Over lockdown I have been waking up early thinking about a million things, so I have taken up the habit of donning my dressing gown and making a strong coffee and putting my racing mind to good use by reading an interesting article.
A recent article from the New Zealand Geographic ‘The Tree Hunters’ has set my sails on a new and exciting course. Triumphantly I race into the bedroom to share with Will the good news. Now he is hooked as well. When our bubble widens we will be looking around our familiar landscape with new interest, maybe even on our daily bubble walks.
The article revealed to me a hobby I have never heard of, big tree hunting. Sure, on our nature tours we have come across a few beauties. Like the noteworthy Pukatea on the side of the road on D’Urville Island and the historic kopi (karaka) trees you cannot miss on our tours to the Chathams, taken and planted there by the Moriori.
However it went past us about the New Zealand Tree Register and the obsessive characters who are vying on any given fine weekend to crack the next really big tree.
Anyway, I will not be a spoiler and tell you all about it, read it for yourself here if you have not already.
Note that some exotic trees listed on the New Zealand Tree Register are included on our Canterbury tours from time to time. Also we have included visits by permission of the land owners to a mammoth eucalyptus (pictured with self) and a pair of ancient matai and kahikatea on the Kaikoura Country Tour.
It is a bit of fun to look up the trees registered in your area, we had a few surprises! Also when we are out of lockdown, if you decide to start looking for big trees in our native forest please let’s make sure we take the normal care.
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