Designed and Handcrafted by Distinction Gifts on the Kauri Coast of Northland, our clocks and other small giftware products are crafted using NZ Swamp Kauri with a contrasting smooth and adzed effects finish. The clocks are oiled with a high-quality Danish oil and all other pieces with a pure Tung oil. The beauty of nature which has been preserved for thousands of years underground is brought back to life in each one of our carefully handcrafted products making them the perfect gift or souvenir.

Buried in peat swamps for thousands of years the trees have survived the centuries underground in a perfectly balanced environment sealed from the air that has preserved the timber in perfect condition. The trees grew for nearly 2000 years before they were buried and some have a girth of around 12 metres, and a total height of nearly 50 metres. Radiocarbon dating has tested some of these preserved Kauri trees as being 30,000 to 50,000 years old. Extraction of the logs is time consuming, expensive and technically difficult requiring skilled operators of heavy machinery. While working in wet conditions, each log must be carefully brought to the surface. After the log has been removed, the area is then restored to its original contours.

The 'Adzed Effects' was originally created by a woodturner from Dargaville who had worked with swamp kauri a lot. With some of the timber having a very plain, featureless grain and not wanting to throw away any of this precious timber, he created a method of giving the surface a textured finish which looked like it had been adzed. This gave the bowls and clocks a unique point of difference which people really liked. Any nicely featured grain pieces were still sanded and polished so this way none of the timber was wasted. With the process no longer being used, ‘Woodturning to Art’ was revived and taken on by Distinction Gifts at the beginning of 2017. We still use the same method that was created over 30 years ago and are continuing to make beautifully handcrafted swamp kauri works of art.

Swamp Kauri timber has an amazing grain pattern and colour range, especially with the wood from the roots and base of the trunk. When polished the wood is a deep golden colour with hues, textures and sheen's that change under differing shades of light. It has a beautiful and distinctive grain with an incredible iridescence sparkle within the flecks of the grain. It is deeper in colour to Kauri, which tends to accentuate the glow visible in the flecked grain. It is known to be the oldest workable timber in the world.

All items come with a Certificate of Authenticity to certify that it is genuine swamp kauri timber which has been sourced under milling statements issued by MPI and milled at a registered sawmill. Our wooden products are safe to take to any country as the timber is kiln dried, finished and sealed to a high standard.