>>2556123Only a small portion of NZ is truly sub tropical, the far north, which is also the only region where kauri trees are native.
>the PNW has costal mountain rangesSo does NZ, the west coast of the south island has glaciers visible from the beaches. There's a 10 000ft elevation gain within like 15 miles from the ocean. They block clouds and receive immense rainfall, just like Olympic for instance.
The whole island is separated by a mountain range running north south
There are also winds blowing directly from the antarctic. There are ski resorts and regularly negative temperatures
I mean I'm not trying anymore to argue you could grow Norfolk in the the PNW as I really don't know that much on growing plants in general, but now I'm getting from your post the feeling that you picture NZ as much warmer and sunnier than it actually is.
Might not be as harsh as the PNW but it's certainly not like southern California at all either. Even the sub-tropical bit isn't that hot, it just doesn't freeze in winter
