Ecological Resoration Conference - Field Trip Photos

Headwaters of Heathcote catchment
Ashgrove Park and Victoria Park
Lower Heathcote River
New Brighton and Travis Swamp
Otukaikino

Thanks to Bruce Bulloch for the photos.

Headwaters of Heathcote catchment
Wigram Retention Basin, headwaters of Heathcote catchment, with wetland sedges, rushes, harakeke, toetoe, shrubs (mikimiki, tauhinu), and young trees (cabbage tree, karamu, akeake, broadleaf, manuka, kanuka) established around the margin. Islands and marginal habitat are attracting large numbers of birds.

Successful underplanting of crack willows along upper reaches of Heathcote River with kohuhu, cabbage tree, lemonwood, wineberry, rohutu, broadleaf, lancewood, five-finger, kahikatea, and totara - on the terrace scarp.

Ashgrove Park and Victoria Park
Ashgrove Park. A one hundred year old native 'garden' dominated by ribbonwood, lacebark, beeches (non-local), akeake, lancewood, kahikatea, kauri (non-local), and kowhai. A study of insect colonisation has been carried out here and bellbirds frequent the small stand.
Victoria Park, Port Hills. Valued picnic and walking area with major plantings of native, non-local native, and exotic trees and shrubs dating back to the mid 20th century - managed as an outpost of the Christchurch Botanical Gardens. The olearias, kowhai (flowering), five-finger, mahoe, akeake, ngaio, lemonwood, kohuhu, etc. now provide an interesting experiment in successional and establishment processes in older plantings on dry hills, formerly more heavily wooded and latterly burnt and grazed to grassland and largely exotic scrub.
Victoria Park with stand of heavily managed, planted silver tussock. In the absence of grazing the intervening cocksfoot and other exotic grasses must be mown. Native planted woodland in background which has strong recovery of native invertebrates and birds.

Lower Heathcote River
Lower (tidal) Heathcote River with previously heavily polluted levees from dredgings, now being restored (far bank) by deep ripping, fertiliser, liming, use of hardy native plants, and heavy mulching (FRI study). Similar waterway enhancement by the City Council is (re)expanding natural riparian corridors throughout the city.
Environmental interpretation with coastal bush and wetlands near the Avon-Heathcote Estuary where large numbers of wading birds feed and nest. Dabbling ponds have been excavated inside the artificial, hard estuary walls to allow the truncated salt marsh vegetation and feeding habitat to be restored.

New Brighton and Travis Swamp
New Brighton Coast Care (City Council and community) project to restore pingao on the fore dunes with barricade to protect the plants from heavy human traffic. Other species that have performed well in some fore dune situations in Canterbury are spinifex (southern limit), euphorbia, NZ linen flax, and NZ spinach.
The African ice plant approach to stabilising remodelled dunes! Walkways through the dunes are designed to reduce widespread trampling, and the theory is that other species can be planted into holes among the ice plant once stabilised. Now there is a scale insect attacking the ice plant it seems a good time to proceed with the next phase!
A 1990s project at New Brighton to restore the coastal sand dune bush that has been largely replace by marram grass, tree lupins, and macrocarpa or pine. Successful species after 8 years are ngaio, akeake, kohuhu, karamu, taupata (not local), cabbage tree, harakeke, koromiko, kanuka, manuka (although suffers from blight), lemonwood, sand coprosma, shrub pohuehue, matagouri, and NZ broom.
Travis Swamp, Burwood - a large interdune peaty wetland, highly modified but the largest freshwater wetland left in the city with 80% of the original flora and over 50 indigenous bird species - including bellbirds heard in the flowering gum trees. A major weed control, planting, tracking, environmental education and interpretation programme is underway. The dominant tussock sedge is regenerating (from a century of cattle grazing), the willow stand in the back has been underplanted with kahikatea and associated swamp forest species (as a local Forest & Bird 75th birthday present), and the green line in the background is managed as a grazing marsh (gley mineral soils) for pukeko, stilts, herons, shelducks, plovers, cattle egrets, etc. Grey warblers, fantails, and welcome swallows are ubiquitous insectivores, and kingfishers are occasionally seen darting to the water. A bittern was spotted a couple of years ago too.

Otukaikino
Assembling in the car park of Otukaikino, a memorial wetland and swamp forest park with ribbonwood, cabbage tree, kohuhu, and narrow-leaved lacebark performing well. The predominantly willow dominated site is gradually being underplanted with Riccarton Bush (kahikatea associate) species.
Underplanted crack willow on drier margins of Otukaikino. Broadleaf, ribbonwood, pittosporums, lacebark, and karamu have done especially well.
Planted entrance to Otukaikino.
Otukaikino - place for quiet strolling and contemplation. Raupo, sedges, rushes, harakeke, cabbage tree and other species are gradually replacing the grey willows (by regeneration or planting) as they are removed.