Tikumu’s letter

Press, 7 December 1976, Page 16

Tikumu’s letter

Dear children,

Of all our native trees, the pohutukawa in December looks most joyful, its leafy branches are gay with red flowers, and the early settlers called it the New Zealand Christmas tree. After the buds open, the flowers quickly fall, but the stamens, which give the tree its fiery colour, bum like lamps. Hie pohutukawa grows on northern beaches. Sometimes it stands boldly on steep cliffs and faces die sharp, salt winds. But it is a tough tree and its roots spread far and wide. Many of the roots, in fact, can be seen hanging down as they seek th 3 ground. The Maoris venerated the pohutukawa and have a legend about one which grew at Cape Reinga, on the northern tip of New Zealand. They believed that the ghosts of the dead travelled to this spot and paused at the cliff Where the tree stood, it had a long exposed root which hung down over the rocks towards the edge of the sea.

The ghosts were sad at leaving the world but, at last, they slid down the mighty root and entered the water where a deep hole, fringed with floating seaweed, opened before them. They ■ plunged through it and came up again for the last time on a hill at Ohau. Here, they cried farewell and followed the setting sun to the faraway spirit land.

We should cherish the pohutukawa, too, for its gay red flowers, and because it stands sturdily against storms and fierce winds.