News

Dec 2011...

And we have an addition to the household - baby Sophia Jean born 27 November weighing in at a healthy 8lb 1oz. We are slowly figuring out how she operates! 3 weeks old tomorrow and feeding and sleeping well (mostly anyway). With two cousins born in September and October Christmas is shaping up to be year of the babies! Thanks for all your support and feedback during the past year. Stay tuned for lots of awesome new products in the New Year and a clear-out sale with super special prices. Merry Christmas and enjoy celebrating with your loved ones and that crazy relative (or two).

Earlier in 2011...

Time for a long overdue news update! Southern Rata has now settled happily into its new home in Wanganui with views to Mt Ruapehu, a rolling farmland outlook and a bountiful vege garden. A pretty good substitute for the stunning Remarkables mountain range and  burnished craggy hills typical of the deep south.

Stock was packed into every nook and cranny in our hired campervan and 1071 km later we made it to the River City. What a roadie - we made the worthwhile detour to Mt Cook and stayed with my sister and her husband in Motueka. Empty roads, gorgeous scenery and of course, excellent company! Orders posted en route - so business as usual!

So why Wanganui? One fateful evening in January 2010 I went to a friend's 40th. It just so happened one of Christian's oldest friends, Phil, had flown south from Wanganui to celebrate with him. We met, we dated, we met  halfway for long weekends in Christchurch. After 6 months we decided 1071km between us was a tad too much so I left my beloved Queenstown and together we made the trek north with my stock, my bike and all my worldly possessions.

Life is good. Especially because as I write the Bushy Park Wine Festival has kicked off and we're heading out there now. Newsletter coming soon. Thanks for continuing to support Southern Rata - it's always appreciated.

 
Summer days in Pauanui               Rafting the mighty Moawhango River

If you haven't joined up yet and would like to read our latest news click on the link below for Southern Rata's first newsletter. It's really easy to join, simply go to Join Us and you'll receive quarterly newsletters with a chance to win great prizes. Find us on Facebook too.

Southern Rata newsletter 1

The idea for Southern Rata germinated back in May 2008 after a hair-raising jeep trip to Leh, Ladakh in Northern India. The road wasn’t officially open to the public for the season but in true Indian style if there were time-strapped travellers keen to go then it’s just a matter of negotiating rupees. A thrilling albeit terrifying 48 hr journey through snow and ice to 3500m with no suspension, no chains, scarcely 2-wheel drive, and 3 breakdowns ensued but the trade off was the most incredible mountains and scenery! I made a pact en route that if I survived the trip I was going to start my own business when I returned to Queenstown. Just over a year later it’s happened.

It’s been another exciting journey pulling it all together and I’ve been lucky to meet some truly talented New Zealanders and discover some amazing products. And now it's time to share these discoveries with you.
 

Southern Rata (Metrosideros umbellata) and its north island cousin, Pohutakawa, are beloved symbols of New Zealand and invoke memories of endless summers and our unique natural environment.

Growing from a seed in the ground to become a tree up to 15 metres high, Southern Rata are best known for their brilliant red flowers that appear in profusion from November to January. Native birds such as the tui, bellbird and kaka all benefit from rata trees in the forest.

Because possum numbers have increased dramatically in recent years, the threat to rata and other native New Zealand species is significant. The possum is an introduced pest in New Zealand and every night an estimated 70 million possums devour 21,000 tonnes of greenery.

The Project Crimson Trust in partnership with Meridian Energy and the Department of Conservation, is dedicated to the protection and enhancement of New Zealand's pohutakawa and rata trees.  A portion of profits from Southern Rata will be dedicated to local nurseries for propagating and planting rata trees  and regular updates will be made in our quarterly newsletter - to sign up please go to Join Us

In the meantime (especially because we are only 6 months old!) we'd love to hear from you. Any feedback, good or bad, is always welcome. Please email louise@southernrata.co.nz