We have just found another incredible taonga. Check out these photos of a plant that was thought to be extinct from the mainland of New Zealand by local DOC botanists. It is Carmichaelia Williamsii, which is ranked as At Risk–Relict (It is only found now on the Poor Knights in reasonable numbers and a few Coromandel islands.) Ranger Adam Willetts found this plant in this beautiful flowering stage just last week whilst visiting the grey faced petrel study site at the eastern end of the reserve.
Adam will spend sometime looking for more specimens when he returns to the area in a week or two. Apparently bellbirds are important pollinators of this plant, and with bellbird numbers on the ever increase at Bream Head/Te Whara then the chance this plant might survive and spread is significantly higher than it was before the Trust started intensively managing the ecological restoration.
Our discovery was also covered in this piece by The Northern Advocate.