Ngā Rauropi Whakaoranga

tupurupuru; tarariki 

Harakeke cultivar. Medium to tall in height, slightly bendy. Leaves dull olive green, soft, but strong. Chocolate coloured margin and keel. 4-8 cm of brownish smudging at the tips of the young blades. Tall pointed seed pods. Tupurupuru was a chief of the Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki tribe and lived at a pa about 12 km. inland from Gisborne. Pa site ruined when soil taken from it for road works. Flax cultivar called Tarariki in Taranaki.

Used for whariki and ordinary purposes. The long blades are suitable for whariki if just dragged through the boiling water - not boiled