Name: Ōtari Rongoā Workshop: Wairākau & Pani Making
Start: 2026-05-24T01:00:00+12:00
End: 2026-05-24T04:30:00+12:00
Location: Otari-Wilton's Bush

$\u014ctari Rongo\u0101 Workshop: Wair\u0101kau & Pani Making$

Celebrate Australian and New Zealand Botanic Gardens Week with a hands-on rongoā workshop exploring traditional Māori plant medicine. Learn about the healing properties of native plants, then craft your own wairākau (drink) and pani (balm) to take home.
Located in the Leonard Cockayne Centre, Ōtari-Wilton's Bush
Tickets: $10, with all proceeds going to the Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust.
Sharli Solomon and Hinemoa Metekingi (Ngati Toa Rangatira) are animated when they speak of life growing up in their playground from Kaitoki to Reikorangi. Sharli and Hinemoa are local mana whenua Rongoā practitioners with strong connections to Ōtari. Their lifelong passion is for the environment, which is evident in the range of activities, events and committees they have been a part of been part of.
About BG Week 2026: Where Your Health Grows
This year's Botanic Gardens Week celebrates the health and wellbeing benefits of botanic gardens and arboreta — honouring the growing recognition that nature is medicine.
Botanic gardens are uniquely placed to support our wellbeing. They offer accessible green spaces that encourage physical activity, restore mental health, foster social connection, and deepen our relationship with the natural world. A growing body of research confirms what many have always known: time in nature measurably improves how we feel.