TRIP REPORT : Easter Trip – South Wairarapa

 Friday-Sunday :   14–16 April 2006

Friday

Pseudopanax ferox.   Photo: Jeremy Rolfe.

Fine weather added to our enjoyment of the opportunity to botanise two fenced remnants on Waiorongomai Station, owned by Mr C. Matthews.   Often glimpsed from Western Lake Road on previous trips but not visited by us, these two substantial remnants “Wilderness Bush” and “Karaka Bush” held our attention for all of Friday.   Remarkable for the age and impressive stature of its trees, Wilderness Bush podocarp / broadleaf remnant contains numbers of large, (est. 20 m) Streblus banksii, many heavily infected with the parasitic “witches broom”.   This is the common name of one of the eriophyid mites which cause abnormal growth on some species , e.g. galls on some Hoheria spp., “witches broom” on kakabeak and Streblus banksii, tip growth distortion on karaka and felty patches (erinea) on the underside of e.g. grapes, walnuts and puriri.   (I am indebted to Rob Lucas and Barry Sneddon for this information.)   Titoki, ti kouka and kahikatea share the canopy with matai, kahikatea, lowland ribbonwood and karaka.   Among epiphytes such as abundant Earina mucronata and Pyrrosia eleagnifolia, numerous large epiphytic nests of Collospermum hastatum are a feature – we admired their multicoloured racemes of ripening fruit hanging in dense panicles.   No podocarp seedlings were observed and we assumed rabbits are responsible, despite the presence of a rabbit-poison station.   The liane Metrosideros colensoi is not uncommon and gnarled, ancient coils of kohia, (est. d.b.h. 11 cm) coil for many metres along the forest floor.   The groundcover is mostly sparse Hypolepis ambigua and Lastreopsis microsora.   Outside the fence is a park-like area, with many large tawa, ti kouka and huge, old kahikatea, survivors of the former, continuous forest.   Drymoanthus adversus, on titoki, was our only addition.   As with “Wilderness Bush”, “Karaka Bush”, an 8.3-ha L-shaped remnant, features very large, old, trees.   Its canopy is almost entirely composed of mature karaka and titoki.   The very few canopy gaps have permitted little regeneration, mostly karaka, and are probably responsible for the almost complete lack of weeds.   Both remnants have a serious, resident rabbit problem.

Saturday morning

Gavin led us up a True Left tributary of Mukamuka Stream in search of Chionchloa beddiei but we found none in the time I was there.   Among trees and shrubs, Olearia arborescens, Parahebe sp. in flower and Brachyglottis greyi clung to the steep, eroding slopes between tussocks of Poa sp. most likely Poa anceps subsp. anceps, (subject to confirmation)

Barbara Mitcalfe

Brachyglottis greyi.   Photo: Jeremy Rolfe.

Saturday afternoon

We botanised a steep True Right tributary of Mukamuka Stream and prepared a plant list.

Sunday morning

We climbed the True Left side of Corner Creek to check the Pseudopanax ferox colony and returned to the bach for lunch.

Sunday afternoon

We visited the impressive Hinau Flats QEII Covenant and saw a gigantic rimu almost 2 m diameter, an enormous mahoe with a hollow trunk, and a hinau with a 1.6-m diameter trunk.   We noted numerous possum bait stations, and prepared a plant list.

Sheelagh Leary

We thank Mr Charlie Matthews for permission to botanise “Wilderness Bush” and “Karaka Bush”; Pat Enright for plant lists and a briefing on 14 April; Sunita and Gavin for generous hospitality at their bach.

Participants :   Margaret Aitken, Barbara Clark, Rae Collins, Gavin Dench, Chris Horne, Gordon and Sheelagh Leary, Pat McLean, Cliff Mason, Barbara Mitcalfe, Joyce Stretton, Sunita Singh.