KEY POINTS:
A 200-hectare fire is still burning near the Waipoua Kauri forest in Northland this morning, though the giant iconic trees are not in any danger.
A spokesman from Fire Service Northern Communications said firefighters stayed at the scene overnight to monitor the fire and Department of Conservation (DOC) and Fire Service staff were back battling the blaze this morning.
A DOC spokesman said the worst of the fire was over but there were still some hot spots giving rise for concern.
He said that the fire was in a pine forest backing onto the kauri forest, home of the massive Tane Mahuta kauri.
The blaze got within about 3km of the country's oldest and largest tree so it was touch and go for a while.
Yesterday, five helicopters, Fire Service teams and rural fire crews were at the scene and fire breaks were put were around 60 per cent of the fire.
Conservationist and Waipoua forest guardian Steve King said 20 kiwi, as well as marsh kraits and bitterns perished in the blaze.
The fire was started by someone who had been cooking half a dozen mussels on an open fire on a nearby beach, he said.
Pine trees worth millions of dollars were destroyed. "It was a pretty expensive feed."
Another fire, on the Karikari peninsula northeast of Kaitaia, broke out earlier this week while someone was burning toilet paper, Mr King said.
That fire claimed about 40ha of native bush.
- NZPA
