Ngā Rauropi Whakaoranga

Kōhunga

Harakeke cultivar. Tall, rather droopy blue green blades with powdery blue green undersides. Black margin and keel. Many very tall flower heads with small seed pods.

One of the favourite varieties of the Maniapoto. Mrs Rangimarie Hetet and her daughter Diggeress Te Kanawa use this flax for the whenu (warp) in their finest kaitaka, kākahu and korowai cloaks. It strips easily into long, silky white fibres using the Haro (shell) method. For kete, when boiled for 1 minute it dries to a very pale creamy fawn. Darker colour unboiled.

Rene writes: "A time of great pride for all was when Aromea Te Maipi, a tutor in Māori weaving, came to my plantation and together we collected a bundle of superior whītau blades from Kōhunga and Taeore. Members of the Māori Womens Welfare League helped her to prepare the whītau and feathers which Aromea used to weave a beautiful little muka and feather kete. This was presented to Her Royal Highness Diana, Princess of Wales, when she and His Royal Highness Charles, the Prince of Wales, visited Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae in Gisborne in April 1983"