Harakeke Florist

As Harakeke Florist owner Laura McGuire put it, “How can you not love working with flowers everyday?” This one-of-a-kind floral shop by the seashore is the product of her creativity and appreciation for native foliage, Sumner and the greater Christchurch community.

Here you’ll find vibrant, handcrafted bouquets alongside a full range of candles, diffusers, baskets, dried flowers and other special gifts many of which are sourced from within New Zealand. The flowers, however, certainly steal the show.

Laura visits the local flower market three times a week to hand pick each stem. This gives her bouquets maximum colour, freshness and aroma. She then incorporates lush native foliage like manuka and harakeke (flax) to give a nod to the beautiful landscape that supports her trade. From there she adds stems sourced from local, small scale growers that simply can’t be found just anywhere. Finally, she often adds stems from her own garden. With sixteen years of experience under her belt, Laura is an ace with garden shears and a true artist when it comes to all things floral.

Harakeke does it all when it comes to flowers and also events. Custom bouquets can be designed for special occasions and floral design/servicing is available for events of all sorts. Think weddings, baby showers, 21st parties and more.

Whatever you’re after, you can be sure that you’ll be taken care of here. Harakeke opened its doors thirteen years ago and despite being displaced by the quakes, long time customers have stuck with them through thick and thin. In many ways, Harakeke has been with them through it all, too. Their carefully crafted bouquets are the right touch for moments both solemn and joyous and can be purchased in store or online.

So pop in to Harakeke Florist or check out their website to explore the floral wonders they have on offer. It’s hard to describe the variety of florals you’ll find here but Laura’s favourite summer bouquet offers a colourful snapshot: hydrangeas, dahlias, sedum, roses and cosmos.