Special Attention
While there are dozens of creatures, flowers, and curiosities of special interest in Christchurch Park,
here are my Top 5
The Wollemi Pines!
There are 3 Wollemi Pines (that I’ve seen so far) in various stages of growth in Christchurch Park. Here are their locations using What 3 Words:
Wollemi Pine #1: cards.safe.flat
Wollemi Pine #2:
Wollemi Pine #3:
Ladybirds nestled in the Monkey Puzzle Trees
Cormorants drying their wings by the pond, with the turtles nearby
I’ve been to Austin, Texas and also seen Cormorants drying their wings with turtles sitting nearby, just as I have seen this in Christchurch Park by the big Wilderness pond. I’m not sure if there is some kind of symbiotic relationship between these fantastic birds and turtles, or they just like each others’ company, but it’s a lovely site to see!
Cormorants can be easily spotted when they are drying their glossy black wings, which looks like a slow-mo version of a bird trying to take off. They bat their wings back and forth to get their oily feathers dry, which means they’ve likely just dived in water for a meal.
W3W: The best locations to spot Cormorants drying themselves, more typically during the X and Y months, is at: boxer.cattle.friend and frost.scared.first
Mabel, the local celebrity owl
You can’t talk about Christchurch Park without mentioning Mabel, or is it Matilda (daughter of Mabel?) the owl, who nestles in the same tree year or year, and attracts professional and amateur photographers alike.
W3W: Our famous owl can be found at
copper.fled.plan