The Lost Orchid

It’s 1974 and the small, fictional Northland town of Kāpia is thrown into economic unrest when its sole industry, the Paper Mill, shuts down. Families that have lived there for generations are forced to move to larger cities for work. A budding politician seizes this moment to propose a plan for a more productive future: build a highway right over Kāpia gumland, the country’s largest gumland, and its most haunted…

But while the town fears the gumland, Parmelia, ten years old, is drawn straight into it. After her mother dies and her father disappears into grief, Parmelia becomes more determined than ever to find the infamous lost orchid, not seen in over half a century by anyone except her mother…though no one ever believed her.

But soon strange sightings of the “gumland ghost” spark a national and international media frenzy, creating a paranoia that spreads across the town. As Parmelia follows her maps deeper into the gumland, she encounters a mysterious creature and an unexpected friendship develops…

Thanks to the support from Whangārei District Creative Communities Scheme