Travel Quiz 31 answer

Rather unique sculpture, is it not. 

But if you live in this country you would understand its significance (even if you might not at first recognized this stylized plant).

Where in the World are we?

Answer: Auckland, New Zealand.

The sculpture is alongside the highway as one is leaving Auckland heading south.

What in the World is it?

This public art sculpture is a stylized representation of the flower of a Pohutukawa tree.

In New Zealand this tree has large red flowers which bloom in December, around Christmas time. To the settlers this might have reminded them of the red holly berries they were familiar with at Christmas time. Hence it has earned the nickname of New Zealand’s Christmas tree.

(Hint: Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

We found this sign in the Coromandel (yes, a long way from Auckland). We were in a lovely park overlooking the water in the community of Tairua.

(It is beautiful in Tairua, eh.)

Here we followed a nature trail which had signs telling us about many of the plants along the way…and NZ Christmas tree was one of them.

Doing more research I discovered the Pohutukawa tree figures in Maori traditional stories and that there is a famous old, gnarled Pohutukawa tree on the cliffs at Cape Regina.

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