TRIP REPORT : Pukerua Bay to Plimmerton

Saturday 1 December 2007

The view south from Carrad’s farm to Mana Island. Photo: Robyn Smith.

Using Colin Ogle’s 31/7/1980 species list for Raroa Reserve, Wairaka and the coast from Pukerua Bay to Wairaka Rock as a base, we began in Raroa Reserve and botanised along the track and True Left side of the gully.   The reserve is dominated by a kohekohe canopy with some ngaio and karaka and large, old mahoe and kanuka.   Light filtering through to the forest floor has encouraged numbers of native seedlings, although there are also patches of veldt grass, Ehrharta erecta.

We emerged from the cool bush to see the brilliant blue of the Tasman Sea, and views of the Pukerua Bay – Paekakariki escarpment to the north, and Kapiti Island to the west.   Climbing the hill on the Carrad farm, with a Department of Conservation scientific reserve covering most of the escarpment below, the vegetation changes dramatically.   Wind-sculpted Coprosma propinqua, Poa cita and manuka hug the contours of the land.   At the west end of the reserve is a remnant of coastal forest with wharangi on its edge.

Climbing a high point on the Carrads’ land, we stopped for a cuppa and to admire the view which now included the escarpment to the south, Mana Island and the South Island.   We then descended to one of five coastal remnants, covenanted with QEII by the Carrads, which have been fenced for only nine months, and are already showing good recovery.   We then descended the “waterfall track” to Wairaka Rock on the coast where Barbara re-discovered several plants of Trisetum antarcticum in flower.   Other plants of interest were Peperomia urvilleana, Disphyma australe, a hairy Wahlenbergia, Oxalis exilis, Senecio lautus, Colobanthus muelleri and the odd Melicytus crassifolius.

After lunch, we walked along the stony beach to Plimmerton.   Sadly, the escarpment is infested by feral goats which have eaten out many plants you would expect to find.   Instead, the escarpment, with its many huge scree slopes, is dominated mainly by less palatable species such as Phormium cookianum ssp. hookeri, Coprosma propinqua and tauhinu.   On one scree slope, a plant stood out because it was a different colour green from the other vegetation.   On close inspection it proved to be a ngaio, but because it is continuously being buried by scree, only the tips its canopy were showing.   Raoulia hookeri in full flower also caught our eye.   In a freshwater pond created by quarrying, several tarapunga / red-billed gulls (status: Gradual Decline) were bathing.   Nearer Plimmerton, we found an extensive area of the nasty, invasive, weed, Polypodium vulgare, a fern which resembles hound’s-tongue, and a huge area of pampas.   Closer still to civilisation we saw a patch of Japanese honeysuckle beginning to spread over the low vegetation.

Participants :   Jonathan Anderson, Gavin Dench, Dave Holey, Chris Hopkins, Chris Horne, Sheena Hudson, Brenda Johnston, Cliff Mason, Ann, Barbara and Kaaren Mitcalfe, Phil Parnell, Mick Parsons, Sunita Singh, Robyn Smith (leader / scribe), Yvonne Weeber, Julia White, Julia Williams.