The First English Trees in Manawatu
The Story of the Monrad Elm
It is impossible to say which were the first English trees planted in Manawatu but the story of one very early planting has been treasured by succeeding generations. Emilie, wife of Bishop Ditlev Monrad, was a keen botanist. When the Monrad family arrived at Karere, near Palmerston North in 1866, she planted an elm seedling in front of the house they built. Today, saplings rooted from that tree thrive on the site of the former Monrad farm in Karere Road, in the grounds of Monrad Intermediate School, Palmerston North and at Kaingahou, the home built for Bishop Monrad’s grandson Ditlev Monrad, that still stands on what is now Pioneer Highway in Palmerston North.