Due to an extremely hot summer, we have made very little progress in the valley although we managed to pull out a bit of moth plant. The rabbit population has increased and pest control expert, Ditch Keeling, will be targeting the area within the next few weeks.
A big thanks to Jo Evans and Sue Gibbings who have been carrying out pest control along Tenetahi Rd. Their recent catch includes four rats and one stoat, dispelling the theory that all the stoats are located on the Mt Pleasant side of the valley!
It seems to be a matter of one step forward and two backwards when it comes to clearing this nasty weed. We revisited areas where we had previously cleared tradescantia to find that it was at least ankle deep over the top of the weed mat we had put in place. Nik and I made an early start and spent 5 hours working on the Harvey’s wetland area. We were joined by Richard Taylor who helped Nik to empty out one of the weed bags which was full of great compost. With Richard’s help we filled about 6 garden rubbish bags and plan to purchase more large weed bags which can remain in situ. Richard Taylor spotted a large centrepede under one of the weed bags which was cradling some eggs. By the time I had my camera ready it had let go of the eggs and retreated into a hole.
Sunday 2 November
Spent 4 hours spraying pampas and clearing Japanese honeysuckle covering trees at the bottom of Mt Pleasant Drive.
A great weeding and planting effort at the bottom of Tenetahi Rd, alongside the concrete driveway. A few of the plants planted by Liberty Park had died and several had disappeared, with just the bamboo stick remaining! so we chopped up some of the bigger sedges into four and replanted them. Thanks to our team of volunteers – Richard Taylor, his Dad and twins Troy and Kristen, Margaret and Alistair Scott, Jo Evans, Sue Gibbings and family/friends, Trish and Arthur Gundy and Chris Erikson.
Day 1: Glorious, sunny day. However, due to the challenging terrain, the whole day was spent transferring plants down the steep slopes. We were entertained by ‘Flash’, a gorgeous Jack Russell visiting from Christchurch who had 100 times more energy than we did and lived up to his name when it came to chasing and retrieving his tennis ball.
Flash the Jack Russell Terrier 'helping out'
Day 2: Barely able to get out of bed due to aching knees and sore thighs. Approximately 100 plants were left on the slopes to transport down the hill and another 600 were waiting for us on the driveway. Commenced planting at 9.30am. The rain arrived at 10.00 am and became torrential by midday. The slopes were slippery and quite treacherous so it was decided to access the valley from the other side.
Tree Planting Day
Day 3: Another day of planting.
Many thanks to our hard working team of volunteers:-
Trish and Arthur who made two trips to Te Hana Nurseries to collect the plants.
Rupert (and Flash), Niklas, James and Margaret
Margaret Scott, Jo Evans, Sue Gibbings and Carol Banks.
Our next planting day is scheduled for Sunday 1 August.
The first planting days are planned for Friday 16 July, Saturday 17 July and Sunday 1 August.
We will be concentrating on planting the valley/catchment area at the top of Mt Pleasant Drive. If you or your friends/family would like to participate in any of these planting days we would be delighted to see you.
You will need to bring your own spade, gloves and sturdy footwear. These dates are subject to weather conditions. Please post a comment if you need any further information.
In recognition of the streamside work to date, Wai Care recently awarded the society first prize in its “Native riparian restoration undertaken by a community group” category.
