While I was tripping around showing my family the sights near where I live, one of my sisters asked were we near where we had seen a funny sign about littering on her last visit to NZ. No, we weren't, we were in the Waipoua Forest and that sign had been in the Mungamuka Gorge which has just recently reopened after being closed since August 2022 until last December. The road had suffered severe storm damage.
I wonder if it was re-erected when the roadworks were finished.
We visited Tane Mahuta, which is the largest living kauri tree in New Zealand, named after the Māori god of forests and birds. It is
over 2,000 years old and still growing, 51.5 metres tall, nearly 18 m to the first branch and 4.4 m in diameter. It is magnificent.
Unfortunately, it faces threats from kauri dieback, a fatal
fungal disease. Below, is the remains of another kauri, a very short distance away, which succumbed to the disease.
I really like that sign!
ReplyDeleteIs there a treatment for this particular tree disease? If so, I hope it can be used in time.
Unfortunately, there is no known treatment for the fungal disease. There are even different schools of thought about how it is spread. Prevention strategies are essential in combating the spread of the disease. These include public awareness campaigns, hygiene measures for visitors in kauri forests, and, of course, ongoing research.
DeleteThat is a great tree. Shame about the disease. Funny sign, indeed.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a magnificent tree. I try to visit it every couple of years as I know its life is under threat. I feel something I have no words for when I'm near it.
DeleteFantastic tree, sorry about the disease.
ReplyDeleteIt is fantastic, Michelle.
DeleteI love that sign. And, I never ceased to be amazed the number of ignorant folk there are who ignore such wisdom. People shouldn't have to be told not to litter, but sadly, they have to be told, over and over again.
ReplyDeleteAll the best, Pauline. :)