The swamp sun orchid is common throughout New Zealand. It can be found in lowland to sub-alpine areas, mainly swamps and bogs, and damp hollows within scrub. Photo: Hayden Jones

The orchid hunters

August 2023

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August 2023

The Victorian élite were obsessed with orchids, and hired orchid hunters to steal especially rare specimens. Although New Zealand’s native orchids are not nearly as showy as their exotic cousins, a new breed of Kiwi orchid ‘hunter’ is on a mission to capture the plant’s subtle beauty with close-up photography. By Heidi Bendikson

Shuffling down the side of the track on Te Mata Peak, past broken branches scattered by Cyclone Gabrielle, Mike Lusk points to a mass of green grass.  It takes a moment to see it: a green helmet-shaped flower with two whiskers protruding upward. It is well camouflaged, and if Lusk hadn’t pointed it out I […]
August 2023

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August 2023

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