Thread: Widowmakers

Astelias growing in trees are a natural hazard. When it rains, they get heavy and fall on the nice flat open tent sites below.

A pig has excavated a nice hollow in the soft ground here.


A very small clump that has fallen on the obvious camping spot. Maybe not fatal if it came down on your sleeping bag but it would be interesting ...


Whats above ? Just look up.


Some middle sized ones on the deck.


Just waiting for their moment.

They were named widow makers by the early kauri loggers. A lot of them were killed by the falling astelia clumps, some of which weighed over a tonne. Which begs 2 questions: being widow makers, does that mean they singled out married men only? And as these guys were using hand saws, how come they didn't hear them falling? Well, one of my staff in the Waitakere Ranges was nearly hit by one..it landed less than a metre from him on a quiet day in the forest..all he heard was the "whoosh" just before it landed. He said another couple of steps forward and he would have been flattened.

Good reminder to always look up before you put your tent down in the bush.

Good reminder thanks.
Unless we are taught or experience things first hand, we would never know. Usually.

A month ago on a hunt I came across this on the track on the way out, it wasn’t there on the way in.

Originally Posted by Cigar

A month ago on a hunt I came across this on the track on the way out, it wasn’t there on the way in.
Attachment 199964

Shoulda lugged it home for the garden....

Will they grow off the tree?

Originally Posted by Ross Nolan

Will they grow off the tree?

Cant see why not. just water em.

Yeah, they should grow off the tree as they are epiphytes not parasites so don’t rely on the tree for anything other than support. The roots may not like being buried in wet soil though since they are used to hanging on the air.

, back in the 70s these were also labelled " The Widow maker" , and for a good reason.

Funny, knew about them and see them around but never considered them a hazard until now.

Originally Posted by Rusky

Funny, knew about them and see them around but never considered them a hazard until now.

Same, i thought they wrapped their roots around the branch to stay on.....!

When I s was cutting native, the risk was generally gigi's and branch's not from the tree you were felling, but the one you didnt realise were tangled in it.

The ol' Kwaka mach 3.. I remember driving my folks car on a wide but busy road in Chch and a guy from school on a mach 3 pulls up beside me with his mate on the back and they are on the back wheel only and they give me a peace sign as they pull away from me.

Interesting thread @Bagheera

In WA and NT, the Widow Maker was the eucalyptus tree. I forget which species or varieties were the worst but holy heck you could just see death around the corner if you opened your eyes and looked up.

Often times we’d arrive in some remote patch of nowhere and scout around for a nice flat spot and note the huge fat boughs just split straight off the trunk, lying flat on the ground. Only once did we have one drop a fat bough within earshot. No wind whatsoever, no warning, no nothing. Just CRASH!