The Pohutukawa Tree

Description

Let's all sing together to celebrate a Kiwi Christmas beneath Aotearoa's very own iconic Christmas tree!
Pōhutukawa tree, pōhutukawa tree,
New Zealand’s Christmas tree,
You fill my heart with aroha,
The native tree of Aotearoa.
Tū mai rā Pōhutukawa
Tū whakahī ki te ao
Pupū ake ko te aroha
Ko koe nō Aotearoa.
Celebrate the quintessential Kiwi Christmas with whānau, sunshine, twinkling lights and treats, as the pōhutukawa tree grows from a tiny seed to a glorious crimson canopy.
This popular song has been sung with gusto in schools and preschools for 30 years. Simple and catchy, about our own iconic Christmas tree, it was written in 1994 by Linda Adamson, the creator of the successful and much-loved Love to Sing range of over 400 songs. Her Love to Sing YouTube channel has had over 60 million views.

Author description

Linda Adamson (Author) It always warms the cockles of my heart when I hear my song The Pohutukawa Tree being sung and the actions performed! I wanted to write an iconic New Zealand Christmas song and what better inspiration than our beautiful native Christmas tree. I wrote The Pohutukawa Tree on my sister's farm in 1994. As a mum, oma, former teacher, music lecturer and CEO of Love to Sing for three decades, my main passion and goal has always been to spread happy vibrations and to connect people through music. From top selling books & tapes, videos, CDs and DVDs to now over a billion views (and counting) on YouTube, and millions of streams on Spotify, I feel so grateful my songs have touched people of all ages around the world. Hope McConnell is an illustrator and designer based in the sunny Bay of Plenty who believes in bringing visual goodness to the world. She uses her skills to bring joy and understanding to others and loves to sprinkle her brand of pizzazz into every project. Drawing endless inspiration from her surroundings and the people that exist in them, everything she creates is a reflection of the lens she sees the world through, inspired by memories, feelings, relationships and the quirks of human life. Hope works as a designer and illustrator in agencies and directly with clients. She is multi-disciplinary and loves to work in a bunch of different areas, bringing her special creative sauce to the table. And when she's not at her desk, she's up a mountain, on a lake, scrounging for second-hand goods, or making and eating delicious food.