A rare tree of this age and species in the Wellington area. This may be the single surviving tree propagated from seed by C. M. Smith (former Director of the Botany Division- DSIR). The following is quoted from the article written by Smith 'Notes on Seeds and Seeding of Metasequoia glyptostroboides' NZ Journal of Forestry 6(2) 1950 pp. 145-148.
'Through the good offices of Col. J. K. Howard, who organised the Fiordland Expedition in 1949 to investigate the wapiti herd between Caswell Sound and Lake Te Anau, a few small seed samples were sent to New Zealand by Dr. E. D. Merrill, lately of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University. From these seed samples, I secured about a tablespoon of partly cleaned seed for trial sowings...'
Smith also send seed to A. W. Wastney in Nelson. Both men germinated their seeds in October 1949. Smith was successful in cultivating only one seedling and Wastney was fortunate enough to obtain three seedlings from his efforts. (see Nelson tree NNR/0691).
No record has been found to establish where Smith planted his tree but he did have an association with the Wellington Botanical Gardens and it is assumed he may have planted it here. The tree would have been of sufficient size to have been planted out in the spring of 1951 (Cadwallader 2010).