Quote:
Originally Posted by sun surfer
...One other thing I have a question on is toi toi. What is it exactly? I'm listening to the audio so I don't know how it's spelt in the book but I was thinking toi toi or toy toy or something like that.
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Uncle Robin is correct for the native versions, however a couple of varieties of South American pampas grass are widely distributed here (I think in the USA too) and are also usually called, incorrectly, toi toi or toe toe too. Most NZ'ers would be unaware of the difference I think.
I think pampas grass is far more common than the natives in areas that have been developed as farmland or otherwise no longer untouched - it is very invasive and is classed as a noxious weed so cannot be sold or intentionally planted/sown. It was introduced long ago and would have been around when the book is set but I don't know how widely it would have been found in the lower South Island then.