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In olden days the whalers used it for making casks for whale oil, and the early settlers used it for dairy utensils. Kowhai splits well and lasts well in the ground or in water. The wood is very durable and hard, and possesses a natural oil, which protects it from decay. It cannot be surpassed for making bul ock yokes.
Many of the varieties of Kowhai are simply shrubs. The young Kowhai presents a very grotesque appearance, throwing off its branches at so wide an angle that it spreads out into a tangled network.
Maire, Black and White, grows only in the North Island, reaching about two feet in diameter. White Maire is of very little use, but the black variety is very hard and heavy, and good for fencing. When green, this timber is attacked by a grub which, however, does not appear to injure the wood.
Rata is a very fine flowering shrub or small tree, and has many varieties. It is a kind of myrtle, having a beautiful bright scarlet flower, and when in bloom (say on the West Coast, where it grows plentifully), the hillsides are a blaze of scarlet. There is a pink and a white variety, occasionally seen interspersed with the scarlet, but they are
