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Story: Shrubs and small trees of the forest

Kōwhai Christmas card

Image
Kōwhai Christmas card

Godley’s kōwhai is celebrated in this 19th century Christmas card. The card depicts the kōwhai’s flowers, foliage and natural habitat along the banks of the Rangitīkei River.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: E-068-008-1

by Archibald Dudingston Willis

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Joanna Orwin, Shrubs and small trees of the forest – Kōwhai and kākā beak, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/ephemera/13849/kowhai-christmas-card (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Joanna Orwin, published 1 March 2009, updated 1 July 2015.