MERRY CHRISTMAS
In the nineteenth century the Pohutukawa (
Metrosideros excelsa) was described as 'Antipodean Holly' and 'The Settler's Christmas Tree'. An evergreen tree in the myrtle family and one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand, it is now commonly referred to as the New Zealand Christmas Tree. It usually grows as a multi-trunked spreading tree, is particularly spectacular clinging to coastal rocks and cliffs and can grow up to 25 metres high. Its peak flowering season is mid to late December with blooms in various shades of crimson.
The pohutukawa has a cultural significance that predates European settlement by many centuries. In translation pohutukawa means 'sprinkled by spray', a reference to its common seashore location. In traditional Maori beliefs about death, the human spirit travels to 'the place of leaping', the headland above the 800 year old pohutukawa at Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip of New Zealand. From there the spirits of the dead slide down the roots of the tree into the sea below, descend into the underworld before emerging in the Three Kings Islands for a final farewell before returning to the traditioal ancestral homeland of Hawaiki.
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| Pohutukawa at Cape Reinga |
There are a myriad of puhutukawa images on the web. The photos below were taken by me from my mobility scooter, all within a ten minute ride of home.
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| Young Pohutukawa, Kensington Park |
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| Parkside, Kensington Park |
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| Lakeside Drive Park |
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| Orewa Town Centre |
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| Nukumea Stream near Walnut Cottage |
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| Grut's Bridge |
Views from our apartment.
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