About Manuka

Mānuka or kahikātoa (Leptospermum scoparium), called ‘tea tree’ by Captain Cook, is a rather variable plant ranging from flat creeping forms and small shrubs to tall trees (up to 10 m tall).

With the notable exception of Taranaki, kānuka is common throughout lowland and mountain scrub and along forest margins of the North and South Islands from the Three Kings Islands to about Kawarau Gorge and Dunedin in Otago. It is not found naturally south of there.

Captain Cook and early settlers called mānuka/kahikātoa ‘tea tree’ because they used the green leaves to make a substitute for tea. They also brewed twigs from this plant with rimu to make beer.