The principal timber milled was white, red, and black pine, totara, rimu, and birch.
Prior to European settlement of New Zealand, the shallow river was thickly lined with matai, rimu, and totara trees that prevented serious flooding to the swampy lands alongside the river.
In a classic example of Antarctic flora species-pair the tōtara is very closely related to Podocarpus nubigenus from South America, to the extent that if planted together, they are very difficult to distinguish.
Podocarpus | Podocarpus totara | tōtara tree (''Podocarpus totara'') | Podocarpus National Park | Podocarpus globulus |