Super cool! Seems like a different planet to me.

Interesting how these isolated conifers grow superficially similar to many succulent flowering tree/shrubs in habitats thousands of miles away.

Very nice report!
All plant that i like in a wonderfull island, one of my dream is going there.

What was the other mountain (besides Mt. Panie) in the heading?

What was the other mountain (besides Mt. Panie) in the heading for the photos?

Mt. Humboldt - its in the south.

You all
have heard the theories that Araucarias are prickly as a defense against herbivore
dinosaurs.

You
have also heard the newer theories that New Caledonia was completely submerged until
relatively recently so that the Araucarias there must be newly evolved. This
would place them after the era of the dinosaurs for the most part. I started to
think: Hhhhmmmm; the Araucarias from New Caledonia are not generally prickly. Is
that further evidence that they evolved recently, after the threat of grazing
by dinosaurs was over?