The Good Life: The mighty Greytown gum
Greytown has been celebrating trees generally for much of its life. Photo / Greg Dixon
Greg Dixon is an award-winning news reporter, TV reviewer, feature writer and former magazine editor who has written for the NZ Listener since 2017.
The sign is emphatic. 'Historic Tree', it declares, pointing at the tree in question, an old gum which is so enormous it almost certainly doesn't require a sign to get you to notice it. The giant exotic must be as tall as a four-storey building.
This is the sort of thing you expect to find when promenading in Greytown, the most genteel of South Wairarapa's three main townships. The townsfolk appear to be very, very proud of their colonial heritage and are quite meticulous about labelling it.
It is hardly an exaggeration to say that every house and business on the main street, which happens to double as SH2, has a small sign on it describing the building's provenance, proclaiming things like, 'This tōtara cottage was built in 1853 by the Rev James Cuckoo, the town's first religious crank. He was hanged in 1888 for blasphemy.' I might have made that up, but you get the olde worlde picture.
In a town so interested in celebrating its colonial built-history, it comes as no surprise to the visitor that the village's current burghers also honour – and festoon with signs – the more notable colonial plantings, as well.
This isn't something new. Greytown has been celebrating trees generally for much its life; the country's first Arbor Day was marked in Greytown on July 3, 1890.
Which brings us back to the 'Historic Tree'. It, along with a slap-up lunch at the White Swan Hotel (make sure you have the dumplings and the crème brûlée) was what brought us to fair Greytown on a fair winter's Saturday.
Listed as 'the Greytown Gum', the Eucalyptus regnans is one of the six finalists in the fourth annual Tree of the Year competition, a contest run by the NZ Notable Trees Trust. Also competing this year is a Morton Bay fig in Auckland Domain called 'The Fairy Tree', the 'Phantom Rātā' in Bay of Plenty, a redwood at Rangiora Borough School, 'Te Herenga Ora', a cluster of tī kōuka (cabbage trees) in Christchurch and 'the Chook Tree' at Waianakarua in North Otago. The last is a macrocarpa which looks a bit like a giant chicken. To strengthen that claim, it has a giant fake egg next to it, which is chicanery if you ask me.
To qualify for the competition a tree has to be 'special' to a community and also have a bit of a story to it, which Greytown's 'Historic Tree' most certainly has, according to one of its three signs.
It reads: 'Samuel Oates Gum Tree 1856'. The story goes that our gum tree was one of 12 seedlings pushed in a wheelbarrow over the Remutaka Hill track from Wellington in 1856 by a bloke called Samuel Oates, a task given to him by one Charles Rooking Carter, whose name now graces nearby Carterton.
As anyone who has ever driven over the Remutakas will tell you, they're bloody steep. So it is no surprise that on arriving with the seedlings in Greytown, Samuel Oakes decided to wet his whiskers at the Rising Sun Hotel (since deceased).
It was while slaking his thirst with local ale that three of the 12 seedlings were pinched from his wheelbarrow by person or persons unknown. What is known is that all three were then planted in various parts of Greytown.
Now, 169 years later, only the one with the three signs remains, making the Greytown Gum the sole survivor of not just history, but of a highway robbery. Which means the emphatic road sign has it all wrong. It shouldn't say 'Historic Tree', it should say 'Historic Crime Scene'.
While Michele and I were admiring the Historic Crime Scene, two young women stopped to have a gander at it as well, so we told them about the gum being in the Tree of the Year competition and encouraged them to vote for it before the ballot closes on June 30.
One shook her head. 'I'm going to have to vote for a native,' she said earnestly. There was a pause. Then she turned to the giant gum. 'Sorry,' she said.
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NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
The Good Life: The mighty Greytown gum
Greytown has been celebrating trees generally for much of its life. Photo / Greg Dixon Greg Dixon is an award-winning news reporter, TV reviewer, feature writer and former magazine editor who has written for the NZ Listener since 2017. The sign is emphatic. 'Historic Tree', it declares, pointing at the tree in question, an old gum which is so enormous it almost certainly doesn't require a sign to get you to notice it. The giant exotic must be as tall as a four-storey building. This is the sort of thing you expect to find when promenading in Greytown, the most genteel of South Wairarapa's three main townships. The townsfolk appear to be very, very proud of their colonial heritage and are quite meticulous about labelling it. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that every house and business on the main street, which happens to double as SH2, has a small sign on it describing the building's provenance, proclaiming things like, 'This tōtara cottage was built in 1853 by the Rev James Cuckoo, the town's first religious crank. He was hanged in 1888 for blasphemy.' I might have made that up, but you get the olde worlde picture. In a town so interested in celebrating its colonial built-history, it comes as no surprise to the visitor that the village's current burghers also honour – and festoon with signs – the more notable colonial plantings, as well. This isn't something new. Greytown has been celebrating trees generally for much its life; the country's first Arbor Day was marked in Greytown on July 3, 1890. Which brings us back to the 'Historic Tree'. It, along with a slap-up lunch at the White Swan Hotel (make sure you have the dumplings and the crème brûlée) was what brought us to fair Greytown on a fair winter's Saturday. Listed as 'the Greytown Gum', the Eucalyptus regnans is one of the six finalists in the fourth annual Tree of the Year competition, a contest run by the NZ Notable Trees Trust. Also competing this year is a Morton Bay fig in Auckland Domain called 'The Fairy Tree', the 'Phantom Rātā' in Bay of Plenty, a redwood at Rangiora Borough School, 'Te Herenga Ora', a cluster of tī kōuka (cabbage trees) in Christchurch and 'the