prof-draco submitted to wandmore: As a New Zealander, I’m interested in the potential community here. What would you have to say regarding some of our native woods? Namely Kauri, Pohutikawa and, if it would even work, silver fern.
OOC.
Well I took some time to do this. I’ve been gradually working on one of these woods already, after a fashion (Ancient Swamp Kauri, which I believe would have different properties to normal Kauri for a few reasons, much as Bog Oak, Bog Pine and Bog Yew differ from the common forms of their woods) for my big huge wandmaking guide.
First off, I am going to say that I do not think silver fern is woody enough to make a wand, but then I think that also about Reeds, which are nonetheless apparently used as a wandwood in the Potterverse. However these are somewhat extracanonical, as they have no book mention, nor mention on Pottermore, so I’m inclined to say that Silver Fern likely would not work as a wandwood, though I imagine it could plausibly be used as an inlay for another wood.
The other two woods, Kauri and Pohutikawa, are both called after their Māori names, and given they are native to New Zealand they may have some Māori lore regarding them and their use which I could not find in my research. I generally analyse most wand woods for their physical properties, personally, while Ollivander and other wandmakers have their own preferred methods, but local lore is often significant in understanding the magical properties of woods - there is a truly ancient Oak tree near my home which I imagine would make for an especially loyal and unforgiving wand, while the Wiggentree Rowan’s healing properties mean that it would lean a measure more toward healing than common Rowan. But anyway. On to the woods.