Northern Rata tree wins Tree of the Year competition

The tree is located in a farm paddock in Karamea.
photo: Photo courtesy of Gareth Andrews

The northern rata tree (Metrosideros robusta) near a cemetery in Karamea on the South Island’s West Coast won the tree of the year award by a landslide.

The tree is affectionately known as the ‘Walking Tree’ as it looks like it’s walking across the paddock on high heels and bears a resemblance to JRR Tolkien’s sentient tree-like Ents. The Lord of the Ringswinning 42% of the vote in the annual competition.

Brad Cadwallader of the Society of Arboriculture told Morning Report The tree captured the imagination of the New Zealand public.

“It was ahead of the curve right from the start.”

The walking tree, which won the 2024 Tree of the Year award, is located near Karamea Cemetery on the West Coast of the South Island.
photo: Photo courtesy of Gareth Andrews

The Northern Rata tree is one of New Zealand’s tallest flowering trees and can live up to 1,000 years.

The Walking Tree faces some tough competition, including Lake Wanaka’s famous trees.

“The Wanaka tree is the darling of the social media world, but it actually came last in the competition,” Cadwallader said.

Another finalist tree is a giant Podocarpus planted on Geraldine’s main road, on the site of the South Island town’s first house.

But the Rata tribe in the north won.

About 150 years ago, the area where the tree stood was cleared for farmland, but the tree was left in the middle of the field.

“It’s just west of the town of Karamea, near the cemetery. Look northeast from the main road there and you’ll see it in the middle of the paddock.

“The farming family at the time obviously thought it was special because they kept it,” Cadwallader said.

As for the tree’s famous pose, Cadwallader said it’s a bit of a mystery.

“Rātā begins its life as an epiphyte in the canopy of a host tree and gradually grows to the ground.

“That host tree is gone now. Maybe the tree was very, very large, or maybe another tree fell and crushed the host tree, which is why the roots are split close to the ground and give it the appearance of walking.”

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President Rich Hill said the tree highlighted the uniqueness and diversity of New Zealand’s famous tree population.

He said: “This award recognises the important role that trees play in our communities, not only enhancing our local environment but also providing a sense of belonging for past, present and future generations.”