Chook Tree' at Waianakarua in North Otago. The last is a macrocarpa which looks a bit like a giant chicken. To strengthen that claim, it has a giant fake egg next to it, which is chicanery if you ask me. To qualify for the competition a tree has to be 'special' to a community and also have a bit of a story to it, which Greytown's 'Historic Tree' most certainly has, according to one of its three signs. It reads: 'Samuel Oates Gum Tree 1856'. The story goes that our gum tree was one of 12 seedlings pushed in a wheelbarrow over the Remutaka Hill track from Wellington in 1856 by a bloke called Samuel Oates, a task given to him by one Charles Rooking Carter, whose name now graces nearby Carterton. As anyone who has ever driven over the Remutakas will tell you, they're bloody steep. So it is no surprise that on arriving with the seedlings in Greytown, Samuel Oakes decided to wet his whiskers at the Rising Sun Hotel (since deceased). It was while slaking his thirst with local ale that three of the 12 seedlings were pinched from his wheelbarrow by person or persons unknown. What is known is that all three were then planted in various parts of Greytown. Now, 169 years later, only the one with the three signs remains, making the Greytown Gum the sole survivor of not just history, but of a highway robbery. Which means the emphatic road sign has it all wrong. It shouldn't say 'Historic Tree', it should say 'Historic Crime Scene'. While Michele and I were admiring the Historic Crime Scene, two young women stopped to have a gander at it as well, so we told them about the gum being in the Tree of the Year competition and encouraged them to vote for it before the ballot closes on June 30. One shook her head. 'I'm going to have to vote for a native,' she said earnestly. There was a pause. Then she turned to the giant gum. 'Sorry,' she said.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
School's giant redwood in running for national title
Shane Buckner and his pupils holding a poster asking the North Canterbury community to vote for their "beautiful tree" at . Photo: Shane Buckner Rangiora Borough School's giant redwood is a finalist for the New Zealand Tree of the Year. It comes after the tree was named Waimakariri Tree of the Year earlier this year. The towering Sequoiadendron giganteum, which is believed to have been planted around 1860, is one of six finalists chosen by a panel of judges. It is now up to the New Zealand public to choose which one of them will become 'Tree of the Year NZ 2025'. The competition is organised by the NZ Notable Trees Trust as a celebration of the "beloved trees that shape our landscapes, memories, and communities", says trustee Brad Cadwallader. "It was inspired by the long-running European Tree of the Year and shares stories of trees that hold cultural, historical, and personal significance." Rangiora Borough School principal Shane Buckner said it was exciting to learn the "beautiful tree" was a finalist in the national competition. The tree has become a living symbol of continuity, pride and belonging at the school. "It has featured in many designs over the 150 years Rangiora Borough School has been part of the community," Buckner said. "Our updated uniform has a stylish representation of our tree in the side panels of the shirt, and our children wear this with pride." The tree is the "focal point" of the school with a stage built around its trunk dedicated to the tamariki of Rangiora Borough School. Pupils can "sing, dance and play on for many generations to come" on the stage in memory of the late Alan Sutton who was principal at the school from 2001-2021. "The stage area provides a number of opportunities for our children to gather and use in a variety of ways, from performance or just for relaxing," Buckner says. He is hoping Canterbury residents will support the school by voting for its tree in the national competition. The Waimakariri competition was run by the Waimakariri District Council greenspace team. Council senior ranger biodiversity Mike Kwant is also calling on the Canterbury community to vote for the giant redwood. "We are thrilled that our Rangiora Borough School giant redwood has been selected as a finalist," Kwant says. "I am sure you all will be keen to promote this Waimakariri District tree by voting for it, and sharing this around the traps to get as many votes as we can muster."
Otago Daily Times
06-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Chook Tree a finalist in national competition
The Chook Tree in Waianakarua in North Otago is a finalist in the Tree of the Year competition. Photo: ODT files Three trees from the North Island will go up against three from the South Island, including a tree from North Otago, in a national competition. The Chook Tree in Waianakarua, north of Palmerston, has been named as a finalist in the Tree of the Year competition. The competition was launched this week and the public was invited to vote for their favourite from a shortlist of six trees across the country. In a statement, the NZ Notable Trees Trust, which runs the competition, said the Tree of the Year was a celebration of the iconic trees that shaped the country's landscapes, memories and communities. The competition shared stories of trees that held cultural, historical, and personal significance — drawing inspiration from the long-running European Tree of the Year competition. Last month, New Zealanders were encouraged to nominate a single tree that held special meaning — not a whole species, but one tree with a unique story. The aim was to highlight the deep-rooted connections we share with these living treasures. NZ Notable Trees Trust trustee Brad Cadwallader said the heart of the competition lay in community engagement. "These trees are part of our shared story — they hold our memories, mark our histories and shape our landscapes." Voting has opened and will close at midnight on June 30. This year's winner will be announced on July 5. Last year the award was given to a northern rātā (Metrosideros robusta) nicknamed ''The Walking Tree''. The distinctive tree is near Karamea Cemetery on the West Coast. Tree finalists The Fairy Tree, Auckland Domain St Luke's Gum, Greytown Rangiora Borough School Redwood Te Herenga Ora, Burnside High School, Christchurch The Phantom Rātā, Lake Ōkataina The Chook Tree, Waianakarua, Otago — APL
