TRIP REPORT : Kaukau – Skyline Walk – Bell’s Track

 Saturday 4 May 2003 :   Kaukau – Skyline Walk – Bell’s Track

The main aim of this trip to Mt Kaukau and beyond was to study the composition of the springy, wind-shorn shrublands along this wind-swept Te Wharangi ridge of the Outer Green Belt.

We met at the Woodmancote Road entrance to Khandallah Park, and were pleased to be joined by Dr John Dawson, Research Associate at Victoria University, and a well-known author of botany books.   The day had dawned fine and calm, but by the time we reached the top of Kaukau, a strong wind was blowing.   It increased in velocity enough during the morning to induce us to cut the trip short, and descend Bell’s Track to Ngaio, instead of the pylon track to Chartwell and into Otari.

Melicytus crassifolius.   Photo: Jeremy Rolfe.

All the springy clumps we examined consisted of a mixture of small-leaved, divaricating shrubs, interlaced with climbing and scrambling plants.   The divaricates were: Coprosma areolata/ thin-leaved coprosma, C. propinqua, C. rhamnoides, C. rigida, C. rotundifolia/ round-leaved coprosma, Melicytus crassifolius, Olearia solandri / coastal tree daisy, Ozothamnus leptphyllus / tauhinu, Raukaua anomalus.   The climbers were: Clematis forsteri / small white clematis, Metrosideros perforata / clinging rata, Rubus cissoides and R schmidelioides / bushlawyers.   The scramblers were Acaena anserinifolia/ piripiri, Fuchsia perscanden.

We lifted some of the looser parts of the clumps, and were rewarded by the sight of numerous ripe berries not visible from the outside: C rhamnoides – dark red; C. propinqua – translucent pale blue; M. crassifolius – opaque white.   What creatures eat the fruit we wondered?

We thank Pat Enright for providing a comprehensive plant list.   We added one species to it, Poa cita, silver tussock.

Participants: “J.S.” (Bach), Penny Currier, John Dawson, Barry Dent, Sue Freitag, Vicki Froude, Janet McCallum, Barbara Mitcalfe, Joyce Wilson (leader).

Joyce Wilson