Summer Foraging In New Zealand: 10 Easy Finds This Season

Summer in New Zealand is the perfect time to grab your sunhat and basket and go on a summer foraging adventure. Foraging is a great way to connect with nature. It's also a sustainable way to add to your kitchen and herbal medicine cabinet. Here’s a guide to some common plants you can find this season, how to identify them, and ways you can use them.

🌿Related: 5 Easy Ways To Start Wild Foraging

Always remember the foraging rules:

• Be sure: If in doubt, don’t pick. Use a foraging guide or app for accurate identification.
• Harvest sustainably: Take only what you need and leave enough for the plant to thrive.
• Stay legal: Always seek permission if foraging on private land.
• Don’t take from close to the road.

1. Mānuka

Where it grows: Found in the hillsides and bush edges across New Zealand. Mānuka starts flowering in December, so summer foraging is the perfect time to catch it in bloom.

How to identify: Look for small, white flowers (sometimes pink) with five petals and needle-like leaves that have a fresh, earthy aroma when crushed.

Uses: The flowers and leaves make a delicious tea that supports digestion and immunity. You can also create a tincture with the leaves to harness their antimicrobial properties.

🌿Related: 4 Facts About New Zealand's Mānuka Tree

2. Mallow

Where it grows: Commonly found in gardens, roadsides, and disturbed soil.

How to identify: Look for soft, rounded leaves with scalloped edges and purple-pink flowers.

Uses: Create a soothing tincture with mallow to support the respiratory and digestive systems.

3. Yarrow

Where it grows: Fields, grasslands, and roadside verges.

How to identify: Yarrow has fern-like leaves and flat clusters of small white or pale pink flowers. It has a strong, peppery scent when crushed. These flowers bloom from late spring to early autumn, so you're guaranteed to find some on your summer foraging. 

Uses: Brew yarrow into a tea to support digestion or make a tincture to soothe minor wounds or menstrual discomfort.

🌿Related: 5 Handy Benefits Of Yarrow And How To Use It At Home

4. Pineapple chamomile

Where it grows: Sunny, sandy paths and disturbed soil.

How to identify: A short plant with cone-shaped yellow flowers that smell distinctly of pineapple when crushed.

Uses: Use the flowers for a light, fruity tea that aids relaxation and digestion. As well a beautiful plant to forage in summer, pineapple chamomile can also be used as a first aid remedy to stop bleeding if injured out in nature. Chew or mash up the flowers and place them over the irritated skin until you get back for further attention.

5. Dandelion

Where it grows: Everywhere! Look in lawns, parks, and fields.

How to identify: Bright yellow flowers, jagged leaves in a rosette shape, and fluffy seed heads.

Uses: Toss young leaves into salads or make a detoxifying tea with the flowers and roots.

6. Kawakawa

Where it grows: Shaded bush areas in the North Island and upper South Island.

How to identify: Heart-shaped, bright green leaves with a spicy, peppery aroma. Look for insect-eaten leaves; they’re the most potent.

Uses: Infuse the leaves in oil to create a soothing remedy for skin irritations and muscle aches. You can also use the leaves for tea to help digestion.

🌿Related: Everything You Need To Know About Kawakawa And 4 Unique Ways To Use It

7. Wild parsley

Where it grows: Coastal areas and garden edges.

How to identify: Look for clusters of feathery green leaves and small yellowish-green flowers. Be careful as there are a few poisonous lookalikes (i.e. hemlock). As with anything you find while summer foraging, don’t eat it unless you are 100% certain you have identified it correctly.

The leaves of wild parsley look similar to hemlock but you can distinguish the two from the stem. The stem of wild parsley has a flat ridge, like celery. It also has purple hues and fine hairs, while hemlock has a purple splotched stem and is hairless. Wild parsley has a refreshing herby scent - hemlock does not.

Uses: Add fresh leaves to salads or add them to a pesto.

🌿Related: 5 Poisonous Native Plants You Need To Know How To Recognise

8. Feverfew

Where it grows: Gardens, roadsides, and waste areas.

How to identify: Daisy-like flowers with a yellow centre and white petals, growing on light green, serrated leaves.

Uses: Create a tincture to help with headaches and migraines.

9. Comfrey

Where it grows: Damp, grassy areas or near streams.

How to identify: Large, hairy leaves and clusters of purple or blue bell-shaped flowers.

Uses: While comfrey is not recommended for internal use, you can use it to make a tincture to add to a balm to promote wound healing or soothe skin irritations. You can also layer comfrey leaves and cuttings into your home compost to accelerate decomposition.

10. Calendula