Photographer Shares Tragic Pictures Of Famous Instagram Tree Vandalized, Axed
Image via Shutterstock
The famous New Zealand tree has been axed, and a photographer is not happy.
Luisa Apanui found the famous willow tree in Wanaka, New Zealand with its branches chopped off by a saw. She visited the lake for a photoshoot last Tuesday, only to discover that branches from “That Wanaka Tree” were axed off and discarded in the water.
The tree is famous among many photographers and tourists, and is one of the most photographed trees in the world.
Apanui was infuriated by the vandalism, and called out the culprits on Facebook. “Someone destroyed the beautiful Wanaka icon and it’s simply heartbreaking,” the photographer voiced out. “Who did this and why?”
She told Stuff.co.nz that she noticed the picturesque lower branch of the tree, which used to hang horizontally, had been removed. It is believed that the branch was hacked off with either a chainsaw or a handsaw, PetaPixel reported.
After learning about the incident, photographer Matteo Rolfi told Stuff.co.nz that he was “sad and shocked.” “When I heard about the bad news, I thought that there are too many idiots in this world,” Rolfi said. He managed to shoot a couple of photos of the tree in its original shape before it got vandalized.
The Wanaka Community Board has been notified about the vandalism. A member of the community, Chris Hadfield, called it a “completely senseless act.”
Police officers in Wanaka are currently investigating the matter and asking around for anyone who has information to come forward.
The Wanaka tree... 💔 Damaged!
Posted by Luisa Apanui Photography on Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Someone destroyed our beautiful Wanaka icon and it's simply heartbreaking!!! Who did...
so - in the midst of all of this global chaos....someone went to the wanaka tree in new zealand and cut off a few branches for *no fucking reason* other than to be a piece of shit. here's some photos I took of it last year in all of it's glory. pic.twitter.com/tC3Jw7Pej7
— conman clean hands (@connorsurdi) March 19, 2020
[via PetaPixel, opening image via Shutterstock]
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