Our History Grows In Tree!

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 177, 27 July 1940, Page 2 (Supplement)

Our History Grows In Tree!

By A. W. B. Powell

NEW ZEALAND has not yet to any extent developed an historic sense. As a young country, the natural urge is to look to the future and to work diligently owards the ultimate full developnent of this fair land of ours. In in atmosphere of constant change he old-fashioned and antiquated s being constantly swept aside to make room for the ultra-modern. Buildings, like some people, must their "faces lifted," and so we get conformity to a ruling style. But if progress is to he maintained even the modern must soon succumb again to the ultra-modern. Although not a patron I shall miss the old wooden front of the Royal George Hotel, Newmarket, that is even now assuming a modern appearance in conformity with thousands of other Auckland buildings. Its individuality is lost and as a building it is no longer a landmark in the history of the borough. More deplorable is the scant respect we have for trees, and incidentally the far-seeing enthusiasm of the old colonists' who planted them. Admittedly, trees •it times must be removed wli'ere their presence interferes with modern development, but there can bo no excuse for the meie removal of a tree for no explicit reason. From City Streets One Auckland strevt alone has during the present (our centennial year) lost what must have been one of the largest New Zealand grown Aus tralian gums,. and one of th< finest Moreton Bay figs, a tree tha' compared most favgurably with th< largest I have seen in its native Queen? land.

By way of consolation I have just read an able paper in the journal of the Roval New Zealand Institute of Horticulture by Dr. H. H. Allan, entitled "Historic trees in New Zealand." It is a plea for the preservation, as fur as possible, of the old trees, both native and those planted by the early missionaries and colonists, for in these trees we have living memorials to our own history.

Dr. Allan lists 122 trees noted for their historic associations, scattered tinoughout New Zealand, and reference to some of them will serve to show how intimately these trees are associated with tiie development of the Dominion.

At Kerikeri there are two pear trees, one 50 feet high and with a girth of seven feet, the other 50 feet high and of 13 feet girth, both brought to Xow Zealand about 1818 by the Rev. Samuel Marsdcn. An oak at Waima, Hokianga, planted by missionaries in 1534, now has a girth of 27 feet. N'ot much smaller is a fine oak in St. Leonard's Road, Mount Eden, that must be nearing the century mark. Oaks planted in the Kamc School grounds "n Aupust 1802, commemorate the first Arbor Day ceremony in New Zealand. Kawau Island has a large assortment of rare exotic trees and shrubs planted in the seventies by Sir George Grey. At Mangawai there is a huge Norfolk Island pine planted over 100. years ago, and similarly throughout the North there are individual trees of historic interest associated with all the older settlements. Southern Landmarks Similarly in the South we find many of these historic trees still standing. A walnut at Riwaka, Nelson, planted by the late John Fowler in the early forties now towers 90 feet with a spread of 100 feet and a massive trunk of 30 feet girth. In Geraldine Park there is a Cedar of Lebanon reputed to be the finest in Canterbury and now over' 100 feet high. An oak in the Fairlie athletic grounds commemorates the 50th year of the reign of Queen Victoria, and

another, also at Fairlie the Queen's 60th year of her roigi "? Roxburgh, Central Otago, there may be seen the original Ted apricot that now has 11,530 descendants district. Seventy-five years ago I>r. carved his name on a tree at Wakatipu on the occasion of the iS'l trip made by a white man from Martin Bay to Wakatipu. The tree still Old tree stumps' at Dusky Sound ait said to be the remains of trees cut daw* during Captain Cook's visit. Of native trees there are many ing. mately associated vrith Maori lore, of which still retain their Maori naata. The best known is the hupe kauri Mahutu" of the Waipoua State Fonat, Tapn Protection The Maoris had an excellent meaai of protection for trees when hectored a tapu. Such a sacred tree cam be seen in a large puriri in the Hukutai* Domain at Opotiki. It now bein a notice, "Taketakerau. He wahi "tapn tenei no mua." This W a prohibited place of olden time. The tree was the repository for the tribal bones :.o| Upokbrehe Hapu of the Whakatoke* tribe. A fine pohutukawa at Te Araroa, letr East Cape, is named Te Whao Perekolra after a Maori chief. Modern Maoris still hold this tree in such regard that they had the school grounds extended to include this magnificent tree, which Jm a spread of over a quarter of ag acre. We have followed the same idea is the charminjr Peace Memorial Park at Hamilton, where e*ch tree has a tablet recording, in addition to the botanieal name, a dedication to a fallen soldier ii the Great War.