David Sole, of Wellington's Botanic Gardens, with a camphor tree grown from the same cutting as Featherston's. Their parent plant survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945.

It survived an atomic bomb blast in Japan, but was no match for the bladders of people passing through Featherston.

A camphor tree planted on the outskirts of the small Wairarapa town as a peace memorial has died, apparently the victim of scores of passersby using it as a public toilet.

Until its recent demise, the tree stood in Featherston's Garden of Remembrance on State Highway 2, about a kilometre – or two minutes' drive – from the town's actual public toilets.

JACK BARLOW/FAIRFAX NZ The site where the camphor tree once stood inside the Featherston Garden of Remembrance. The tree has died after being used by passersby as a public toilet.

It was grown from the cuttings of a camphor tree that survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945.

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The Featherston peace tree was planted by former South Wairarapa mayor Adrienne Staples in 2005. It was clearly marked with a plaque that explained its significance.

GOOGLE STREET VIEW The Featherston Remembrance Garden, as seen from SH2, in 2015. The grey screen in the background was put in place to protect the Nagasaki camphor tree from the elements, but it also provided the perfect place for visitors to relieve themselves.

Staples was horrified after a recent visit to the garden to find it had been so misused by visitors so much so that it had died.

Ironically, a wooden shelter put up to shield the struggling tree from the elements may have led to its death. It proved to be a perfect spot for visitors to hide behind while relieving themselves.

"I was upset, definitely," Staples said. "It was a very special tree, and we went to a lot of trouble to get it."

SWDC/SUPPLIED A plaque that sat near the camphor tree in Featherston, informing people of its significance.

The remembrance garden was rarely used by locals, serving more as a rest stop for people passing through, she said.

"It's not somewhere people in Featherston tend to go to walk their dogs, say.

"[The tree] died because of too much excrement and urine. The tree and the shelter had been there for quite a while, so the only thing I can put it down to is a large number of visitors."

NAGASAKI FOUNDATION FOR PROMOTION OF PEACE The Sanno Shrine in Nagasaki, where the father of the Featherston camphor tree - highlighted here in red - came from.

The parent tree was burned to the ground in the 1945 bombing, but regrew despite the destruction all around it.

In 2002, three of its leaves were presented to Christchurch by the mayor of Nagasaki in recognition of New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance.

The Featherston tree came from cuttings taken from the Christchurch tree, as did one that is currently in Wellington's Botanic Gardens.

Former South Wairarapa mayor Adrienne Staples, who planted the tree in 2005, said she was upset by its death. "It was a very special tree, and we went to a lot of trouble to get it."

Botanic Gardens manager David Sole said the Featherston tree's demise was a shame.

"These are important trees, and they're not just given out willy-nilly," he said.

"[The cause of death] certainly seems very unusual, but too much of that sort of thing will kill any plant."

Camphor trees were "reasonably tough" and the one in Wellington appeared to be surviving just fine, he said.

"It is certainly disappointing though," he said. "The [Christchurch] tree was gifted to New Zealand to recognise a terrible event, and the trees came to be symbols of new life."

South Wairarapa District Council chief executive Paul Crimp said it was not possible to be definitive about what killed the tree, but it did suffer from urine burn.

"We are really disappointed. If, as we suspect, it was because of irresponsible behaviour, this is really not acceptable.

"Unfortunately this sort of thing is happening more regularly around the country, and it seems that despite more and updated toilet facilities, many people do not respect our beautiful environment.

"It is simply laziness. This tree had real significance, and many people should reflect on their small part in its demise."