Trees For Travellers

03/01/2017

Hi to everyone locally, now this is bit of a different post for us, but one we hope our local friends will like to make the most of. A celebration of our very special local wildlife - it too has had a shake up lately!
Children are being encouraged to draw a picture of their fav local marine creature with a few words as to why, and bring it along to have on display.

22/12/2016

The folk here at Trees for Travellers would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Many thanks for all of your wonderful support throughout 2016.
Here's to planting lots more beautiful local natives for our happy customers in 2017.
Lets save the planet, one tree at a time. =)

07/12/2016

Post the Kaikoura 'Big Shake', there is an amazing (and humbling) drive to buy locally for Christmas, support our locals and keep Kaikoura dollars in the local economy. Trees for Travellers is a great way to do that so feel free to hop on over to our website and let us help you with your Christmas shopping.
www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

Your dollars will help return native vegetation to local reserves, increase our local biodiversity, reduce your carbon footprint and of course employ locals.

07/12/2016

We were lucky to receive some stunning shots from a very happy customer recently. She noted "Thanks so much for our trees and for making it happen, we love them ❤ how are they doing?".
She then went on to rate us at 5/5 and left the following message; "We had the most amazingly rewarding experience planting a tree for our baby girl in her dads homeland of nz, that we can go back and visit as they both grow. It is so nice knowing there is a piece of us there when we go back home ....amamzing :) xoxoxoxo"
Its always nice to hear back from our customers. Thank you Hayley Mast. =)

If you have some great photos of you and your tree or during planting, we would love to see them. Also feel free to hop on line and rate our service also.

01/11/2016

Well, Christmas is looming so they say, again. And given the current issues around plastic pollution, climate change and the likes, how about aiming for sustainable Christmas gifts this year and help the environment?
Buying trees for gifts this year is a great way to do that.

www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

09/10/2016

Thank a tree today for the fresh air we breath. :-)

Easiest way to thank the trees? Protect them! www.standfortrees.org

22/09/2016

Trees for Travellers are excited about being involved in the "Love the Lyell" project here locally.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/84341137/Planting-to-help-improve-Kaikouras-water-quality-and-lift-restrictions-on-farmers

More planting along Kaikoura's Lyell Creek should help improve water quality.

15/09/2016

Trees for Travellers was proud to support and be involved with the "Love The Lyell" planting day on Wednesday. Lots of kids, lots of sun, lots of trees (550 plants in total) and lots of fun. Thanks Environment Canterbury & the Kaikoura Water Zone Committee for the great opportunity & partnership.

13/09/2016

Broadleaf (Griselinia littoralis) - our coastal favourite.
It is native to New Zealand, where it typically grows in coastal locations (the Latin littoralis means "growing by the sea"). It is widely cultivated both in New Zealand and in other areas with mild oceanic climates such as the south coast of Great Britain, where it is valued for its tolerance of salt carried on sea gales, and thus often grown as a hedge or screen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griselinia_littoralis

Order your coastal legend today! www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

Griselinia littoralis, commonly known as Kapuka or New Zealand broadleaf,[1] is a fast-growing small to medium-sized evergreen tree growing up to 20 m (66 ft) tall, though generally 4–8 m (13–26 ft) particularly in coastal exposure. It is native to New Zealand, where it typically grows in coastal lo...

06/09/2016

Kahikatea (White Pine) - This pine was formerly the most beautiful tree of lowland swampy forests throughout the country; but the stop banking of rivers and the draining and conversion of swamps to pastures have caused the forests of kahikatea largely to disappear except on the West Coast of NZ.
Traditionally it was used by Maori for many health reasons including bad breath, bruises, burns, fractures, neck stiffness, painkiller, sedative & vomiting. Interestingly Manuka was also noted for many of these issues.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/kahikatea-or-white-pine

Order your gentle wetland giant today. www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

This information was published in 1966 in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock. It has not been corrected and will not be updated.

31/08/2016

The Cabbage Tree - hardy, durable and grows almost anywhere!
Known to Māori as tī kōuka, the tree was used as a source of food, particularly in the South Island, where it was cultivated in areas where other crops would not grow. It provided durable fibre for textiles, anchor ropes, fishing lines, baskets, waterproof rain capes and cloaks, and sandals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyline_australis
Buy your handsome & dependable Te Kouka today www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

24/08/2016

The big Red Beech tree are another of our big forest favourites. It was and still is, prized for wood working and timer work, due to its strength and unusual grain.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/southern-beech-forest/page-1
Buy your big forest favourite here www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

Story: Southern beech forest Page 1 – Southern beeches Leaves of a southern beech and a true beech Red beech, Maruia valley Beech forest in New Zealand Foliage Mountain beech flowers The European botanists who first described plants in the southern hemisphere often named them after similar-looking n...

