TRIP REPORT : Waterfall Road Bush

 Saturday 2 October 2004 :   Waterfall Road Bush

Pterostylis alobula.   Photo: Jeremy Rolfe.

We were finally lucky with the weather, after two previous washouts.   Rather than approach Waterfall Road via a risky rail crossing, we turned off SH1 at Paraparaumu and drove south on Valley Road to reach the property.   Peter and Diane Kiernan met us at their gate and we were soon botanising the tracks which Peter had very clearly marked.   We set off down the Totara Ridge Track then took the Rata Ridge Track through northern rata, totara, matai, rewarewa and a very wide variety of shrubs, among them Olearia rani in flower.   Notable were three species of maire: Nestegis cunninghamii, N. lanceolata and N. montana.   Further on we saw both forms of the uncommon NZ sandalwood, Mida salicifolia, one wideleaved and the other narrow-leaved.   There were several orchids such as Pterostylis alobula, some still in flower, Nematocerus triloba agg. “Rimutaka”, and Acianthus sinclairii.   On the dry, open banks were Microtis, Thelymitra and even Pterostylis banksii in flower.   We added Dicksonia fibrosa and Senecio jacobaea to Pat’s list.   The lunch spot provided some Clematis paniculata in flower and an excellent sea view.   All in all, a happy and productive day, blessed with perfect weather.

Participants:   Peter Beveridge, Barbara Clark, Rosemary Collier, Rae Collins, Gavin Dench, Pat Enright, Bryan Halliday, Dave Holey, Chris Hopkins, Chris Horne, Olaf John (leader / scribe), Diana and Peter Kiernan, Pat McLean, Barbara Mitcalfe, Leon Perrie, Sunita Singh, Owen Spearpoint.