Auckland trees: some historic beauties

Here in Auckland city, unless they were lucky enough to survive European settlement – and, sadly, very few did – most native trees don’t have a long history, as they were only planted after settlement got underway with the arrival of the first immigrant ships in the 1840s and 1850s. For exactly the same reason there are very few exotic trees in Auckland that are more than 160 years old. So, for my last tree blog before I depart New Zealand’s shores I thought I’d share a few of the local trees that are older than most.

Coral tree (Erythrina caffra), Old Government House, Auckland central

Although some sources say New Zealand Governor Sir George Grey planted this South African coral tree in the 1850s it seems more plausible that it was planted in 1861 or soon after, as that was the year Grey came to Auckland from South Africa to begin his second term as Governor and he lived in Old Government House, in front of which this tree stands, until parliament was moved to Wellington in 1864.

The tree’s identification has been the subject of some debate over the years: in his 1971 unpublished report 'Historic and Notable Trees: Northland and Auckland', S. W. Burstall labelled it Erythrina phlebocarpa, and the plaque at the base of the tree names it Erythrina indica. However, the Notable Tree Register says they’re both wrong and it is, in fact, an Erythrina caffra, also known as a coast coral tree, a Kaffir boom, and a South African coral tree. Whatever its name, it is a magnificent specimen, tall, elegant and most beautiful when covered with bright orange flowers in the springtime.

English oaks (Quercus robur), Old Government House, Auckland central

Also at Old Government House, in the grounds that border Waterloo Quadrant and Princes Street, can be found many large old oak trees. Burstall says the largest of these were planted in the early 1850s by First Secretary to Governor Hobson, George Graham but the origin of the acorns from which they were grown is much disputed. Burstall states that they ‘were collected from the Royal Oak, Boscabel, Shropshire, in which Charles II hid after the Battle of Worcester, or from the Great Forest of Windsor. Some oaks are said to have been planted from seed given to Bishop Selwyn by Queen Victoria’. However, in her book Notable Trees of Auckland, Elizabeth Francke reports as follows:

Writing in 1885, James Baber stated that the acorns were sent from Sydney. Another source gives Herne’s Oak, the famous tree of Windsor Great Park, as [the] parent, while yet another claims that the acorns came from Queen Anne’s oak, also of Windsor Great Park.

Regardless of their origin, they are now magnificent trees. I like what early New Zealand writer and intellectual Edward Tregear had to say about them in a letter to the editor of the Evening Post (28 December 1894, page 4):

When a young man, I saw oak trees planted in the grounds of Government House at Auckland. What summer visions of beauty are those trees now. Thirty years ago the townships of Cambridge and Ngaruawahia, in the Waikato, were mere desolate wastes of sand. Now they are homes of loveliness, with their avenues of umbrageous greenery and whispering aisles of refuge from the glare of day. Benedictions on the heads of men who plant trees. There is an unselfishness in planting trees that others may enjoy the shade which is a moral strengthening and a mental refreshment, lifting us awhile out of the sickening struggle of the daily life of the nineteenth century. "It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." I am, &c Edward Tregear.

Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), Parnell Rose Gardens, Parnell

This sprawling tree is acclaimed as the largest pohutukawa in Auckland but, as with so many of our old trees, its age is uncertain. Burstall reckoned it was planted in the 1850s and listed three notable early Aucklanders as potential planters, Sir William Swainson, Robert Gillies or Sir Logan Campbell, all of whom resided on this piece of land in the early years of Auckland’s settlement.

However, there is also a possibility that the tree pre-dates European settlement, as Logan Campbell’s obituary in the Auckland Star (‘The Father of Auckland’, 22 June 1912, page 5) seems to suggest: ‘With his own axe he cut down the scrub and hewed out paths along the edge of the cliff from one side round to the other. He planted macrocarpa, Pinus insignis, and other shade trees, and here and there left native trees to themselves.’

Firewheel tree (Stenocarpus sinuatus), Gillies Ave, Epsom

This is one of several trees in the Auckland suburb of Epsom that were probably planted by G. B. Owens around 1865 and, according to the expert, Burstall, this is the largest firewheel tree in New Zealand. It’s an Australian native, a member of the protea family. The Firewheel is a shapely evergreen tree but its most stunning feature is the flower that gives it its name, a pendant umbel of bright red stalks that looks more like a Christmas tree decoration than a blossom.

Sadly, this particular tree appears unloved and under-appreciated, perched rather precariously next to the driveway of a block of flats. My apologies for the poor photos – the block of flats sits on a very busy road so it was difficult to get a better angle on the tree.

Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) and Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), Owens Road, Epsom

These two stately trees are also reputed to be some of Owen’s 1860s’ plantings, as he originally owned this particular property, and the road is named after this prominent early settler. English-born George Burgoyne Owen (1819-1893) was an apprentice in the Sheffield cutlery trade before sailing first to Sydney and then to Auckland in the 1840s. According to his obituary in the New Zealand Herald (25 September 1893, page 5), Owen purchased a cutter, the Saucy Kate, and ‘ran her in the coastal trade (principally kauri gum)’, before settling in Auckland as a storekeeper and general merchant. We are fortunate indeed that he was an enthusiastic tree planter: many of the large old trees in this suburb were planted by him.

Norfolk pine (Araucaria heterophylla), St Stephens Ave, Parnell

The last in this short list of Auckland’s historic trees is also the tallest. It was 102 feet tall in 1970 so is probably considerably taller now. It’s located in the grounds of Selwyn Court (formerly Bishops’ Court), home to Bishop George Augustus Selwyn (1809-1878), who served as the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand from 1841 to 1858 and as Primate of New Zealand from 1858 to 1868. Our expert, Burstall, reckons this stately Norfolk pine looks old enough to date from the very early church days in Auckland so may well have been planted by Bishop Selwyn himself (or, at least, by his gardener).

