Protected and notable trees
Tree Profiles
Forest in our Own Backyard
Christchurch is lucky to have Riccarton Bush (Putaringamotu), a beautiful public reserve created in 1914 in a move by the government of the day to preserve native forest.
Comprising of 12 hectares of native forest, parkland and historic buildings, the reserve is renowned for the fact it includes Christchurch’s last remaining stand of low lying Kahikatea forest, as well as matai and totara trees.
"It has incredible heritage value," says Walter Fielding-Cotterell, Christchurch City Council’s senior aborist. "Apart from Peel Forest, it’s the only native stand of lowland podocarp forest left in Canterbury."
The land the reserve is on was owned by Canterbury’s first colonial settlers, John and William Deans, who arrived in Port Cooper (Lyttleton) from Scotland in 1843. It was gifted to the people of Christchurch by the Deans family, fulfilling a wish expressed by John Deans before his death in 1850s for the forest to be preserved.
Today visitors can walk the bush through a system of well-signposted tracks and enjoy the native jasmin, New Zealand passionflower or Kohia, and Pohuehue, which weave their way through the undergrowth.
The reserve is open daily and access is available at the main entrance off Kahu Road, Riccarton. |