17/08/2016

In New Zealand we have five species of native beech. They are called ‘black’, ‘hard’, ‘silver’, ‘red’ and ‘mountain’ – names given to them by Pakeha timber millers who were familiar with the different kinds of bark and wood of the trees.
Through Trees for Travellers, we offer Black Beech & Red Beech.
Black beech is an evergreen tree growing to about twenty-five metres tall with a trunk about one metre through. When young, its bark is pale and smooth, but it becomes rough, furrowed, and black with age, and is often covered with moss and a black velvety mould. Maori tradition has it that Maui killed a taniwha, whose blood was splashed on the surrounding beech trees. You only have to cut the bark to see the beech sap run red.
http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/topic/1011.

Get your special Beech Tree today via www.treesfortravellers.co.nz.

Topic: Black beech (Nothofagus solandri) or tawairauriki,System.Linq.Enumerable+d__3a`1[System.Char]...read this topic at Te Papa’s Collections Online

09/08/2016

One of our big forest favourites is the Rimu or Red Pine. Its hard and dense timber made it valuable for various uses.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/rimu

This information was published in 1966 in An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock. It has not been corrected and will not be updated.

22/06/2016

Did you know that historically Maori prized the TOTARA TREE more highly than any other because of the remarkable qualities of its timber. The heartwood is very durable and the Maoris found the wood could be readily split and shaped with primitive stone tools for canoes, building, and carving. The same properties made it a valuable timber to the first European settlers for house and wharf piles, and for those parts of buildings requiring durable members.
Order your big hearted forest tree today with Trees for Travellers.
www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

For more information on the beautiful Totara, see
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/totara
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podocarpus_totara

04/06/2016

Happy Arbor Day everyone. Please take the time to get out and about and enjoy our wonderful environment and plant a tree, or three!!

02/06/2016

Hi Trees for Travellers Friends, we just wanted to let you know that due to exceptionally dry conditions here in Kaikoura this season, we wont be taking part in Arbor Day activities on June 5th this year. We do however intend to celebrate in some shape or form later in winter, when hopefully there is better planting conditions. We will keep you posted. =)
In the meantime, feel free to get out and about and plant a tree or Trees for Travellers can also help you out. Check us out on www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

11/05/2016

Never a better time to plant a tree than today.
www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

Time is of the essence.

04/05/2016

Be sure to get the kids out and make the most of some of the great tracks around the Kaikoura township, that are surrounded by beautiful trees for travellers trees. =)

04/05/2016

12/04/2016

Arbor Day comes up in June, but we thought we would jog your memory of it earlier. Trees for Travellers does great things on this day so watch this space for good things to come & how you can be involved.

Arbor Day according to Wikipedia -

"New Zealand's first Arbor Day planting was in Greytown in the Wairarapa on 3 July 1890. The first official celebration will take place in Wellington in August 2012, with the planting of pohutukawa and Norfolk pines along Thorndon Esplanade.[citation needed]

Born in 1855, Dr Leonard Cockayne (generally recognised as the greatest botanist who has lived, worked, and died in New Zealand) worked extensively on native plants throughout New Zealand and wrote many notable botanical texts. Even as early as the 1920s he held a vision for school students of New Zealand to be involved in planting native trees and plants in their school grounds. This vision bore fruit and schools in New Zealand have long planted native trees on Arbor Day.

Since 1977, New Zealand has celebrated Arbor Day on June 5, which is also World Environment Day, prior to then Arbor Day, in New Zealand, was celebrated on August 4 – which is rather late in the year for tree planting in New Zealand hence the date change.

What the Department of Conservation (DOC) does for Arbor Day: Many of DOC's Arbor Day activities focus on ecological restoration projects using native plants to restore habitats that have been damaged or destroyed by humans or invasive pests and weeds. There are great restoration projects underway around New Zealand and many organisations including community groups, landowners, conservation organisations, iwi, volunteers, schools, local businesses, nurseries and councils are involved in them. These projects are part of a vision to protect and restore the indigenous biodiversity."

24/03/2016

Happy Easter from the team at Trees for Travellers.

Heres a thought - rather than buying copious amounts of chocolate for your family during the increasingly over commercial Easter break, how about you make a new rule? Make it a new family tradition and plant a tree each at Easter time? Brilliance i say!!

