TRIP REPORT : Otari-Wilton’s Bush – native plant identification

 Saturday :   12 March 2005

This trip, advertised as BotSoc’s contribution to Wellington City Council’s Feeling Great Stepping Out! walk promotion programme, was attended by six members of the public and six BotSoccers, the ideal pupil-teacher ratio.   Led by Barry Dent and Sue Freitag, and using the plant list prepared for the 24/1/04 BotSoc trip, we discussed the composition of Otari’s canopy viewed from Izard Park, botanised the revegetation at the park, beech plantings, Circular Walk and Red Trail to the Flax Clearing, where we lunched near a wonderful display of Cortaderia splendens.   Then we saw a large akeake, silver beech, kauri, and pahautea / Libocedrus bidwillii, planted by Dr Leonard Cockayne in the 1930s.   A most satisfying day in this “Garden of National Significance”.

Editor