Frequently Asked Questions
Our most frequently asked questions are answered below, for anything else please contact us
When should I get my firewood?
How much firewood do I need?
​What kind of wood so I need?
What is the best way to store my firewood?
Is your wood dry?
How long will my wood last?
Why does wood go mouldy?
Do you deliver or can I pick-up and how do you load?
When do you deliver?
How do I order and book for delivery?
What size is your firewood?
How do I light my fire effectively?
What are your payment options?
Can I pay off my firewood?
Do you supply WINZ Quotes?
Do you have gift vouchers?
Answers:
When should I get my firewood?
Make sure to be organised!
Spring and Summer is the best time to ensure you get the most from your firewood come the cooler months (especially hard woods - which become harder to purchase after February), being organised you get pick of the species as well as times for delivery.
We recommend you have your woodshed full by the end of February to ensure your wood is ready to burn for the upcoming winter to prevent wood from absorbing moisture from the ground, rain and even fog!
How much firewood do I need?
This is a common question, there are a few factors to consider: how often will the fire be going - all day or just evenings, insulation, house size, etc. Most of our customers order 2-3 cords, this also varies depending on the species of wood - soft, medium & hard woods burn differently and for a different length of time.
If storing space is an issue we recommend to order a good percentage of hard or medium wood as this will last longer than soft woods (with hard woods you will need a soft wood to get the fire going). It’s best to have too much wood than not enough to avoid trying to find dry wood in winter.
​*We sell our firewood by Full & Half Cord: One Full Cord 3.66m3 (approx 4.2 Flat Apple Bins).
What kind of wood do I need?
Ideally a mix is best: Soft or some Medium woods to get your home hot quickly with a hot fire box and plenty of embers and hard wood to burn for longer (hard wood is great if you struggle with storage space - keep in mind you’ll need to order hard woods early).
Try not to order the cheapest wood due to the price, as medium and hard wood (more expensive woods) burn for 2-4 times longer than softer woods and aren’t double the price.
To get the most from your firewood you ideally want to store:
1. Off the ground (e.g. not left on grass which will absorb moisture). Storing on pallets is great.
2. Out of the weather (although firewood can never have too much sun).
3. Good free air movement - stacked loosely (a garage or closed wood shed is not ideal as there is not enough
air movement - even leaving a door open will help).
What is the best way to store my firewood?
Is your wood dry?
There are two main points to this question: being seasoned (having the sap dried out of it) and storing conditions (wet or dry).
If firewood is wet it can take a few weeks to air dry (if stored properly: please see our storing question).
If firewood is green and needs to be seasoned this can take 6+ months depending on the wood type, (It’s a good idea to ask when the trees were felled and when it was split).
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council considers a moisture content of less than 25% to be dry.
All our firewood is split into long narrow rows to allow for as much airflow as possible, however there is a small percentage of wood that will absorb moisture from the ground, ground wet pieces can be noticed by weight difference, these can be drying while the rest of the load is being used.
How long will my wood last?
(Not a question a lot of people think to ask)
Firewood (like most household items) does have an expiry, the problem with purchasing well-seasoned wood is you have to burn it that season, as it won’t keep for another 9+ months in the same purchased condition, e.g. plantation Pine can become ‘dozy’ and rot very quickly, ideally you would burn it within 2 years of being felled. If you purchased 2yrs+ well-seasoned already it’s not going to keep in a very good condition going into the 3rd season.
On the other end of the scale is Kanuka, which you would want to burn within 5yrs once felled (this also depends on how it’s stored).
A rule of thumb is the harder the wood the longer it’ll last, check with your firewood merchant to ask when the trees were felled.
Why does wood go mouldy?
This can be for two reasons:
1. Storing conditions: if the wood has been delivered or left out in rain, showers or even fog and it’s stored without good airflow there is a high chance mould will form (especially with plantation pine). A good storing tip is not to stack firewood too tightly, the more airflow the better.
​2. Fun fact you may not know: When the tree or block was felled can also make an impact. In colder months there is less sap movement, therefore if the tree/block was felled in this time the growth of mould rapidly increases compared to being felled in summer.
Do you deliver or can I pick up and how do you load?
