TRIP REPORT : Lake Kohangapiripiri and Lake Kohangatera, Pencarrow Lakes

 Saturday :   15 October 2005

Melicytus aff. obovatus. Illustration: Eleanor Burton.

Thirty-eight people assembled at Burdan’s Gate, Eastbourne, and packed into two vans, a ute, and three cars for the drive along the normally closed road to Fitzroy Bay.

The lakes are in the Lakes Block of East Harbour Regional Park, managed by Greater Wellington Regional Council.   The features of this section of the park are the two lakes, and Pencarrow Lighthouse.   We used Tony Druce’s plant list no.127 that he compiled during ten visits to the lakes, and the coast to Baring Head.   As a result of our trip, we are producing a plant list restricted to the two lakes.   Copies of the list will be given to Greater Wellington Regional Council and Department of Conservation.

On the raised beach in front of Lake Kohangatera we saw the remarkable, grey, dead-looking Muehlenbeckia ephedroides sprawled on the stony surface.   The find of the day was made by Pat Enright – the Cook Strait endemic, Melicytus aff. obovatus.   On the True Left of Gollans Valley, upstream from Lake Kohangatera, we saw a remnant black beech forest, and near the valley floor, pukatea, rewarewa and a splendid matai.

Lake Kohangapiripiri is fed by Cameron Stream which rises on private land north of this section of East Harbour Regional Park.   On the True Right of the lake, we found sea holly / Eryngium vesiculosum on rocky areas right on the track!   The main object of the trip in this valley was to see the fenced enclosure featuring a karaka with a dendroglyph of a fish.

Participants: Annadel Bouch, Mark Campbell, Barbara Clark, Rae Collins, Gareth Cooper / GWRC Ranger (leader), Nancy de Bueger, Gavin Dench, Barry Dent, Pat Enright, Sue Freitag, Ian and Jill Goodwin, Charles, Hester & Karen Green, Margaret & Richard Herbert, Chris Hopkins, Chris Horne, Brenda Johnston, Karan Kasprik, Ainsley Kerr, Helga Kuechly, Rodney Lewington, Nikki Lloyd, Pat McLean, Allanah Matheson, Barbara Mitcalfe, Mick Parsons, Graham Petterson, Helene Ritchie, Bruce & Viv Sampson, Sunita Singh, Robyn Smith, Sheila Stapleton, Jon Terry.

Chris Horne