In the grass verge

Had a walk after getting home from work. Felt pretty much as I did before. Should have looked at the battery monitor before going out. I had a couple of goes at getting the focus right for a grey warbler. but it took off just as I got myself sorted. When I tried to take a photo of this Rimu, the camera told my the battery was depleted. Used my iPhone.

Rimu are very tall straight-growing trees, endemic to New Zealand/Aotearoa. This fine example of Rimu is in the grass verge of Rimutaka Place. It must have been growing there from well before the road was formed and houses built. Rimu live for 600 - 800 years. 

Apparently Rimu is derived from a polynesian language name for seaweed; limu. During negotiations with the Government for a settlement of the local iwi's claim under Te Tiriti Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi), one claim was that the name of range of hills northeast of Wellington be changed from Rimutaka to Remutaka, as rimu means nothing in Te Reo. Nor does the place name Rimutaka. Remutaka means sitting down to rest, as the pass over the range was where an important ancestor of the iwi sat down to rest while in pursuit of his wayward wife.