We offer free delivery within 20km of our yard (we can deliver anywhere in the NZ North Island - delivery charge additional and based on km distance). Pick-up is available for our bagged firewood & kindling however we don’t currently offer a pick-up service for bulk firewood (hopefully in the future).
We deliver in a small 2x Cord (3.66m3) truck and have a tandem trailer which also holds 1 Cord (3.66m3 - trailer is only used for deliveries over 20km if driveway and road allows). We’ll do our best to tip where instructed but this may be restricted by conditions.
We load our delivery truck by hand (thrown measure), we find this is the best way for a ‘true’ cord without excess rubbish. We encourage customers to measure our delivery truck (we even carry a measuring tape).
When do you deliver?
We deliver 7 days a week (including public holidays).
During the week days (first delivery being 8am), after 5pm week days (last delivery 8pm) and weekends (delivery days & times are subject to availability).
At the time of booking we give you a list of precise delivery times and dates available.
How do I order and book for Delivery?
To make an order and book with us we’ll need your first and last name, delivery address, contact number, wood type and quantity, we’ll then send you a list of precise times and dates available to choose from for delivery.
*Please note delivery must be within 2 weeks of order date, we can’t hold delivery times (as well as firewood species) as we book our delivery days back to back.
What size is your firewood?
We cut our product to fit a standard log burner, our wood splitter produces pieces no larger than 14cm x 12cm, we cut to a length of 35cm (approx).
Every delivery has a variety of pieces, the smaller/medium pieces are great for getting the fire started and with quick heat while the block pieces are best used for once your home is warm or used as overnight for longer burning.
*Please mention if you have a small firebox, we are happy to assist with custom sizing.
How do I light my fire effectively?
Rule of thumb is to start small and work your way bigger, make sure to light your fire with dry wood.
To get the most heat from your fire we recommend using the following technique:
1. Fire Starter: Firelighters, newspaper and even balls of resin from wood like Old Man Pine give your kindling that kick-start it needs.
2. Kindling: Don’t be shy with your kindling, there is no such thing as too much (8-10 pieces as a minimum). Make sure to stack criss-crossed and use rough split kindling never round twigs or small branches to get it going (make sure to use soft or medium wood).
3. Intermediate Wood: Wood approx. 2 Inches thick and wide, to assist kindling in creating longer lasting heat before putting on firewood size pieces (make sure to use soft or medium wood).
4. Soft/Medium Woods: Once your kindling and intermediate pieces are fully involved in flame then use soft or medium wood (smaller pieces are better as they take off quicker). Place larger firewood blocks of soft/medium wood on top of the well involved smaller blocks, with the rough split side down towards the core of heat rather than the bark/outer side.
5. Hard Woods: Once you’re happy with the heat output and making sure there is still plenty of flame and embers you can now place on any hard woods like Gum or Kanuka (again rough side towards core of heat)
Always place the next wood piece when there is flame around the whole piece/step prior, otherwise wood can burn out and you may need to start again. Try to place all pieces of wood so air/flame can access as much surface area as possible, as to not suffocate it.
Make sure the flue is on high/open all through these steps and you’re chimney has been cleaned ready to go for the season. If the fire burns down after hard wood you may be able to use a soft intermediate or firewood piece to revive the core of heat.
What are your payment options?
Upon Delivery: Eftpos, contactless paywave, (credit & finance card’s 2.5% fee), and Cash.
Prior to Delivery: Bank Transfer, Invoice (Email or Postal), Cheque, Lay-by & WINZ Quote.
All firewood orders must be paid in full prior or upon delivery.
All our pricing includes GST (we also supply a GST receipt for all payments received).
Can I pay off my firewood?
Yes. Our lay-by plan works by crediting your account rather than paying off an order (as all orders need to be delivered within 2 weeks of order date).
​If you’re interested in lay-by contact us for more information.
Do you supply WINZ Quotes?
Yes. If you require a WINZ quote we’ll need your first and last name, delivery address, email, contact number, wood type and quantity (Full Cord or Half Cord Quoted Only), we’ll email you the quote directly (please note quotes are valid for 3 days and we can’t email the quote directly to WINZ).
If WINZ accept your quote we’ll contact you directly to book for delivery once we receive payment (you’ll receive a receipt upon delivery, payment must be prior to delivery).
*Free delivery within 30km of our yard (additional delivery charge if outside 30km).