Woburn Remnant Nikau palms 2: Te Omanga Hospice. To the south of the Ludlam Crescent nikaus [1] a good number of remnant and subsequent seedling nikaus are found in the grounds of Te Omanga Hospice. The hospice is a large palliative care facility [2] built on the site of McNab’s Gardens/Bellevue Gardens, which had preserved Ludlam’s original gardens where nikaus were a centrepiece. There are 12 nikaus on the grounds which are over 6 metres tall (by estimate), and as the photos show seedlings are proliferating at their base and in nearby ground. The largest nikau, which is close to an even larger Sequoiadendron giganteum, has a girth of 84 centimetres, measured at 1.4 metres, and an estimated height of 8 metres. Following the Hutt City Council’s governance of the remnant nikaus in its jurisdiction, when the modern building was constructed five nikaus were transplanted. As the photos show, the current nikaus look remarkably like the original grove photographed in 1885 in McNab’s Gardens [3], founded after the death of Alfred Ludlam. The nikaus are highly valued by staff and patients at Te Omanga. Whereas the largest nikau will never top the giant redwood, they do make a good pair, part of an iconic entrance to the Hospice.
Acknowledgement: Thanks to Biddy Harford, Chief Executive of Te Omanga Hospice for allowing me to visit and photograph the nikau.
(Lloyd, M., 2023)
References
[1] For details see WTR/G1980
[2] For a history see: https://www.teomanga.org.nz/our-story/our-history/
[3] Photo source: Nikau palm trees at McNab’s Gardens, Lower Hutt, Wellington Region. William Edgar Richard. Alexander Turnbull Library, Ref 1/1-025586-G. /records/22785533.