Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Conservation Comment: Spring flowers of the forest

By Margie Beautrais
Whanganui Midweek·
31 Oct, 2022 03:41 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The tiny green flowers of the hangehange (Geniostoma rupestre). Photo / Supplied

The tiny green flowers of the hangehange (Geniostoma rupestre). Photo / Supplied

My mother really enjoyed playing the piano, and one of her favourite pieces was 'Flowers of the Forest', an ancient Scottish song. I have no lived experience of Scottish forest flowers. I imagine they are mostly bluebells and other colourful species.

Here in Aotearoa, our forest flowers are often white and usually inconspicuous, with a few notable exceptions such as the puawānanga (Clematis paniculate), our native clematis which flowers in spring. The fallen petals stand out against the gloom of the forest floor, while the swathes of snowy flowers are far above, decorating the canopy but being otherwise unseen. At Tarapuruhi, Bushy Park, visitors can get great views of puawānanga from the public carpark, where you can look down onto the forest canopy.

Similarly, up in the canopy and way out of sight, are the crimson bunches of rewarewa (Knightia excelsa) in bloom. Their fallen flowers sprinkle forest paths underneath with fantastic crimson petals, coiled up like tiny springs.

The springtime flowering of both kōwhai (Sophora ssp.) and kowhaingutukākā, or kākā-beak (Clianthus maximus), is much more attention-grabbing. These showy natives get pride of place in many gardens, roadside berms and public parks, providing a much sought-after food source for tui and korimako (bellbirds) in the urban environment.

One of the most inconspicuous native forest flowers is hangehange (Geniostoma rupestre). The blossoms are tiny, green and almost invisible - though if you walk past a hangehange in full flower, you will notice a sweet, vanilla scent as you pass. When hangehange blooms, thousands of tiny green starry flowers carpet the forest paths, which retain a faint scent if you pick them up.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

On a recent showery day, I was leading a forest walk at Tarapuruhi, Bushy Park with a school group. There was a sudden gust of wind, and it began to rain heavily, but not with raindrops. It was hangehange flowers, falling all around us, surrounding us in a rain of tiny green scented flowers. The flowers landed in the children's hair, on their clothes, on the paths. They chased the falling blossoms, trying to catch them, and caught flowers in their cupped hands. Their faces expressed wonder and delight.

If you want to experience a springtime flower shower, head out to Tarapuruhi, Bushy Park during the next week or two and enjoy a scented rain of hangehange. It is an unforgettable experience.

Margaret Beautrais is an Educator at Whanganui Regional Museum.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Taihape books return to premier final

07 Jul 05:01 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Kaierau end Border’s reign, secure finals spot

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Kevin Page: Semi-retired life and the quest for dry shoes

07 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Taihape books return to premier final

Taihape books return to premier final

07 Jul 05:01 PM

Cooks Gardens hosts Saturday's finals day.

Kaierau end Border’s reign, secure finals spot

Kaierau end Border’s reign, secure finals spot

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Kevin Page: Semi-retired life and the quest for dry shoes

Kevin Page: Semi-retired life and the quest for dry shoes

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Council funding critical to continue Masters Games

Council funding critical to continue Masters Games

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP