coolnz.net – Silver fern and natural koru.   "Forever New Zealand – New Zealand Forever". The story behind the silver fern began in 1853, when the army garrison at New Plymouth were challenged to a shooting match by the visiting Royal Navy (from the HMS Sparrow, anchored offshore). It was duly held at the Rewarewa rifle range, and the New Zealand lads picked some fern-tips from nearby, and pinned them to their shirts as an impromptu good-luck charm. New Zealand won – and so the fern brought us good luck, and became an inspirational symbol of honour, courage and strength. It has been with us through wars and many sports endeavours (and is widely used in tourism and commerce), as our ultimate symbol of pride in New Zealand. For New Zealanders overseas (and thousands buried there), it is also a symbol of "home". On the 100th Anniversary of World War 1, a proudly New Zealand flag that includes the silver fern would honour all our veterans, and all the freedoms and ways of life they have fought for. These images and poem are proof that the fern has far more meaning than "just the All Blacks".