Floral

The family.

The most-mishandled family in candle making. Done badly, floral candles are saccharine — done well, they read as quiet, sometimes almost green. The NZ florals worth seeking out work in single-flower territory: pōhutukawa, jasmine vine, magnolia, koromiko.

On Pōhutukawa.

Pōhutukawa has barely any scent in the field — but the candle interpretation captures the idea of it: salt-grass, faint nectar, sun on red stamens. Best as a top-note over a sandalwood base, never alone.

6 NZ makers work in this family.

• Ponsonby · Auckland

  Ponsonby Pour House

  Pōhutukawa, jasmine vine, fig leaf — bright florals on coconut wax

  Coconut wax · from $54 →

• Newtown · Wellington

  Kōwhai & Coast

  Salt-spray-kōwhai, fig-and-driftwood — coastal greens with floral lift

  Soy-coconut blend · from $46 →

• Sydenham · Christchurch

  South Light Candles

  Wax-blend experimentation, kawakawa-eucalyptus, cold-climate florals

  Soy-coconut blend · from $56 →

• Mount Maunganui · Tauranga / BoP

  Salt & Fig

  Fig leaf, bergamot, pōhutukawa, sea grass

  Coconut wax · from $44 →

• Havelock North · Hawke's Bay

  Ahuriri & Orchard

  Fig-leaf-blackcurrant, oak-orchard, garden rose

  Soy wax · from $52 →

• Wānaka · Central Otago

  Wānaka Cold Press

  Seasonal-only releases, climate-mirroring

  Soy wax · from $50 →