23/03/2016

Did you know that not only is our favourite KOWHAI TREE stunning and full of colour, it was also used historically by Maori for medicinal purposes.
Kōwhai:
•The bark of the kōwhai tree was heated in a calabash with hot stones, and made into a poultice for wounds or to rub on a sore back.
•A person bitten in the face by a seal had wai kōwhai (kōwhai juice) applied to their wounds, and was well within days.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/rongoa-medicinal-use-of-plants/page-4

Story: Rongoā – medicinal use of plants Page 4 – Other medicinal plants Hue Kūmarahou Kōwhai The bark of the kōwhai tree was heated in a calabash with hot stones, and made into a poultice for wounds or to rub on a sore back. A person bitten in the face by a seal had wai kōwhai (kōwhai juice) applied…

01/03/2016

Here at Trees for Travellers, the beautiful KOWHAI TREE is one of our fav's.

Their natural habitat is beside streams and on the edges of forest, in lowland or mountain open areas. Kōwhai trees grow throughout the country and are a common feature in many New Zealand gardens. Outside of New Zealand, kōwhai tend to be restricted to mild temperate maritime climates.

The word kōwhai is also used in the Māori language as a colour term, because of the yellow colour of the flowers.

Traditionally the Māori used the flexible branches as a construction material in their houses and to snare birds. The kōwhai flowers were a source of yellow dye.

Māori would also use the kōwhai tree as medicine. The bark was heated in a calabash with hot stones, and made into a poultice to treat wounds or rubbed on a sore back or made into an infusion to treat bruising or muscular pains. If someone was bitten by a seal, an infusion (wai kōwhai) was prepared from kōwhai and applied to the wounds and the patient was said to recover within days.

See www.treesfortravellers.co.nz to purchase your lasting momento today. =)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dwhai

Kōwhai are small, woody legume trees in the genus Sophora native to New Zealand. There are eight species, Sophora microphylla and S. tetraptera being the most recognised as large trees. Their natural habitat is beside streams and on the edges of forest, in lowland or mountain open areas.[1] Kōwhai t…

23/02/2016

Love the Lorax. :-)

Protect a forest today! www.standfortrees.org

10/02/2016

Trees for Travellers is as much about increasing the indigenous biodiversity of the Kaikoura area as anything else. This quote outlines why biodiversity needs more importance to be given.

"We can no longer see the continued loss of biodiversity as an issue separate from the core concerns of society: to tackle poverty, to improve the health, prosperity and security of present and future generations, and to deal with climate change. Each of those objectives is undermined by current trends in the state of our ecosystems, and each will be greatly strengthened if we finally give biodiversity the priority it deserves".

Convention on Biological Diversity's 'Global Biodiversity Outlook 3' report.

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/biodiversity/

Biodiversity: the magic of our planet!

10/02/2016

The Trees for Travellers programme in Kaikoura is providing labour and funding for an extensive upgrade to popular walking track, Tom's Track.

09/02/2016

Are you breathing? Then thank a tree.
www.standfortrees.org

03/02/2016

Phew, what a roasting hot day! As much as it is great for swimming, bbq's and the likes, our trees will be looking forward to some cooler weather and rain. =)

11/01/2016

07/01/2016

08/12/2015

Lets not do socks, jocks and choc's again this year.....

Looking for a Christmas present with a difference, one thats makes you feel good about your purchase, one that actually lasts more than the 5 minutes it takes to unwrap it?

Why not purchase a Trees for Travellers eco sourced, native tree?
You dont even have to leave home or wrap it up!

Its all on line at www.treesfortravellers.co.nz

08/12/2015

Before the 'silly season' takes over completley, on behalf of Trees For Travellers Manager, Lorraine Diver, we would like to pass on the following message:

I would like to start by acknowledging the following schools, businesses and organisations for supporting Trees for Travellers by either planting trees, selling trees, undertaking tree maintenance and scrub clearing.
- North Loburn School-Totara Camp
- Waimea School
- ANZ Commercial & Agri Team Blenheim
- Umfulana
- Canteen
- Weltec Group 2015
- Blacksheep Touring Company
- Philby Design Limited
- Sir George Seymour Tourism School
- Hurunui College
- Kaikoura Primary School
- Suburban School
- Whalewatch Kaikoura
- Encounter Kaikoura
- Albatross Backpackers
- Kaikoura Kayaks
- Top 10 Holiday Park Kaikoura
- Alpine Pacific Holiday Park
- Department of Conservation Nelson/Marlborough
- Kaikoura I-Site
- Little Brown Kiwi
- Nelson College for Girls
- Bill, Hugh, Alan, Stu, Barry, & Ken as volunteers on Toms Track.

The time and effort, support and dedication to the restoration of walkways around Kaikoura with native trees is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Lorraine Diver
Manager - Trees for Travellers.

03/12/2015

Well said.

Prince Charles says forest protection is starting to be taken seriously at the UN climate conference in Paris, but too many companies are turning a blind eye