Land of the Long White Cloud
That’s New Zealand’s moniker — and in some ways, The Legal Genealogist can understand it.
It is, after all, a long, narrow country that has … well… a lot of clouds. It’s made up of islands, y’see, and you do get a lot of clouds over islands. And New Zealand does have a lot of clouds…
But after a few days here in New Zealand, I could probably come up with a few other names. Like the Land of All Those Amazing Rainbows…
(This isn’t the best of the rainbow photos, by the way… but you have to wait for part 3 for a couple more…)
Or perhaps the Land of All Those Amazing Beaches and Bays…
More than anything else, however, it could be called the Land of the Really Amazing Humongous Trees…
The kauri is a protected tree in New Zealand now, having been logged nearly to extinction in much of the country. It’s also under threat from a new disease, so extra care is being taken everywhere. This particular tree is described this way by the New Zealand Department of Conservation: “Waipoua is home to Tane Mahuta, king of the forest and the largest remaining kauri tree in the country. The 1,500 year old Tane Mahuta is 51.5 m tall, with a girth of 13.77 m.”
Not quite as big as some of the biggest sequoia or redwoods, perhaps, but still a very very big tree…
Gorgeous, gorgeous photos Judy. Particularly like the beach scene – spectacular!! But all are amazing.
What program do you use for your copyright notice?
Beautiful photos! They bring back my memories of New Zealand. One of my favorite places. Love the photo of the kauri tree. If you have the opportunity, try the manuka honey hand creams and try on some possum-merino clothing. Australian possums are an invasive species in New Zealand.
Kauri not as big now, but there used to be truly massive specimens. Perhaps “specimen” is not the right word: entire forests of them. For readers interested in learning more about the dynamics that reduced this magnificent forest (along with others in the world), Annie Proulx wrote an amazing fictional (but none-the-less true) account in her novel “Barkshins”.