Voting closes soon for one of Mount Maunganui’s top tourist attractions, which has been nominated for a nationwide award.

Spreading itself magnificently for nearly 500 years, the giant pōhutukawa tree in Pitau Rd has emerged as one of six finalists in New Zealand’s third annual Tree of the Year competition.

New Zealanders are invited to vote from the six finalists and have a say on which tree should be New Zealand’s Tree of the Year for 2024. Voting closes at midnight on Friday, May 31.

Competition organisers say ​‘Tree of the Year’ is not about the biggest or most beautiful tree, but about the stories and heritage that connects us to our trees.

“It’s about celebrating the trees that play an important part in our lives, our history and our future,” say the organisers.

What is the story of the Mount Maunganui Pitau Road pōhutukawa?

Once upon a time, a small seedling nudged its new frond up through the sand bar that we call 'the Mount”. Seizing hold of life on a morning some time between 1566 and 1616, it's been growing and flowering ever since.

This was in the same time period that Pocahontas was saving the life of John Smith, Galileo saw the moons of Jupiter through his telescope, the King James version of the Bible was being published, the first African slaves were being taken to North America, the English Civil War was happening, Rembrandt was painting his Night Watch, the Ming Dynasty was ending in China, King Louis XIV was starting to build Versailles, the Great Plague in London killed 75,000, there was the great fire in London, and Peter the Great became Czar.

The pōhutukawa tree in Pitau Road, believed to be 450 years old. Photo: Daniel Hines.

About 300 years after this particular Mount Maunganui pōhutukawa took root, Pitau Rd was laid beside it.

The pōhutukawa is now about 16.5 metres tall, has a spread of 30 metres and is one of the oldest known trees in Tauranga.

The tree has been through it all including withstanding Cyclone Bola in 1988 and the urbanisation of Mount Maunganui.

Special significance to local iwi

Growing profusely around Tauranga, the variety Metrosideros excelsa ‘Mt Maunganui' are all regarded as cutting-grown descendants from this Pitau Rd tree, which is of special significance to Ngai Te Rangi iwi.

Pōhutukawa wood is dense, strong and highly figured. Māori used it in shipbuilding, since the natural curvy shapes made strong knees.

In 2019, Chair of Ngai Tukairangi hapu Anaru Timitimu at the Pitau Road pōhutukawa which he says is a sacred site in Tauranga Moana. Photo: Daniel Hines.

An interpretation panel displaying the tree's history was installed on Pitau Reserve in 2019 by Tauranga City Council, and reflects on the significance of the tree.

"Tauranga Moana kaumatua Kihi Ngatai of Ngai Te Rangi tells of the area surrounding this tree being used for the preparation of tupapaku for burial," the sign reads.

The tree is a reminder for the community to reconnect with the history behind the area's sacred sites, former Ngai Tukairangi hapu chair Anaru Timutimu said at the time of the sign installation.

"It's a wahi tapu, a sacred place," says Anaru. "It's in the middle of urbanisation which makes it that little bit more special.

"This tree is important to all iwi in Tauranga Moana, and it's slightly sad to see it squashed between building and development.”

An interpretation panel displaying the tree's history has been installed on Pitau Reserve. Photo: Daniel Hines.

Anaru says the tree's association to the deceased and death means it needs to be treated with particular care.

The Tauranga City Plan Notable Tree register protects the Pitau Road pōhutukawa through rules around what can be done to it. Council completes a full inspection of it every three years.

Struts in place supported the tree's branches for many years. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Wooden infrastructure was used to prop up the tree's branches which were damaged after a 'split out failure” in the mid-1990s, and when the signs were installed in 2019, council was hopeful that the tree would eventually be self-supporting.

"Our goal is to phase out all of the old struts by establishing natural aerial roots, capable of retaining the tree's form as it develops,” a council spokesperson said in 2019.

An interpretation panel displaying the tree's history has been installed on Pitau Reserve. Photo: Daniel Hines.

Locals are encouraged to connect with and cherish sites of significance around the Mount Maunganui peninsula, as the Pitau Road pohutukawa, Mauao and Hopukiore (Mount Drury) all have important stories to tell.

'These sites are special icons and can't be replaced,” says Anaru.

'If you grow up in a place, whether you are Māori, Pakeha or a newcomer – knowing these stories strengthens the linkages to your home particularly when you move away or travel.”

Anaru says Ngai Tukairangi hapu have been working to support and elevate the stories of these historical sites in Tauranga Moana.

A top Mount Maunganui tourist attraction

Noel Davenhill, who has taken visitors from the UK to visit the tree, worked in vegetation management at the Rotorua Forest Research Insititute, now called Scion, for more than 40 years. He is sceptical of the tree's age.

"I would have thought this tree older than 450 years,” says Noel. 'It's looks to me a lot older than that. It's a beautiful tree."

The Pitau pōhutukawa tree to the right of the photo is a tourist favourite on a ride around Mount Maunganui with Pepi Toot. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The Pepi Toot beach train which runs most summer days, takes families and cruise ship passengers for rides, departing from Salisbury Ave, travelling along The Mall, to Adams Ave, around to Banks Ave, then into Pitau St, going past the 450-year-old pōhutukawa tree.

'Passengers always comment about two things that they enjoy while on the train,” says train driver Lesley Smith.

'One is the cleanliness of the Mount streets. The other is the tree. It's very popular. It's such an iconic tree and even locals don't know about it.”

Video filmed in 2017 of the Pitau Rd pōhutukawa. Video: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

The six finalists in ‘Tree of the Year’

This year, as well as the Pitau Rd pōhutukawa, the other five finalists are “Freddie’s Pōhutukawa” in Tokomaru Bay, "Hewlings Tōtara"in Geraldine, "Moko" in Wellington, "That Wānaka Tree" in Wānaka, and "The Walking Tree" in Karamea, West Coast.

The Tree of the Year New Zealand competition takes place March to May each year and seeks to track down New Zealand’s most interesting trees and their stories.

Wooden infrastructure was used to prop up the Pitau Rd pōhutukawa tree's branches which were damaged after a 'split out failure” in the mid-1990s. Photo: Daniel Hines.

The competition was inspired by the ‘European tree of the year’ which has been running since 2011.

People are invited to nominate a tree they consider special. Not a whole species, just one very special tree. They are asked to tell its story and share the reasons they think their nominated tree should be Tree of the Year.

Finalists are chosen, and the public asked to vote for New Zealand’s Tree of the Year. Voting closes at midnight on Friday, May 31, with the winner announced on Arbor Day, June 5.

To vote now for the Mount Maunganui Pitau Rd pōhutukawa for ‘Tree of the Year’ go to www.treeoftheyear.co.nz/vote

The long branches of the pōhutukawa tree in Pitau Road. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.