Rimu
Common name: Red pine
Botanical name: Dacrydium cupressinum
The rimu is one of the tall canopy trees of the New Zealand forest, usually 20 to 35 metres in height, but it has been known to grow as high as 50 metres or more. In forests it typically emerges above the surrounding mixed podocarp / broadleaf trees around it.
Tree at GZ is top left in this shot taken from across the river
The trunk is generally straight and up to 1.5 metres across, but can be wider in very old or very tall trees. The bark peels off in elongated flakes.
Close-up of the bark on a mature tree
Its leaves are carried on pendulous branchlets, which makes it a graceful tree in all stages of its growth.
Mature foliage
Semi-adult foliage
The open-branched juvenile tree grows for many years into a small pyramidal semi-adult tree.
30 year-old tree in CO's garden
Finally when it reaches the adult stage it produces strong lateral branches at its apex to form the tall straight trunked adult tree that can be seen all over the Kaitoke Regional Park. When this happens the lower branches of the semi-adult tree wither and fall off.
Not the tree at GZ, but typical of many mature Rimu in Kaitoke Regional Park
Rimu grow in the North, South and Stewart Islands and from sea level to 600 metres.
The rimu at GZ does not show the flaking bark as it is covered in a creeper, but if you look up you can easily make out the pendulous branchlets.
The cache
The cache is a 400 ml Sistema. At time of placement it contained a log sheet and a sunshine charm.