This
Porcupine fish, Diodon hystrix,
looks just like other pretty fish on Pacific Island reefs, eh?
 But when a bigger fish tries to eat it, it puffs out, thus pulling up (Tō) its stiff pointed (tara) scales.  So in tropical Polynesia it is called the Tōtara fish.  And this tree's stiff-pointed leaves stopped big Moa birds from eating it. So when Pacific Islanders came to Aotearoa, they named trees with spiky leaves Tōtara trees. The great zigzag-bark totara, Podocarpus totara. And the smaller smooth-bark mountain totara, Podocarpus laetus. 
 Up here on this mountain I have only found P. laetus. Here is a photo of an old man P. totara, hundreds of years old. I hope you get to see a real one, one day.  The first Polynesian settlers
also gave the name Totara to some other
species with pointed leaves, but these usually have a
different name now, or are small insignificant plants.
HARMFUL? The Tōtara fish has a nerve toxin which can paralyze those touching it, but you will be pleased to know it is quite safe to touch the Tōtara leaves here. But you will not be able to Tu! or Stand! after eating the tasty berries of the Tutu shrub. Its leaves, stems and seeds contain the nerve toxin tutin that has killed whole herds of cattle and sheep, many children of Pakeha colonists, along with a few of their parents, and two elephants, including Mollie of Bullen's Circus, at Ohakune in 1957. When you get home, read more about Tutu here.  And you will become VERY onga (agitated) if you handle the leaves of New Zealand's giant nettle, the onga-onga. Ongaonga leaves have dozens of hypodermic needles that inject histamine into any animal touching it, or trying to eat it.   STAYING ALIVE All
the plants in this forest had to protect themselves from being
exterminated by becoming Moa food. See if you can find out
what other strategies plants have evolved to protect
themselves.
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