Redwood Memorial Grove in Whakarewarewa Forest, North Island, New Zealand

© Michael Breitung/Huber/eStock Phot

A walk among the giants

On New Zealand's North Island, Whakarewarewa Forest boasts its fair share of native plants and animals, alongside lakes, hot springs, bubbling mud pools and even active geysers. But this particular forest features something that no other in New Zealand can claim: a group of majestic redwood trees called the Redwood Memorial Grove. The trees were introduced from their native home – the US state of California - at the beginning of the 20th century.

Today, the Redwood Memorial Grove is a popular hotspot for tourists hoping to walk among the giants, with an elevated walkway that winds through the roughly 600 acres of redwoods. Some of the trees have grown as high as 230ft (70m) in the century since they were planted. These Californian expats seem to have taken to their new home quite well.