I can't believe that I'm sitting here, with a book in my lap, at this hour looking up this plant, but here I am!
I'm going to guess that it is a Corymbia ficifolia or a red-flowering gum. It says that floral color does not breed true form from seed, it has to be grafted to guarantee a particular color.

Regina

Here is a link that might be useful: red-flowering gum

Regina - That's it. Thanks much. Let's hope the seeds I've collected are viable.

Hi Fawnridge,
I lived in NZ for many years and am following your trip with great envy. I miss it so much.

What you are seeing is the NZ Christmas tree, the Pohoutakauwa. I hope my memory serves the spelling! It is native there and is seen from early to mid December and is known to herald the arrival of Christmas season, which is always wonderful and carol-filled. It seemed that every little town always had a big carol sing that everyone attended with picnic basket in hand.

I will do some research and post back, but I fear our hot summers will not be kind to it. If you have some seeds to share..... I would give it a good home......

Merry Christmad
peachpaws

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Pōhutukawa

Pōhutukawa trees
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Metrosideros
Species: M. excelsa

Binomial name
Metrosideros excelsa
Gaertn.
Synonyms
Metrosideros tomentosa
The Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is a coastal evergreen tree of the myrtle family that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand.

Contents [hide]
1 Description
2 Flowers
3 Conservation
4 Cultivation
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References

[edit] Description
The tree grows up to twenty metres in height, with a dome-like spreading form. Its natural range is the coastal regions of the North Island of New Zealand, north of a line stretching from New Plymouth (39 S) to Gisborne (38° S). It also grows on the shores of lakes in the Rotorua area. A giant PÅhutukawa at Te Araroa on the East Coast is reputed to be the largest in the country, with a height of 20 metres and a spread of 38 metres.[1] The tree is renowned as a cliff-dweller, able to maintain a hold in precarious, near-vertical situations. Some specimens have matted, fibrous aerial roots. Like its Hawaiian relative the Ê»ÅhiÊ»a lehua (M. polymorpha), the PÅhutukawa has shown itself to be efficient in the colonisation of lava fields, notably on Rangitoto Island, a volcano in Auckland Harbour.

[edit] Flowers
The PÅhutukawa flowers from November to January with a peak in mid to late December (the southern hemisphere summer), with brilliant crimson flowers covering the tree, hence the nickname New Zealand Christmas Tree. There is variation between individual trees in the timing of flowering, and in the shade and brightness of the flowers. In isolated populations genetic drift has resulted in local variation: many of the trees growing around the Rotorua lakes produce pink-shaded flowers, and the yellow-flowered cultivar "Aurea" descends from a pair discovered in 1940 on MÅtiti Island in the Bay of Plenty.

[edit] Conservation
In New Zealand, the PÅhutukawa is under threat from browsing by the introduced common brushtail possum which strips the tree of its leaves. A charitable conservation trust, Project Crimson, has the aim of reversing the decline of PÅhutukawa and other Metrosideros species - its mission statement is "to enable pohutukawa and rata to flourish again in their natural habitat as icons in the hearts and minds of all New Zealanders".

[edit] Cultivation
PÅhutukawa in bloomThe PÅhutukawa is popular in cultivation, and there are fine examples in most North Island coastal cities. Vigorous and easy to grow, the tree flourishes well south of its natural range, and has naturalised in the Wellington area and in the north of the South Island. The PÅhutukawa has been introduced to other countries with mild-to-warm climates, including south-eastern Australia and it has naturalised on Norfolk Island. In coastal California, it is a popular street and lawn tree. In parts of South Africa, the PÅhutukawa grows so well that it is regarded as an invasive species, it is also naturalising on coastal cliffs in the Sydney Region, Australia. Specimens occur in Spain as north as La Coruña[2]. This tree has withstood temperatures as low as -7.3°C at Tresco, England[3].