At over 30 metres to the first branch it is New Zealand’s tallest tree and also capable of bearing fruit in huge quantities. Large flocks of kereru have been seen eating the fruit from a single tree. Kahikatea can form extensive forests in swampy areas, but individual trees grow to the largest size on damp, fertile soils, often close to the most swampy ground. In its youth the tree has a most distinctive conical form, which changes with age to a heavily branched spreading crown as the tree moves through a life which may last more than 700 years. Cones are produced on separate trees in October or November, with the fruit taking some months to mature. Kahikatea is found throughout New Zealand’s three main islands.