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Click here for story on trees visit March 2005
Visit September 2006
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The Admiralty Trees
What are the Admiralty Trees?
Why are they called "Admiralty Trees"?
Where are these trees, and what has our Rotary Club got to do with them?
These are just some of the questions that passed through my mind as we set out to tend to these trees as part of our activities for the Community Committee in 2004.
The trees, a picture of which is on the left, sit on the Flagstaff Range, west of Napier at an altitude of about 400 metres.
From the distance of Napier the landmark is sometimes mistaken for a single tree, but as the picture reveals there are several trees. Originally there were 16 trees - all gums (eucalyptus regnans), but how many are left? Perhaps 5 at the most, all deteriorating in the exposed weather, purported to be the windiest spot in Hawkes Bay!
Although the clump is sited many miles inland, in years gone by this is how Hawkes Bay came "out of the sea" optically for sailors before the mast and merchant servicemen of a later period.
The old landmark was used by shipping approaching Napier from beyond the horizon, they saw the trees before the land, or at least the look-out on the mast did. The trees, which line up with the Westshore light beacons, can often be seen when the beacons themselves are obscured.
But what is our club's connection with the trees. Do we have some old salts in the club who wish to keep the trees going for old times sakes? Well, almost.
The trees were planted in 1878 by the grandfather of former club member Phil Giblin, John Giblin, to mark the then boundary of his property, Newstead Station. In more recent years Phil had heard that the trees were weathering badly and were in danger of disappearing completely, and so to preserve some of the history of Hawkes Bay, and with a certain amount of personal interest, proposed a programe for the club to replace them. The club responded by planting 16 replacements (eucalyptus saligna) on a knob to the east of the old trees. It will take many years for these trees to grow in the extremely exposed environment, but currently in 2004 the trees can be seen from town just peeking over the ridge. They will take many more years to grow to any significant size.
The club now has the responsibility of tending and preserving these trees, and to this end visits the site twice yearly to clear and weed the site, water and prune the trees. In many years to come, when the original trees have at last fallen, the site will be commemorated by a group of much younger trees, which will hopefully last for another 125 years.
In September 2004 the site was visited by club members for the regular tidy up. The pictures below are from that visit. Note the grand views that you get of Hawkes Bay from the location.
To Community Director
From Jack Moates
Admiralty Trees Report 25 September 2006
This records my notes made during our visit to the trees last Wednesday (21 September), the farm quad was kindly loaned to us by Stuart Morice.
The current situation is that we have 14 good trees, one (eucalyptus pilularis) being outstanding. It is now 12 - 15 ft high and 6 - 8 feet wide.
Others doing well are E.oblique, E.marri and the more recently planted E.regnans. However the six E Regnans planted in 2000 that grew tall quite quickly are now showing signs of deterioration. They are 10 - 12 ft tall, thin and leafless except on the tips.
There are seven more recently planted (2003) trees doing fairly well but not flourishing. Then there are eight dead trees, all on the southern end, all these sites having been replanted several times recently.
I recommend that these not be replanted again as with 14 good trees at least we have achieved our purpose.
It will be essential for the next 4 - 5 years to continue maintenance, such as weed and grass control, releasing ties to prevent girdling, and some judicious pruning to avoid the surviving trees becoming one sided due to the severe wind exposure.
Jack Moates.
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