New Zealand

Summer in New Zealand

There's no better way to break up the winter than going south (way south).  Recently I was fortunate enough to spend a few weeks in the sun, exploring Kiwi urban, rural, and back country life. 

A Brief History:

New Zealand is really a plant lover's dream.  Its flora and native fauna are unique due to its severe isolation from other land masses.  New Zealand was originally part of the super continent Gondwana, covering the southern hemisphere (in plate history, Gondwana followed the breaking up of Pangaea).  New Zealand then split from the super continent before the real Age of Mammals (explaining the lack of native mammals on the islands).  The result of this brings us a country with native flora and fauna (birds especially) that can be found nowhere else.  I can confirm that the trees look ancient and every few hundred feet I saw a plant I had never seen before (one source states that 80% of New Zealand plants are found only in New Zealand*).  I will share a few favorites, some old and familiar to me and some brand new.

 Ferns

 Button Fern

Ferns are a source of Kiwi pride.  There are over 150 native fern species and the Ponga or Silver Tree Fern is a national emblem, decaled on everything from coffee mugs to Friendrich Hundertwasser's famous flag (in new growth frond form) to the All Blacks Rugby team.

http://www.prints.co.nz/

Hundertwasser's Koru flag

Ferns, like most Kiwi plants, are evergreen.  Though ferns are common in many other places in the world, the variety found in New Zealand is remarkable.  The photo below was taken in a fern sanctuary of sorts on the Domain in Auckland.

Ponga (Silver Tree Fern)

New Zealand Flax

  

New Zealand Flax or Phormium is one of the few native New Zealand plants that made it way to the northwestern U.S. This plant is a sun-loving evergreen perennial.  In Seattle, Phormium is generally used as a feature ornamental plant, but in New Zealand, it lines the highways of Auckland and forests of flax help maintain the coast line along the eastern shores of the north island. Thus, the sharp leaves and delicate bright flowers of this plant can be seen all over the country.

Phormium plants are made of a strong material that was traditionally used for basket weaving and in textiles by the Maori people of New Zealand.  Seeds from this plant were first propagated outside of New Zealand after the explorer Captain James Cook's initial visit in the 1770s.

Pohutukawa

The name Pohutukawa is Maori in origin.  The Maori people first populated New Zealand or Aotearoa ("land of the long white cloud") around 800 CE coming primarily from the Polynesian islands.  Many native Kiwi plants have maintained their Maori names.

The Pohutukawa is nicknamed the New Zealand Christmas tree because bright red flowers emerge from the tree's dark green backdrop at the end of December (the beginning of Kiwi summer).  The evergreen tree is mostly found throughout the north island and along the coasts of both the north and south islands.

 Manuka

Manuka or Tea Tree is a small tree treasured for its distinitive honey.  The honey made from its flowers' nector is sold widely in New Zealand and consumers praise its medicinal and antibacterial qualities.  Captain Cook and his crew used to brew Manuka leaves for tea, hence the name Tea Tree.

Kauri

 

Kauri are beautiful trees that, when left to grow, develop a massive and impressive trunk.  Kauri bark was readily used for construction and its resin or gum also had many uses such as chewing, torch fuel and insect repellent.  The Kauri is the longest living tree in New Zealand (some up to 2,000 years old) and it can reach heights over 150 feet.

Totara

The picture above is of a young Totara.  This tree will go on to be about 100 feet tall.  The Maori called the Totara a chiefly tree and used its wood to build giant war canoes (sometimes cut from one log), weapons and for carvings.  It is an evergreen tree and found primarily in New Zealand forests (or "the bush" as the woods are called in N.Z.).

Cabbage Tree

The Cabbage Tree or Ti Kouka in Maori is a New Zealand favorite.  The spiky native tree is humorously compared to the Dr Seuss's creations in The Lorax.  The Cabbage Tree is ubiquitous, seen all over the country.  Traditionally the tree had many uses.  It was cultivated as a food source and in textiles.

Spinifex

Erosion along the Kiwi coastline is an ongoing battle.  Spinifex is commonly planted along the dunes (it's a native grass but its spread is manually encouraged where needed).  The root system allows this grass to stay put despite the transient sand around it. 

Urban New Zealand

After spending time in Auckland, the colonial efforts to bring familiar plants to a new colony are clear.  The British installed plants from all over its empire, greatly diversifying the Kiwi flora.  Here is a look at the lovely Prince Albert Park in downtown Auckland. 

Jacaranda, native to the Caribbean and surrounding area, in bloom

The Moreton Bay Fig tree, named for its place of origin in Australia

Red Canna Lily originating in the Americas.

Go visit

The ancient plant life makes flora exploration feel like a trip to unchartered territory.  New Zealand offers a glimpse of the co-evolution of a plant and bird life that grew to depend on each other and developed their own ecosystem.  As a self proclaimed horticulturalist it was a fantastic trip and the people are great too!

Bring this

I was fortunate enough to receive Andrew Crowe's Which Native Tree* as a gift during my visit and was so pleased with it that I bought his Which Native Forest Plant and Which Native Fern to complete the set.  Crowe's plant and tree identification process is so logical.  He begins with the leaf (using a hand drawings of multiple types of leaves) and then helps your deduce the plant you are searching for by periodically breaking plants down into subcategories (based on size and shape and so on).  They are terrific books and are small enough to tote around on your visit.