Wanaka's famous willow to get signs warning off climbers threatening its survival

January 25, 2018

Wanaka's much-loved willow tree is starting to get damaged by all the attention from tourists.

Signs will be put up to discourage climbers on Wanaka's much-loved willow tree after a branch was snapped off last month.

With a backdrop of Lake Wanaka and Mount Aspiring National Park, the lone, crooked willow tree jutting out of the water has become a world famous photo spot.

And now it's social media sensation, the hashtag "thatwanakatree's" having been tagged in more than 18,000 posts on Instagram.

But some are taking selfies too far, going out to the tree in this summer's unusually low lake levels, and even climbing onto it.

One tourist told 1 NEWS he and his companion had to wait for some people to move away from the tree after they hugged it. 

Now Queenstown Lakes District Council and Lake Wanaka Tourism are putting up signs to discourage climbers. The signs, printed in English and Mandarin, are expected to be placed at the site in the next few weeks.

"If that doesn't succeed then we may have to look at other measures, perhaps a fence. But then it's taking away from the ambiance of the tree, said Timothy Errington, district council arborist.

Mr Errington says if branches are broken off the tree, "then it's going to struggle and come under stress and we could possibly lose it in the long run".

SHARE ME

More Stories