New Zealand Raupo - Bullrush

The New Zealand form is a swamp or water plant and is common around the shallow edges of lakes and in swamps. It is associated with harakeke.

Next to the harakeke, raupo was probably the plant most used by the Maoris. Its best known use now is for the making of pois. Poi is a ball or balls suspended from a plaited cord and are held in the hand and swung in circular patterns. Poi is one of the traditional performing arts of the Maori people.

The starchy rhizomes of the raupo was stripped off and the inner part often eaten raw. Sometimes it was grated, boiled and it was said to taste like asparagus. The leaves were used for thatching by Maori and early Europeans.

Raupo produces great quantities of pollen which Maori used to make bread by mixing with water. The bread was called pungapunga.

This is the environment where raupo is found and the flowerhead is heavily laden with pollen - this drifts for miles. New growth of raupo is starting to appear now its spring.