The Legend of the Pohutukawa

The Legend of the Pohutukawa

When time was still young, lonely Pohutukawa stood at the edge of a cliff at the northern tip of Cape Reinga.

As Pohutukawa grew on the edge of the cliff there were horrendous storms. Lightning, thunder, raging winds going

on for days on end. Pohutukawa wasn’t in shelter like all the other trees, so she always got the worst of the storms. As time went by Pohutukawa grew into a battered and twisted mess.

Pohutukawa was so sad and lonely that one night she cried out as loud as she could, “Why me? Why does every other tree have to be so perfect? I’m ugly!” Suddenly a booming voice came from the nearby forest.

“Oh Pohutukawa, you are beautiful just the way you are. But I will give to you the finest flower and it will make you stand out from all the other trees, it will make you special”. Insisted Tane Mahuta.

The leaves around Pohutukawa were swirling like a  tornado. Pohutukawa stopped her crying and noticed a valentine red bottlebrush flower placed carefully on the top of her most delicate branch. Pohutukawa was about to say her thank you but Tane Mahuta had already vanished.

Later on that night there was a storm, a bad one too. The storm was so fierce that it blew the flower right off Pohutukawa and into the raging sea below her. Pohutukawa burst into tears and sobbed all night long.

Tane Mahuta gave Pohutukawa a visit in the morning to see how she was going with her new flower. But Tane Mahuta saw something was wrong, “Why are you sad Pohutukawa, and where’s your flower?” Said Tane Mahuta.

   “Oh Tane Mahuta, in the storm last night my flower blew away! I’m sorry I wasted your time, I’m just a failure” Weeped Pohutukawa.

   “No you’re not Pohutukawa! And to prove it, Once again I will give to you many of the finest flowers. Berries too, the brightest of berries.” Tane Mahuta then again disappeared before Pohutukawa could say her thank you. The leaves around Pohutukawa danced around her and Pohutukawa had transformed into the most beautiful tree in all of Cape Reinga.

Pohutukawa loved her new look so much that she was never lonely anymore and became the most well known tree in New Zealand.

Lots of animals came to visit her like Bellbirds and Kereru and to this day they still do. Pohutukawa is in so many postcards, songs and poems that everyone knows her.

The Maori believe that the place of leaping spirits is where Pohutukawa first grew.