After this week the people bowing at the feet of the Lord of the Forest will have clean feet themselves.
The track leading to Tane Mahuta in the Waipoua Forest, has been temporarily closed for a footwear cleaning station to be installed to protect New Zealand's largest kauri against kauri dieback.
"Kauri dieback is the single biggest threat kauri have ever faced. It slowly starves a tree to death, infecting the roots and destroying tissues that carry water and nutrients,"
Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said when announcing the closure.
"It's vital we keep the spores away from Tane Mahuta."
![Tane Mahuta.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/NCLSQHHF7OR5DKTLDZQIAOHYPE.jpg?auth=6beca71d1c64e2cd82b249d95d8e62db4d92b24bfc17e32c431e92bdb16aa263&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)