Story: Soils and regional land use

Gum diggers

Gum diggers

The arduous and desolate working conditions in the kauri gumfields of Northland is illustrated in this 1911 photograph of Austrian diggers with their gum spears, used to probe the soil for buried gum.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Northwood Collection (PA-Group-00027)
Reference: 1/1-004940; G
Photograph by Northwood Brothers

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Allan Gillingham, 'Soils and regional land use - Northland', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/17087/gum-diggers (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Allan Gillingham, published 24 Nov 2008