Is New Zealand's Slope Point The Most Unique Place On The Earth? Here's Why We Think So

Imagine walking through lush greenery, surrounded by tall, dense trees and grasslands. It sounds peaceful and familiar, right? But there’s something truly extraordinary about the trees at Slope Point, the southernmost tip of New Zealand’s South Island. While trees themselves are a common sight, the way these particular trees grow is anything but ordinary. Confused? You wouldn’t be the only one – many visitors to Slope Point are equally curious and baffled. Here, the trees do not grow like the rest of the world. They are specially shaped by the relentless winds into unique, bizarre forms and it creates a scene unlike any other.

At Slope Point, the trees are like nothing you’ve seen before. The tree species themselves are not unique to the island, but the way they grow here is extraordinary. Instead of growing upright, these trees are bent sideways, resembling thick, windswept hair. This unusual growth pattern is due to Slope Point’s extreme location. Situated about 4,803 kilometers (2,984 miles) from the South Pole and 5,140 kilometers (3,193 miles) below the equator, it endures relentless winds daily, informs Pubity.

Slope Point experiences some of the harshest weather. The powerful air currents from the Southern Ocean create intense winds that are so strong that they permanently shape the trees into twisted forms. The place is so unwelcoming that only sheep and a few dedicated farmers have inhabited it. The trees’ unique, crooked shapes add to the location’s unique beauty.

Atlas Obscura terms these trees as bent at odd angles. According to it, these trees must have been originally planted by sheep farmers to provide shelter for their flocks against the wild weather. Cold air from the Antarctic Ocean rushes over the Southern Ocean without any barriers, gaining strength and hitting the trees with full force, bending them northward.

“On a pleasant day, beams of sunlight spotlight the gnarled knot, giving it the appearance of a surreal piece of art. Against the ominous gray skies of a drearier visit, the mangled mass seems almost sinister,” describes Atlas Obscura.

For tourists, Slope Point is a beautiful place to visit. Green pastures stretch to the horizon, leading to rocky cliffs that drop into the sea.