TRIP REPORT : Hutt City Rata Walk

 Saturday :   17 December 2005

In warm, humid weather, we met at Hutt City I-site Visitor Centre, Laings Road.   Unlike our first Rata Walk, (December 2004), there were fewer “spectacular” shows of blossom, particularly noticeable with the Penrose Street, Belleview Road, and Waiwhetu Road (St Paul’s Anglican Church) trees, though the second (vicarage) tree round the corner in Guthrie Street offered a good photo opportunity.   This tree has recently been spared from felling, owing to the concerted interest of several parties including BotSoc.   The garage will now be demolished to make way for the tree, rather than the reverse.   We lunched under trees near Waiwhetu Stream, the marae and the new whare waka, after viewing 4-5 rata nearby.   Because the “show” of flowers on the naturally occurring rata on the lower eastern hills was not particularly visible this year, we made a detour to a smaller tree on the berm at 74 Collingwood Street to view flowers and foliage close up.   We saw three much larger rata at Waterloo Road, then walked past St Bernard’s College, through Marina Grove (art-deco houses) to a rata in King’s Crescent, near the the lovely, well maintained, attractive old homestead of the late Sir James Hector.   From there it was down Pretoria Street and on to the western stopbank of Hutt River and the sad sight of the declining Daly Street rata.   As this fine tree is on private land not much can be done apart from encouraging the property owner to look after it, and we understand that a Hutt City Council arborist is monitoring the situation.   On a brighter note, three relatively new rata plantings are doing very well in the reserve at the north end of Victoria Street near Ewen Bridge (not visited).

As we walked, BotSoc took the opportunity of pointing out other items of interest to members of the public who joined the walk, e.g. epiphytic pohutukawa and nikau.   Using roadside examples, Barbara showed us the differences between our ngaio Myoporum laetum, and the closely related boobialla, Myoporum insulare of Australia.   Photographs of last year’s luxuriant rata blossom were shown, and a vote of thanks was given by our guests at the conclusion of another very successful trip.

Participants :   Margaret Aitken, Barbara Bond, Anne Henderson, Dave Holey, (Leader and scribe), Chris Horne, Karen Kasprik, Noriko Kaneko, Maureen Longman, Allanah Mathieson, Barbara Mitcalfe, (deputy leader), Julia White.