Charles Darwin – Part 2

Developing The Theory When Darwin returned from his voyage on the HMS Beagle he became an instant scientific celebrity, with his various collections of rocks, fossils and zoological specimens earning him acceptance into the scientific establishment. He began writing papers, mainly on geological topics, and conversing with leading scientists of the day. As Darwin published accounts of his voyages and analyses of his various finds, he began … Continue reading Charles Darwin – Part 2

meaningoftreesJune 30, 2013February 6, 2017Leave a comment

People

Charles Darwin – Part 1

When Charles Darwin arrived in New Zealand in December of 1835, he was near the end of his legendary round-the-world voyage aboard the HMS Beagle. The trip turned out to be monumentally important; not only for Darwin who described it as “by far the most important event in my life, and has determined my whole career”, but also for the world as it provided him … Continue reading Charles Darwin – Part 1

meaningoftreesJune 27, 2013February 6, 20172 Comments

Stories

The Story of New Zealand

Gondwanan Heritage Gondwana was a large southern hemisphere super-continent that could essentially be thought of as the birthplace of New Zealand. It was composed of the modern day landmasses of Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, India, Madagascar and New Zealand and existed as an entity for hundreds of millions of years before being rifted apart by volcanic activity under the earth’s crust. Many species of extinct and extant plants … Continue reading The Story of New Zealand

meaningoftreesJune 20, 2013February 8, 20194 Comments

Trees

Nīkau – Rhopalostylis sapida

History & Culture In the early Miocene (around 23 million years ago) New Zealand had a much warmer climate and contained distinctive tropical elements in its flora. Palms were common at this time, and even included species of Coconut – such as the small fruited Cocos zeylanica. As a result of glaciation and cooling, these species have been removed from the landscape, with only one … Continue reading Nīkau – Rhopalostylis sapida

meaningoftreesJune 19, 2013February 25, 20195 Comments