The story behind city's shoe tree

While most trees lose their leaves during winter there's one tree at Rotorua's central city skatepark that is always in bloom.

Year round, the tree across the road from Lighting Plus is sprouting new pairs of old skate shoes - a tradition that has been going since the skate park was built in 2001.

Ever since the first few pairs of shoes appeared it has become a ritual among Rotorua skaters and BMX riders to throw up their old, worn and wrecked skate shoes into the branches, earning the tree a simple but affectionate name - "the Shoe Tree".

Skater Ra Tekani said the Shoe Tree just started off with a couple of old skate shoes and just took off from there, the point is to fill it up.

"You see someone whose shoes are looking a bit wrecked and its like 'bro it's time to chuck those on the tree'," he said.

Mr Tekani said the tree would continue to have more shoes hanging off its branches, because it had become a tradition. He said people who skated a lot would often ruin their shoes - he often goes through a pair a month.

Skateboarder Elijah McFarlane has put two pairs of shoes on the tree and says for him, it brings back memories of favourite shoes immortalised on the branches.

"Every now and then little kids come up and try to steal the shoes, but most people know to leave them alone," he said.

Jason Lea has one pair of shoes in the branches and says it's a simple case of tying up the laces and throwing them up, but he admits you don't always get them up on the first try.