Named the ‘Royal Pōhutukawa’ due to its planting by the Prince of Wales on May 7, 1920, this Metrosideros excelsa is sited in front of Parliament House, very close to the statue of Richard Seddon. The so-called ‘soldier prince’ [1] was very popular with New Zealanders of the time, with newspaper reports stating that 15,000 children greeted him in front of Parliament House during the welcoming ceremony, only part of which was devoted to the planting of the pōhutukawa [2]. Given the site at which the pōhutukawa grows, large gatherings were thereafter not uncommon: the young tree can be seen to the bottom left in the historic photo from 1927, another ceremony for a royal visit [3]; and a much larger tree can be seen in the 1975 photograph showing a gathering of Māori land marchers [4]. During the Covid-19 protest occupation of Parliament grounds, on March 2, 2022, the slide very close to the pōhutakawa was set on fire, also burning one side of the tree. The slide was destroyed but has since been rebuilt, and as the photographs show the tree has survived, only requiring some pruning of large branches [ Lloyd, M., 2024].

[1] David Colquhoun, ‘Royal scenes from the Empire City: The Prince of Wales in Wellington, 5-8 May 1920’, Turnbull Library Record, 2009: 12-33.
[2] ‘Children’s Day’, New Zealand Times, May 8, 1920, p. 7.
[3] Arrival of the Duke and Duchess of York, Parliament grounds, Wellington. Crown Studios Ltd. Ref: 1/1-032525-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. /records/22879927
[4] Tents and belongings of Maori land marchers, Parliament grounds, Wellington, Dominion Post: Ref: EP/1975/4574/25-f. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. /records/22892922