Friends visiting Rotorua, NZ

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:59 am

Wait till Jim sees all these tree ferns

"they have a gazillion of these tree ferns, though- all over the hillsides. and growing in the ditches are hydrangeas, agapanthus, aloes, and all sorts of other stuff."

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8475492301/" title="Lakes and Nursery Friday 008 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8475 ... 85e7_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Lakes and Nursery Friday 008"></a>

They stopped in at a nursery to ask why there weren't palms growing all over the place and were told "we get too much frost"!!!!
Rotorua is at 38 S latitude

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8476585806/" title="Lakes and Nursery Friday 016 (2) by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/8476 ... 0a26_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Lakes and Nursery Friday 016 (2)"></a>

Nice to see a Washy among the few palms...this one will move the house foundation:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8475493305/" title="Lakes and Nursery Friday 021 (2) by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8475 ... dec2_c.jpg" width="451" height="800" alt="Lakes and Nursery Friday 021 (2)"></a>

The nursery has a lot of Queen palms, yet friends didn't see any growing in gardens outside the nursery:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8475494937/" title="Lakes and Nursery Friday 017 (2) by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8516/8475 ... 472d_c.jpg" width="450" height="800" alt="Lakes and Nursery Friday 017 (2)"></a>

Barb

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 6:30 pm

I wish my area had tree ferns growing in the ditches!

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:34 am

Nice!

I finally found some C.Brownii(the one that gets 20'+ fronds)for sale
so I will order a few for this year-hopefully the rains will return or it will be another fizzle fest.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:09 pm

fizzle fest.

Good one...Weather f/casters will pick that one up

Some of those C.brownii do interesting things:
http://www.growingontheedge.net/viewtopic.php?p=45337

Barb

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:57 am

Friends have moved to the coast and found palms there.
Obviously quite the difference in that 1,000 foot elevation change from inland.

Looks to be a Butia?
Haven't ever seen a var. capitata QUITE THIS BLUE...wow!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8482781716/" title="Whakatane and Ohope beach 022 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8250/8482 ... b8be_c.jpg" width="451" height="800" alt="Whakatane and Ohope beach 022"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8482782992/" title="Whakatane and Ohope beach 021 (2) by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8507/8482 ... 7913_c.jpg" width="800" height="451" alt="Whakatane and Ohope beach 021 (2)"></a>

And....drumroll....be still my heart

a Jubaea ????
Maybe not...probably a CIDP.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8481690131/" title="Whakatane and Ohope beach 020 (2) by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8481 ... 9e36_c.jpg" width="450" height="800" alt="Whakatane and Ohope beach 020 (2)"></a>

Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 3:30 pm

Last days of summer down under

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 9:10 am

They're heading to Napier NZ next...

wow, this Streetview:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Napier,+H ... 5,,0,-13.8

Looks like paradise...

Barb

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:34 am

lucky1 wrote:Looks like paradise...

Barb

Indeed! That place is awesome! NZ has the best weather anywhere in the world 70'sF

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:37 am

CIDP, is my guess.

I like the way you posted the street view.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:23 pm

CIDP, is my guess.

I thought that too.
But when considering how a Jubaea chilensis grows OUT horizontally, with very little space between petiole bases, that palm just seemed to have too many leaves for a CIDP.

the way you posted the street view

I know HOW you wanted to view the link, but can never remember which selection DID work.

Will get it eventually.

NZ is so beautiful, yet so different from the extremes that Australia endures.

I suppose eventually people get over the fact they're living on an island

Barb

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:54 am

They've sent some eye candy from Napier NZ:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8498794960/" title="Napier 012 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8517/8498 ... 9931_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Napier 012"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8497690571/" title="Napier 004 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8383/8497 ... 6bb1_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Napier 004"></a>

A mini-golf attraction, right on the ocean:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8498792148/" title="Napier 076 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8498 ... 71cc_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Napier 076"></a>

Feel the warmth.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Fri Feb 22, 2013 12:06 pm

Looks cold! :verycold:

J/K

Beny · Post by **Beny** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:32 am

Damn....im not living at the right place....the first pic of the 3 is awesome. I like these big Phoenix Canariensis...

Ben

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 7:15 am

The two top pics reminds me of southern Cali. But I think I would rather see NZ.

Jubaea · Post by **Jubaea** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:55 am

I really like those Tree Ferns. It must have taken a long time for them to get that much trunk.

andym · Post by **andym** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 11:32 am

Rotorua.... isn't that the place that with those pongy sulphur springs? The bay of Islands will do me fine

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:52 am

Yup, that's the place, Andy.
They said it was magnificent...Yellowstone-like...prehistoric looking.

New pics arrived today:
Araucaria:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8510540690/" title="Kiwifruit and Looking Glass Garden 112 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8532/8510 ... 228e_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Kiwifruit and Looking Glass Garden 112"></a>

Kiwi fruit ... that's a lot of Kiwis...(burp)

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8510539270/" title="Kiwifruit and Looking Glass Garden 011 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8376/8510 ... b538_c.jpg" width="800" height="451" alt="Kiwifruit and Looking Glass Garden 011"></a>

Barb

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 9:46 pm

Friends are now in Sydney Australia, prior to heading home.

The magnificent Bismarckia nobilis:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8540326213/" title="Sydney harbour 076 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8387/8540 ... 2914_c.jpg" width="450" height="800" alt="Sydney harbour 076"></a>

And the big version of my Wollemia nobilis:
The "dinosaurs" were discovered in 1994 approx. 100 miles N of Sydney in the Blue Mountains region.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/8540325421/" title="Sydney harbour 067 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8521/8540 ... 02b5_c.jpg" width="450" height="800" alt="Sydney harbour 067"></a>

Barb