Ngā Rauropi Whakaoranga

Ruawai

Harakeke cultivar. Tall, rather bendy leaves. Bright, light blue green blades. Silver blue, powdery undersides. Black margin and keel. Orange keel and black margin on young leaf. Silver purple shadings at base of plant. Similar to cultivar Kōhunga. A cultivar grown widely on the East Coast.

Prized for its superior quality long white silky fibres. Similar to Kōhunga. Ideal for whenu (warp) and aho (weft) for kaitaka cloaks, korowai and muka kete, etc., as it strips easily and cleanly. Used in kaitaka kete as it dries white when boiled for 1 minute. In olden times babies on the East Coast were placed in tightly woven baskets for almost the first year of their lives. They were covered with a bundle of silky muka fibres which were changed and washed.