AUCKLAND WALKY TALKY NATURE ADVENTURE HIKES WITH STEPHEN

Hi Nature Lover

Do you know your Kauri Tree from a Rimu Tree ?

Or a Pohutukawa Tree , Kowhai, or my own favourite Puriri. .. it provides flowers for the birds most of the year.....and a pretty moth emerges from its trunk after 5 years...only to live for a few days.

Or Mahoe/Whiteywood , used by early settlers to make fire.

Meet us in at the Arataki Visitor Centre Carpark near Titirangi on Scenic Drive. Huge variety of Track Information here, and Displays and helpful staff.

Let's learn today to easily identify New Zealand native trees by their leaves on the ground first, or on the actual tree following a trail guide handout you can use, take home and share with others.

The usual definition of a tree is that it is a large , woody tall plant, having a distinct trunk with branches at some distance from the ground.

While many trees fit that definition, it is also true that many small trees often have several trunks arising from ground level, as well as branches close to the ground.

I previously saw trees where we walk and hike , as a whole bunched mass of green, ..and occasionally some coloured variations.

It wasn't until I started bringing people bush walking, that I started researching, and along with my avid interest in reading non fiction books, and asking other hiking friends to share what they knew about these important ecology...I love it all.. trust you will too

With a sense of curiosity I started to learn each walk about the trees and plants, helped by bringing along my favourite books in my backpack , getting knowledgeable about these wonderful aspects of slow down walking, enjoying the journey together and coming back to the Carpark, knowing that I had found some Kauri trees, and Rimu, and Pohutukawa Trees...and discomfort lessened.

I started appreciating my nature walking life, learning some of the known uses of each tree. from food and medicine to dyes, and what ones that can be eaten, and be safely digested, as no one wants to get sick or as we've discovered recently, die from death cap mushrooms and other Fungi.

And with a bit of luck, we'll see along the tracks at Arataki Visitor Centre, some excellent examples of the easy ways to identify more than a few species of NZ trees.

Mostly tho it's about letting go into the mystery.

Along with several books from my familiar author, Andrew Crowe, he is a full-time natural history writer with a special interest in New Zealand native trees and their uses.

His books available at most local book shops and also at Arataki Visitor Centre, include, Which Native Tree, Which Native Plants and A Field Guide to Native Edible Plants of New Zealand in response to popular demand for a simple method of identifying New Zealand native trees ..which we will also learn to do .
And the Handout/ field guide is from his book, Which Native Tree..which has plenty of photographs, diagrams, and easily to understand information about " using the leaf keys "
Almost all NZ Native Trees are evergreen, so the simplest way to identify them is by their leaves. Rather than having to flick randomly through hundreds of illustrations, Andrew Crowe's comprehensive compact field guide books provides instead a way of learning via a simple leaf key.

Basically, there are three ways in which leaves (or individual leaflets) are arranged on a branch or a stalk : hand shaped, alternating, or opposite.

Some leaves have teeth along the edges, others have none. This part is easier to learn from the visual Handout/ Field Guide you will learn from on this Which Native Tree Event.

There's also some great Digital Apps available, my particularly favorite is called Seek.. Or ask Google...Ai....and other methods.

Bring along your sense of adventure, humour and questions to learn something together about the things we see along the way today, like trees and plants, and mushrooms, insects, and birds..and with a few easy rules and guidelines, you'll remember the Kauri trees here, and the Rimu, and perhaps others...if you have trouble matching your leaf with the key and guide ...by identifying the bark of each tree, more about this on our Field Trip.

Important Information.

WHAT - Auckland Walky Talky Nature Adventures with Stephen.

WHAT NATIVE TREE IS THIS ?

WHEN- Saturday 26th July. 2025.

Meeting Place- Arataki Visitor Centre at 300 Scenic Drive. Near Titirangi on the way to Piha Beach.

Waitakere Ranges.

Meet and Greet is 10.30am.

With a Finish around 2pm.

Cost - $5 Donation for the Meet Up Website.
Use our Bank Account -
Auckland Walky Talky
030 149 0127966 001
Use Meet Up Name as Reference.

Wear warm wool layers for the Field Trip. We will stop lots , walk slowly tree to tree today..

Add a Comment below if you need a ride or can pick up a member in your area.

Give your driver $10 Cash or Make Own Arrangements.

Any questions or suggestions, please contact me.

Ideally we should have a Group of 12 Members.

See you soon.

Kind Regards Stephen F.
mob 0274 779495