Planting Trees in Seed Source Gully - Working Bee on Sunday

 Last Sunday's working bee was a great success. Even with a couple of brief but heavy showers people were still keen to keep on working after 3pm.

Sunday’s Volunteer Team

Sunday’s Volunteer Team

 We cleared a whole lot of dead blackberry and other vegetation from around the historic water reservoir that was built in 1907 for the Home of Compassion and from the banks of the Manawa Karioi stream.

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The last 30 metres of Union Rd was widened, and then we planted the stream banks with a mix of plant species.

Reinstating the last section of Union Road - originally constructed in 1907 to build the reservoir.

Reinstating the last section of Union Road - originally constructed in 1907 to build the reservoir.

In the near future we will finish clearing the soil from the roof of one corner of the water reservoir (from a small landslip 10 years ago) and install a picnic table.

Building Union Road - Now (2019) and Then (1907)

Building Union Road - Now (2019) and Then (1907)

On Aug 18 we will be planting in two areas. The first is a small area at the Danube St entrance of Tapu Te Ranga marae. We try to put in some of the locally-rare species at all our track entrances so that as people enter they notice that the bush looks different to that around most of the surrounding Town Belt tracks.
 
We will also be doing some planting around Seed Source Gully. This area was initially planted with hardy colonising species in 2002-2004. 

Once the first trees had created a canopy we began underplanting. The intention is to put small numbers of a wide range of species in the gully to provide a seed-source to spread into surrounding areas.

Seed Source Gully - Then

Seed Source Gully - Then

Seed Source Gully - Now

Seed Source Gully - Now

This Sunday we will put in some small understorey trees in the gully margins that have already had titoki, totara and rewarewa planted in them. Further up the gully, we will plant out an area that has been cleared of blackberry. The soil here is quite rich and holds moisture longer so is suitable for putting in some tawa, kohekohe, kotukutuku and putaputaweta. In previous years we have put in some rimu, totara and nikau. Many of these are now 3-4 metres tall.

A tunnel of revegetating bush with the planned picnic area at the top

A tunnel of revegetating bush with the planned picnic area at the top

August Planting Days: Sunday 4th Aug, Sunday 11th August, Sunday 18th August, Sunday 25th August from 1pm - 3pm.

Sunday's working bee departs at 1 pm from the interpretation board shelter at Tapu Te Ranga marae carpark, signposted at the end on Danube St. Wear suitable clothes and shoes. All tools and gloves are provided.

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