A well established, but not particularly large, specimen planting, this pōhutukawa - one of a number of the species planted around the city just south of its natural range - has a claim to notability due to being the progenitor of the popular "Māori Princess" variety, initially trialed by Duncan and Davies, but not commercially offered for sale according to Dawson[1]. After some initial plantings in Auckland, the variety is now widely used as an amenity planting due to its relatively upright and tidy form, with no aerial roots.

The tree sits, somewhat constrained by a concrete retaining wall, on road reserve between the old New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation radio studios at Broadcasting House, and one of New Plymouth's oldest wooden buildings (constructed in 1870), now a boutique hotel.

Early aerial imagery from 1950 show a small canopy, indicating the tree was only a few years old at that time. Just around the corner from the tree is Sir Victor Davies Park, renamed in honour for the renowned horticulturalist and driving force behind Duncan and Davies, after his death in 1977.

Smillie, 2022

References:
1. Dawson et al. "Metrosideros in cultivation: Pōhutukawa" New Zealand Garden Journal, 2010, Vol. 13(1)