The species is endemic to New Zealand, and belong to the Araucariaceae plant family. Every piece of Ancient Kauri I purchase is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. I will send a copy with your order. 

How is Ancient Kauri harvested?
The logs are below the surface of what are usually farm fields
and ranch lands.
When a site is identified, permission is secured and expert operators of heavy equipment carefully expose and lift the logs out of the prehistoric bogs.
They are immense, and raising the logs to the surface is just part of the job: moving them to a location to begin the milling process, and the milling itself, has necessitated some innovative equipment designs and plain old lumberman's ingenuity. 

Is this wood Petrified?
No.
It can be worked with normal woodworking tools, in the same ways you are used to working with other species.
One notable difference: when finishing Ancient Kauri, special rewards await the woodworker who sands Ancient Kauri to 600 grit and higher.
The wood grains and textures seem to come alive when polished to these levels.

The Ancient Kauri is how old?
Radio carbon dating places the age of the Ancient Kauri trees that are being excavated from the northland of New Zealand at 50,000 years old.
This is the maximum limit of radio carbon dating, it is probable that this wood is even older.

Sanding: Plan to spend extra time sanding. While sanding to a 600 grit will suffice, the most intense color, depth, grain, and iridescent qualities come through with very fine sanding, 1200 grit. Extra effort gives extra rewards.