The funny Kiwi bird is unmistakably a symbol for the country. When they discussed the possibility of a new flag for the country (see footers on this site), some people proposed the fern. Ferns are indeed a typical presence in NZ’s forests, but there is another plant that is found all over the landscape. It is a giant flax-lily, New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) – harakeke in Māori. The narrow leaves are often several meters long, the rigid flower stalks up to 5 meters high. The red flowers produce big seedpods with hundreds of seeds each. The plants can be found all over the islands, in different habitats, and are used by the Māori for weaving baskets and much more. Since we visited in autumn, we missed out on the beautiful red flowers...

Another candidate to symbolize Aotearoa would be the kauri tree (pronounced 'ko-ree'), a giant that grows to be 50m tall, and is revered by the Māori. Several trees got special names, like Tane Mahuta (named after the Māori god of forests and birds) and Te Matua Ngahere (father of the forest), that can both be found in Waipoua Forest. Kauris used to dominate large stretches of the islands, but were almost brought to extinction by extensive forestry. Unfortunately, the surviving giants are now threatened with sickness and death by a fungus that tourists inadvertently bring near the trees on the sole of their footwear.