Sources:

A. W. Burstall, ‘Historic and Notable Trees: Northland and Auckland’, Forest Research Institute, 1971

Elizabeth Francke, Notable Trees of Auckland, The Tree Council, Auckland, 2003

A celebration of trees: June: A few Auckland notables

As my regular readers know, one of my photography projects this year is a celebration of trees. To honour both the beauty and benefits of trees I have been posting a photo each day of a tree or trees (these used to be available on Picasa before that website was shut down). And, each month, I’ve been blogging about my favourite or special trees. For my June celebration, I’m sharing photos and a little detail of a few of the more notable exotic trees in Auckland.

Mirbecks or Algerian Oak (Quercus canariensis fagaceae), Cornwall Park

This magnificent tree was planted in the early 1920s and is recognised as being the finest of all the old oaks growing in Auckland’s Cornwall Park. Natives of Spain, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, Algerian Oaks can grow as tall as 30 to 40 metres and are semi-evergreen trees with rather rough, thick bark. You can perhaps tell from the cherry trees on the right in my photo how huge the oak is in comparison. Apparently, this oak is able to grow two forms of glossy dark green leaves at the same time – one sort is wedge-shaped, the other is oval-shaped and has lobes.

Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla moraceae), Cornwall Park

Though native to the mountain and coastal forests of eastern Australia, the Moreton Bay fig has made itself very much at home in Auckland and the city boasts many enormous old specimens like this one, which was planted in the early 1900s. Both the Moreton Bay fig and the Port Jackson fig (Ficus rubiginosa) were planted extensively by Auckland’s early settlers.

These figs can grow to a height of 30 metres, and spread equally wide when space allows. They frequently have buttressed roots, which sometimes grow completely above the ground and, when young, the Moreton Bay fig grows as an epiphyte and a strangler. It has very odd flowers – they’re contained inside the fruit and pollination is performed by a gall wasp that loses its wings after it enters the fruit. Though initially orange coloured, the fruit turns purple as it ripens.

Dragon tree (Dracaena draco), St Stephen’s Ave, Parnell

I love the shape of this Dragon tree and I’ve never seen one as tall as this one, which is believed to have been planted in 1898. Native to the Canary Islands, where they are cultivated for their resin, dragon trees are long lived and slow growing.

I found a fascinating snippet about dragon trees in an old newspaper, the New Zealand Herald, 5 September 1906, page 3:

The oldest tree in the world is said to be the famous Dragon-tree (Dracaena draco) of Teneriffe, which is estimated to be from 4000 to 6000 years of age. This wonder of the plant world was 70ft or more in height until the year 1819, when, during a terrific storm, one of the large branches was broken off. A similar storm in 1867 stripped the trunk of its remaining branches, and left it standing alone. A plant from one of the branches of this famous tree is growing in Kew Gardens.

Another newspaper report (in the Star, 10 November 1902, page 3) says the ‘tree was totally destroyed in a hurricane which occurred in 1876.’ It would certainly have been an amazing sight to see.

Cook’s Pine (Auraucaria columnaris), Western Park, Ponsonby

Western Park was founded in 1875 and contains some wonderful and highly unusual trees, of which this Cook’s pine is definitely the tallest. According to Elizabeth Francke’s Notable Trees of Auckland (The Tree Council, Auckland, published in 2003), the tree was then 27 metres tall but I imagine it’s grown a few metres since. It may not have been planted as early as 1875 but it is certainly one of Auckland’s oldest imported trees and is quite rare in this country. The Cook’s pine is a native of French New Caledonia and nearby islands and, like the better-known Norfolk Island pine, belongs to a southern hemisphere family of salt-tolerant conifers.

Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), Cheltenham Beach

Another tree that is tolerant of salt-laden winds is the Monterey Cypress, a native of the central coast of California. The many large specimens growing around Auckland city date from the earliest days of European settlement when this species was widely planted for farm shelter. Balmain Reserve, which borders Cheltenham Beach on Auckland’s North Shore, is a tiny park, just 0.4ha in extent – that, and the size of the person and the park bench in my photo, help to give an idea of how large this wonderful old cypress is.

Ombu (Phytolacca dioica), Albert Park, Auckland city

This incredible tree is one of Auckland’s most unusual exotic trees and is quite a rare tree in New Zealand, though there are other notable examples in Auckland’s Three Kings Park and Myers Park. In her Notable Trees of Auckland, Elizabeth Francke has this to say about the ombu:

[It] is native to Central and South America, where its hardihood and strange appearance have made it the subject of myth and folktale. The huge surface root-plate protects a shallow root system and makes the ombu fairly resistant to drought and storm. However, this tree did succumb to storm damage in 1971 – it is now hollow and shows secondary growth. Ombu wood is spongy, brittle and light; in dry weather the branches sometime snap and fall without warning. Nevertheless, the semi-deciduous ombu is often planted as a shade tree and one of its names is bella sombra, meaning pleasant shade. It bears 10cm flowers like bottle-brush in late summer.

As you can imagine, this particular ombu is a favourite with the younger visitors to Albert Park, as an especially good place to play hide and seek.

If you’re a tree lover like me, you might enjoy my previous month’s celebrations of trees which can be viewed by clicking on the following links: January (one particular favourite), February (about lime avenues), March (on the subject of forests), April (about the greening of the trees in the British springtime), and May (on the New Zealand pohutukawa).