Pinus radiata

Pine tree plantations are not the most aesthetically pleasing element of the New Zealand landscape.  However, given time, individual trees such as this one do appeal to me.  

For short rotation timber production, trees grown in New Zealand are felled well before they reach their prime.  I gained an appreciation for this species when I saw trees growing in the wild in their native California.  There they are confined to a relatively small area along the coast.  I had been led to believe that while we grew strongly selected, upright trees here, the native Californians were stunted specimens.  So I was surprised to find stands of large, stately trees as well as some struggling individuals in exposed locations right on the foreshore.

So while pine trees seem out of place in the New Zealand landscape, they can make superb specimen trees in a parkland environment.  This tree is in the park area of McLeans forest, by the Waimakariri River.