TRIP REPORT : Eastern Harbour Hills, above Days Bay

 Saturday, 1 March 2003 :   Eastern Harbour Hills, above Days Bay

The 10:30 start from Days Bay wharf was timed for the arrival of the ferry from Wellington.   A perfect crossing in windless clear skies for Ian, Jill and Philip who came from Wellington.

Route: Moana Road Track up to the ridge east of Days Bay.   The upper quarter of this track is poorly formed, but offers a wide range of plants and trees, not to mention the occasional wafts of the wonderful perfume from clumps of Earina autumnalis in flower at this time of year.   Once at the ridge, north to the Korimako Loop Track turn-off on the left, and down to Ferry Road, finally returning to civilisation at the Williams Park duck pond, just in time for the Wellingtonians to catch the 4:15 p.m. ferry back to Queen’s wharf.

With a thoroughly complete (10- page) species list, kindly provided by John Sawyer of DOC, it was unlikely that anyone would win the chocolate fish.   However Chris Hopkins identified Alseuosmia pusilla, toropapa, on the ridge in beech forest.   It was not in flower.

As deputy leader, Peter Beveridge did not qualify for a chocolate fish, despite identifying six additional mosses to add to his Te Papa list for East Harbour Regional Park.   These were: Camptochaete angustata, Distichophyllum rotundifolium, Echinodium umbrosum, Macromitrium retusum, Papillaria flavo-limbata, Philonotis tenuis.

Wonderful weather, good company, two lunches, ten pages of species, new finds – what more could one ask for.

Participants: Phillip Alve, Peter Beveridge (deputy leader), Rae Collins, Ian Goodwin (leader), Jill Goodwin, Chris Hopkins, Rosalind Iles, Cliff Mason, Cath Mathews, Anne Milburn, Chris Varoy.

Ian Goodwin