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Hukutaia Domain

Hukutaia Domain...

Hukutaia Domain is 4.5 hectares of native bush remnant, featuring ancient Puriri trees, mighty Tawa, and many varieties of ferns, mosses and fungi. It provides a glimpse of how the local area looked before cultivation of the land changed the landscape. Hukutaia is also a collection of native plants and trees, gathered from all parts of New Zealand and it's off-shore islands. There are an estimated 1500 different varieties among the 7000 specimens, many of them labelled.

• Short easy walks.
• Rest areas and picnic tables are available for your enjoyment.
• Public toilets.
• Parking.

Taketakerau... (The Burial Tree)

At the heart of Hukutaia stands Taketakerau, the burial tree. This giant Puriri tree, estimated to be over 2000 years old, was used by the Upokorehe hapu as a place to store the bones of their distinguished dead. The tree was highly tapu and any interference with the site was a deadly affront of the atua (ancestral gods), bringing death to the offenders. When a storm damaged the tree and exposed the bones in the early days of European settlement, the bones were removed by local iwi for reburial elsewhere.

History...

The Domain was set aside as a reserve in 1918, mainly to protect the Taketakerau, the magnificent ancient Puriri tree. From 1930 to 1970 Norman Potts, a keen local amateur botanist, travelled throughout New Zealand to collect plants which he established at Hukutaia. His work was continued by Marc Heginbotham through the 1970's to 1990.

Today Hukutaia is cared for by the volunteers of the Hukutaia Domain Core Group, along with the Opotiki District Council and Environment BOP.

Hukutaia Domain

Woodlands Rd, 8km from Opotiki
An extensive collection of native plants in a natural bush setting. Short easy walks, picnic tables and rest areas for your enjoyment.

Location Map