This large rātā tree is visible from the Whakanui Track above Sunny Grove, standing out among a section of forest, rich in towering native giants. This stretch of track is home to numerous ancient podocarps, regarded as some of the great trees of New Zealand’s forests. Species such as rimu, tōtara, and kahikatea dominate here, many of them hundreds of years old, forming the backbone of a mature rainforest ecosystem. Together with the rātā, which often begins life as a climber before becoming a massive tree in its own right, these species create a layered canopy that supports a diverse range of plant and bird life.
