I think the Pohutukawa is New Zealand’s expression of the heart. I know the more typical view is that it is the NZ xmas tree. It is true it is in flower around this time of year and a more vivid red would be hard to find. I like them very much – their hardiness and willingness to grow in the most extreme conditions make them a welcome (and welcoming) species in coastal areas.
Despite their prolific flowers attracting steady streams of bees they are rather more reticent in the production of seedlings. The seedlings, however, show up in the must unlikely and inhospitable locations – in cracks in walls, slight gaps in bricks, in a tiny spaces between rocks – in fact almost anywhere where there can’t be much more than a few grains of windblown sand and dust, and little more than an occasional dampening of rain.
And this is why I think of them as being the expression of the heart. Like love, they grow in the strangest and toughest environments, and in spite of the adversity they show their life force beautifully.
Manifesto
23. Every day retain your personal power. It belongs to you. No one else.
25. Every day your light shines for others to see.
27. Every day pain is a sign of growing.
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