Redwoods Forest, Whakarewarewa

Rotorua, New Zealand

Redwoods Forest, Whakarewarewa

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Redwoods Forest or Redwood Memorial Grove is a forest of naturalised coastal redwood on the outskirts of Rotorua, New Zealand, adjacent to the Whakarewarewa thermal area. The 6 hectares (15 acres) stand of Californian redwoods is part of the larger Whakarewarewa State Forest Park, which is in turn part of the Kaingaroa Forest area.

The trees were planted at the beginning of the 20th century as part of a programme to assess the viability of various exotic tree species for commercial forestry in New Zealand. The project originated as a response to clear-cutting of New Zealand's native forests by the end of the 19th century, which drove the New Zealand government to establish a tree nursery at Bay of Plenty to test the viability of different tree species as sources of lumber, which were imported from overseas by ship. The resulting seedlings, including redwoods, were moved and planted in the area in 1901, chiefly using prison labor.

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