Kōrero: Public holidays

New Zealanders have long sent and received Christmas cards that evoke a northern-hemisphere Christmas, with images of snow and holly. Locally, however, some distinctively New Zealand cards were produced. This one from 1886 shows the famous White Terraces at Lake Rotomahana in the central North Island, which were buried in the eruption of Mt Tarawera that year. They are surrounded by sprays of blooming pōhutukawa, often called the New Zealand Christmas tree because its red flowers appear around Christmas.