A couple of New Zealand icons

I can’t believe I haven’t done a Tree post since July. I know it’s long overdue, but I’m going to come back to an old favourite of mine, the Ti Kouka or cabbage tree. In fact, just this morning on my lockdown walk, I whipped out my phone and snapped a cabbage tree. I might keep that one for another day, because I wanted to show you these trees, nestled away in remote Milford Sound. Mitre Peak, the mountain in this shot, is an iconic sight in New Zealand, featuring in tourism brochures, and adorning many biscuit tins and chocolate boxes in my youth! Tourists to New Zealand will recognise it too, even if their visit to Milford didn’t really show the mountain due to the high rainfall the area gets (about 6.5 metres or 252 inches per year)! I didn’t get to see it on my previous visit to the fjord* either.

It was just starting to rain (of course) when we were there, but Mitre Peak was visible right to the top. I was thrilled to see the cabbage tree on the banks of the Sound, knowing I could capture this uniquely NZ view.

*Even though it is called a Sound (a river valley filled with sea water), it is actually a fjord (a glacial valley filled with sea water).

Another in the Thursday Tree Love series – find all the other bloggers doing it here.

Read Full Post »

Catching the light

We stopped on the side of the road to catch some views. Autumn willows in the distance, the plains stretching out and the mountains beyond. The husband snapped this tree from the car. I confess that I am a little annoyed that it is better than mine! The light was perfect in the autumn afternoon. This tree, an exotic species from Europe, has made its home in the Mackenzie Country in our South Island. With hot summers, and freezing winters, it probably feels quite at home, though maybe rather lonely sitting there all on its own. Still, it made me smile.

Another in the Thursday Tree Love series – find all the other bloggers doing it here.

Read Full Post »

Seaside Norfolk Pines

Norfolk Pines or Araucaria_heterophylla come from Norfolk Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between Australia and New Zealand, and we often see them planted along coastlines here in New Zealand. In writing this, I was astounded to see that they are cultivated as houseplants overseas. I am not a huge fan of Norfolk pines as a seaside tree – they don’t provide enough shade for my liking, and they don’t have lush palm-like leaves.

But Oriental Parade, the home of the main beach in our city, is lined with them, so I feel I have to accept them! I will admit they look lovely and sculptural against the sky, and those in Oriental Bay are decorated with lights (which always make me think someone put them up for Christmas and New Year then forgot to take them down!) at night-time, which is always a pretty sight.

On our recent trip to the Wairarapa coast we saw them along the beach there too. Here are a few I’ve seen recently:

• 

  At the beach

• 

• 

  A Norfolk Pine in Oriental Bay

Another in the Thursday Tree Love series – find all the other bloggers doing it here.

Read Full Post »