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Pōhutukawa – Metrosideros excelsa
History & Culture Today, New Zealand’s plant life is widely admired and readily adopted as symbols of our identity and culture. But for many of the early European settlers first setting foot on New...
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Tōtara – Podocarpus totara
Tōtara is a forest giant, with a massive woody trunk that holds aloft thousands of sharp needle-like leaves. The name ‘tōtara’ is probably a reference to these spiky leaves, as the word tara in Māori...
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The Botany of Middle Earth – Part II
This is the second in a two part series on the plant life featured in The Lord of The Rings trilogy, read the first installment here. Pipeweed – Hobbit Tobacco or Wizard Weed? Over the years, many...
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Mānuka – Leptospermum scoparium
Culture & History Despite being perhaps one of the more important native plants in New Zealand, for most of the 20th century mānuka was viewed as a noxious weed. Farmers especially loathed the...
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The Meaning of Trees Book
I am very excited to announce the publication of: The Meaning of Trees – the history and use of New Zealand’s native plants. When I first began this blog in 2014, I was completing my undergraduate...
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Kānuka – Kunzea spp.
Kānuka has a tough time bursting through to the public spotlight. It’s often overshadowed by its cousin mānuka – stealing the limelight with headlines about its remarkable medicinal honey. But kānuka...
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A Guide to Native New Zealand Tea Plants
Many plants in the New Zealand bush make excellent tea. Māori have been brewing plant teas for centuries, and have an extensive knowledge of the best brews and herbal remedies. European settlers also...
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A Guide to New Zealand Plant Beers, Wines & Spirits
The history of brewing alcohol in New Zealand is relatively short. Māori were one of the few indigenous groups in the world that had no history of alcohol use – a title they share with they inuit of...
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Kawakawa – Piper excelsum
For the early Polynesian explorers, the first glimpse of the New Zealand coastline must have been a staggering and bewildering sight. A vast, cold and mountainous landscape, populated with a bizarre...
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Secrets of the Sea Book
I am very excited to announce my new book ‘Secrets of the Sea’ is here! I’ve taken a brief foray away from the forest to explore the magic and mystery beneath the waves. It’s been an incredible...
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