Karin and Carlos check out an Earina mucronata at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush. Photo: Kathy Ombler

Saving the orchids

Conservation, Features

A long-time Wilderness contributor and freelance author, Kathy writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation.

By Kathy Ombler

Nationally significant research to save rare native orchids is being undertaken in a tiny science lab at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush in Wellington.

Finding Ōtari conservation and science advisor Dr Karin van der Walt and research technician Jennifer Alderton-Moss is a bit of a mission. The pair work from a small cottage behind Ōtari’s plant nursery, hidden from visitors who wander the trails exploring New Zealand’s single largest collection of native plants. Yet they are delighted to have […]

About the author

Kathy Ombler

Freelance author Kathy Ombler mostly writes about outdoor recreation, natural history and conservation, and has contributed to Wilderness for many years. She has also written and edited for other publications and websites, most recently Federated Mountain Club’s Backcountry, Forest & Bird, and the Backcountry Trust. Books she has authored include Where to Watch Birds in New Zealand, Walking Wellington and New Zealand National Parks and Other Wild Places. She is currently a trustee for Wellington’s Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust.