T.E.R:R.A.I.N - Taranaki Educational Resource: Research, Analysis and Information Network

Tanekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoides) is a medium-sized  coniferous tree native to New Zealand and. found in lowland forests in the northern half of the North Island and the northern tip of the South Island. It grows on a range of well-drained soils, reaching 20 metres in height and 1 metre in diameter on fertile sites. Tanekaha appears in the early stages of forest succession. It regenerates well in the shelter of manuka and kanuka scrub. Its branchlets bear two rows of phylloclades with toothed margins. The female cones form on the edges of the phylloclades. 

Its wood is the strongest and most flexible of the native conifers. Maori used the white timber for their canoes and houses, and for koikoi (double-pointed spears). They also produced a red-brown or black dye from its bark by beating it in a trough of water heated with stones.
Its branches are very supple and do not break if bent over, making the wood ideal for any function involving bending. Early European settlers use it as yacht masts and fishing rods. The wood was also used for marine piles, bridges, railway sleepers and for props in the northern coal and gold mines. Walking sticks were fashioned from sturdy shoots.
Medical Use: Tannic acid of the bark was a valuable astringent in dysentery. The leaves were used for scrofulous diseases. (From the writings of J.H. Kerry-Nicholls 1886)