in New Zealand.The 309 winds its way from Coromandel, on the west side of the Coromandel Peninsula, over the ranges to Whitianga, on the eastern side....

, and is accessed by a 30-minute walking track.

History

The tree began as two separate seedlings. Over the centuries they grew in diameter, and the space between them reduced until eventually the two trees fused at the base. It is not known why the Siamese Kauri, and other trees of the same species in Kauri Grove were never felled, unlike almost all the kauri of the Coromandel Peninsula. One suggestion is that the land was controlled by mining companies that hoped to find gold in the area, and so access to the land was restricted.

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Kauri Grove was due to be logged by the Government to support the war effort. This met with strong opposition from the residents, who formed one of New Zealand's first conservation groups to save the trees. After much opposition to the plans, the message came from the capital that "logging will cease forthwith".