Te Matua Ngahere is a giant kauri (Agathis australis) coniferous tree in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. The tree's Māori name means "Father of the Forest". Although not as massive or tall as its neighbour Tāne Mahuta, Te Matua Ngahere is stouter, with a girth just over . It is believed to be the second largest living kauri tree, and to have the biggest girth of any kauri in the country. According to The New Zealand Herald, it has the biggest girth of any tree in New Zealand. As there is no means of reliably measuring the tree's age, it has been variously estimated to be between 1,200 and 2,000 years old; or between 2,000 and 3,000 years old; or even 4,000 years old. One resource, published by National Geographic Books, claims that Te Matua Ngahere may be the oldest tree in New Zealand, while another suggests that it is the oldest rainforest tree on earth. Greatly revered by the Māori, Te Matua Ngahere is watched over by many local Māori Guardians. The tree, a remnant of the ancient rainforest that once grew on the North Auckland Peninsula, has a relationship with other flora, such as orchids, clubmoss, and a rata tree that grew on it. Unfortunately, the Te Matua Ngahere suffered severe damage in July 2007, due to extreme winter storms in Northland when the rata, which was growing on top of Te Matua Ngahere, was felled by strong storm winds, and took with it the central leader of Te Matua Ngahere plus several of its branches, thus shortening its expected lifespan by hundreds of years. History The ancient tree is considered to be a natural heritage of New Zealand. It is generally considered to be over 1500 years old, and was first discovered in February 1937. Forest conservationists estimate that such trees live for about 4000 years, but the life span of Te Matua Ngahere should shorten due to the damage from the 2007 storm winds. This storm also resulted in the fallen rata tree and other plants which are expected to provide excellent clues to the scientific ecological study of the fallen wood and plants. Geography The Te Matua Ngahere is situated in the Waipoua forest reserve, next to contiguous forest tracts of Mataraua and Waima, an area of international significance. These forests are within the largest residual region of the native forests in