Queenstown Botanic Gardens

Posting this a few days late - we went through the Queenstown Botanic Gardens a few days ago. Ocean view, cool breeze, fantastic view. TheCleric and I agreed: if they'd had Internet access and power there, we'd probably not have moved for the rest of the day. :)
This is a closeup of an interesting plant called a MonkeyPuzzle Tree. It's like a variant on a pine tree, with a few noteable exceptions: the "needles" as you can see here aren't really needles. They're more like narrow, sharp-pointed leaves. Also, the WHOLE PLANT is covered in them. I imagine it's totally un-climbeable: only the main trunk isn't covered with these - everything else: all branches, all tips, everthing, is covered in these sharp spines. Just touching them puts them through your skin - like needles. Really cool looking - this one was at least 5 stories tall.