Tall Trees

The New Zealand Kahikatea, or White  Pine , is one of the tallest of our forest trees, growing to a height of  150 feet. Years ago the wood was in much demand for butter boxes, tallow casks and cheese crates. This was before the fibre-board containers were made  It grows straight, with a long slender trunk.Today Hugh and I went on a short walk, in the Pohangina Valley area, where there are many of these trees.The track was slippery, with many leaves plastered to the dirt, and knotty tree roots that needed  careful steps, to avoid falling over.

These trees will not have been  pruned or limbed, and grow to the sun.


Further along, there was another tree that had been felled to make  it easier to walk along the track.This had been a huge  tree, and the slab left with the smooth face after the chainsaw had cut through showed some fascinating lines.


Most  of the walk was in deep shadow, and the stream below well hidden by so many trees and branches.The sun shone through so very briefly, then rain set in. We brought our picnic home .Pumpkin soup made by Hugh yesterday. Delicious.We did not hear one bird until we left that area. So  W.S. Gilbert must have been in another place when he wrote this.

Quotation  of the day from W.S. Gilbert

“ On a tree by a river a little tom-tit

Sang “ Willow, titwillow, titwillow”

Cheers from Jean