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Kauri gum was formed when resin from the kauri tree leaked out through fractures or cracks in the bark, hardening with the exposure to air. Lumps commonly fell to the ground and became covered with soil and forest litter, eventually fossilising. Other lumps formed as branches forked or trees were damaged, releasing the resin.
Kauri gum shares some characteristics with amber, another fossilised resin found in the Northern Hemisphere, but where amber can be dated as millions of year old, carbon-dating suggests that the age of most kauri gum is a few thousand years.
Kauri gum resin is a type of copal and can be burnt on charcoal to produce a rich aroma.
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