Native mistletoe on a mountain beech, on the way to Whakapapaiti Valley. Photo NC.

Blooming native mistletoe (Peraxilla tetrapetala) decorates the forest with the bright red of its flowers. This semi-parasitic plant feeds off the sap of beech trees. It is a favourite food of possums and is now becoming rare. The Department of Conservation tries to keep possums away by circling the tree trunks with wide metal rings on which they cannot climb.