Yes, the plant seems happy enough but what was worrying me was that after 9 month it was still very loose in the post. To the point that i still need to “handle with care” : )
Once i had a close look at the second photo the solution seemed obvious to me. Thank you very much for confirming my hunch and for the advice on getting the existing roots in. Job for next weekend.
Thanks Southpark! Interesting suff about media. It so happens I have a bag of fine scoria and if I want any thing bigger I just need to dig in the garden ; ) Auckland is built on a recent volcanic field and soil is full of scoria and basalt.