Pohutukawa, New Zealand Christmas tree

I have been waiting to have a full life-cycles of these trees to show them to you and I think I have finally gotten all of the pictures.  This tree, the pohotokawa, is considered the Christmas tree of New Zealand. It is planted all along nearly every major street and is lovely to see.  It does not have a fragrance to it.

The trees that line the road across the street from us are pohutukawa trees.  When spring began the trees looked like this.  The leaves were green and then there are these small white buds.  From a distance they look like a small white flower.

 Then those white buds begin to burst and out come these long bright red spikes.  They are soft though.

They do not have a fragrance but they are very pretty.  This one is out a bit more.  

And then when they all come out the tree looks like this!

They are so pretty.  The ones on our street are only about half out.  Someone told me that the later they are in coming out the shorter the summer is going to be.  Makes sense I guess.  Winter was long this year.  It has only been the last two weeks that it was what they would even consider spring.  After they have bloomed they then begin to fall off.  

 

I would bet that when they all fall off the streets are just red!