10 Jun 2022

Critter of the Week: Manawatawhi kaikomako

From the collecton Critter of the Week

The Manawatāwhi kaikōmako was once the world’s rarest tree – there is still only one living wild tree. The lone wild specimen grows on the remote and rugged coast of Manawatāwhi, the biggest island in the Three Kings Island group. 

Nowadays, the tree is a conservation success story – a combination of mātauranga Māori and science has helped save this taonga from the brink of extinction.

Manawatāwhi kaikōmako

Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0 Beeveria