120-Year-Old Tree

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31498, 12 October 1967, Page 1

120-Year-Old Tree

One of the oldest exotic trees in New Zealand is a pear tree more than 120 years old at Deans Bush, near Riccarton House. The tree shows every sign of bearing another crop of pears, which are good cookers, according to Mr John Deans. , “The tree was planted in 1846 by my grandfather, Mr John Deans, or by his brother William,” Mr Deans said yesterday. “At that time, there were only a few whalers, the odd missionary, and Maoris around Christchurch. I am not sure

where the tree came from. It may have been Australia, but we called it ‘Catshead’ pear, although I’m sure this is not its proper name. It could have been a French name.” Mr Deans recalled that his grandfather and his brother arrived in Canterbury in 1843. after William had explored most of the country and decided that Canterbury was the best place in which to settle.

Mr Deans said that the tree became part of an orchard behind the homestead, but most of the other fruit trees ' had now disappeared. Mr S. W. Burstall, of the Forest Research Institute in Rotorua, said recently that the oldest known exotic trees in New Zealand were pear trees. A giant pear tree at

Waimaku, south Hokianga, in Northland, was over 100 years old, and could be 140 to 150 years, he said in commenting on a claim that it was 200 years old. The oldest known exotic tree in the country, Mr Burstall said, was a pear tree planted at Kerikeri by Samuel Marsden in 1819. Pear trees were popular with missionaries because they were good fruit trees. He said that pears from the first tree planted in Christchurch, although numerous, could not be eaten, even when cooked. But Mr Deans said yesterday that this was not correct The pears were quite acceptable when cooked. The photograph shows Mr Deans beside the tree.