Thread: Hell For Leather

Originally Posted by Strummer

Yes I have thanks @Dundee. Working my way through it now.

By the way, Charlie keeps talking about 'monowai' as a plant. What's this? Is it a North Island thing? A mate who is a botanist has no idea.

I always understood it was the bush that grows beside the Manuka up the Ngaruroro
Its green and about knee to waist high
Having hunted all Charlie's old country at school the name stuck i use it to.
Hopefully someone can tell us its proper name
My Google couldn't


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Originally Posted by BRADS

I always understood it was the bush that grows beside the Manuka up the Ngaruroro
Its green and about knee to waist high
Having hunted all Charlie's old country at school the name stuck i use it to.
Hopefully someone can tell us its proper name
My Google couldn't


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Yep. He's refering to Dracophyllum subulatum, or Monoao, or Dracopyllum for short. Inhabits all of the frost inversion basins in the Central North Island high country.

I bumped into Charlie half a dozen years ago. He was living in the back of beyond, and had just taken the forest owner where he was living, for a spin in his aircraft of the time. I say spin, cause he 'failed to become airborne'. Something to do with Manuka or Dracophyllum not cut quite far enough away from the edges of his airfield.....