Post by @JulianOliver@mastodon.social

@JulianOliver@mastodon.social · 7 hours ago

Day before yesterday, a dawn til dusk intense winter mountain bush hike to 700m or so in the Tararua Ranges. Technical climb and descent. Some beautiful black beech (tawairauriki) on the slopes.

We only just made it back, last light, due to a difficult event up top.

4 media

A photo looking over the Waiohine river a bit after dawn

Black beech (tawairauriki in local tongue) trees set over a blue sky, each like a moment in a gesture or movement.

A view from up top, looking out over undulating rainforest. Sky blue and clear. Annoying lens grease rainbow.

A mound of ferns, in audience to the sun, beech in the background against a blue sky.

Patrick Lam :tinoflag:

@va2lam@mastodon.nz · 3 hours ago

@JulianOliver hope to make it out there this weekend!

Julian Oliver

@JulianOliver@mastodon.social · 3 hours ago

@va2lam Great! Which tracks are you looking at?

Patrick Lam :tinoflag:

@va2lam@mastodon.nz · 1 hour ago

@JulianOliver Southern Crossing, though Monday is not ideal weather perhaps, and Sunday may be windy on the tops.

Julian Oliver

@JulianOliver@mastodon.social · 7 hours ago

3 media

A closeup of a waterfall on the Waiohine seen on the way out.

A Northern Rātā vine/root winds its way down (yes down) a very big and old tree. Probably a Rimu, but could not confirm, hundreds of years old in any case.

That vine will eventually encircle the whole tree, eventually replacing it as the former naturally dies. The Rātā thus becomes a tree in its stead.

Northern Rātā can live to 1000yrs of age, even beyond. — A Northern Rātā vine/root winds its way down (yes down) a very big and old tree. Probably a Rimu, but could not confirm, hundreds of years old in any case. That vine will eventually encircle the whole tree, eventually replacing it as the former naturally dies. The Rātā thus becomes a tree in its stead. Northern Rātā can live to 1000yrs of age, even beyond.

A beautiful place at around 600m. A mound of ferns, happy moss, young trees, clear sky.

Tom

@pertho@mastodon.bsd.cafe · 6 hours ago

@JulianOliver Wow. Amazing photos! Are a lot of your trees there evergreens?

Julian Oliver

@JulianOliver@mastodon.social · 5 hours ago

@pertho Yes, most all of them are evergreen! We have some 260 native trees, and a small handful (less than a dozen) are deciduous.

Rather incredibly some species of our beloved Kōwhai are 'brevideciduous'. They briefly lose all leaves in Spring when flowering.

Tom

@pertho@mastodon.bsd.cafe · 2 hours ago

@JulianOliver Wow that is so cool. Our planet is amazing.

Patrick Lam :tinoflag:

@va2lam@mastodon.nz · 3 hours ago

@JulianOliver @pertho though few are conifers like those in North America and Europe; you don't really get the Christmas tree look with natives, even among the trees in Aotearoa that are conifers.

Kōtare :tinoflag:

@jdmcg@mastodon.nz · 5 hours ago

@JulianOliver @pertho i didn't know that term! Excellent.