There are just a couple of Elaeocarpus spp. in New Zealand and one of them is in full flower in the garden. Elaeocarpus dentatus or Hinau using the local vernacular, is smothered at the moment. I tried to get a decent image of the overall tree but its very difficult with the pale fimbriated flowers against the sky. But from the ground the visuals are outstanding and it has never put on a show as good as this before.
A fast growing tree planted only about 30 years ago, its already making a stunning impact in the Godwanaland section of the garden as can be seen in the image below taken today. The Maori people valued this tree hugely and used many parts of the tree for food, dyes, medicine, building and domestic equipment. Hopefully it will set plenty of fruit after this display as it would be great to have the opportunity to pass it on to other gardens.
