Totara

Also known as Totara Tree, Maori Totara

Totara trees dominate lowland native forests across New Zealand, growing massive furrowed trunks covered in thick, papery bark that peels in stringy strips. Their spiky olive-green needles form dense crowns that provide vital nesting structure and shelter for native birds like the kereru and tui. Revered in Maori culture as a symbol of strength, this ancient gymnosperm can survive for over a millennium in well-drained soils.