Catchpool Restoration Project - June 2021 Update
Corporate, School and Service groups - Volunteer Days
Ministry for Environment team member planting
kanuka (Kunzea robusta) on her Volunteer Day down at the Catchpool
Restoration Project, Remutaka Forest Park. (Photo credit: PC).
Ministry for Environment team photo taken
before work started on their Volunteer Day down at the Catchpool Valley.
They began their day cutting wilding acacia at the car park above the
Kereru Corner picnic grounds. Later on, they planted native trees at
several other sites from which woody weeds had already been removed.
(Photo credit: PC).
Here's the Guide and Rangers Group who came
along to the Park on a wild, wet and windy weekend in Winter. They
planted trees and transported crates of other native trees to the
restoration site that would be planted by the following group during the
week. Fabulous work and a fun few hours, despite the weather.
(Photo credit: PC).
Double-deck London bus delivering the second
group of school children to their Catchpool Valley restoration site for
tree planting on a wet, Winter's Day last week. The ford was in flood
from heavy rain over the weekend and blocked to vehicles, so we marched
them along the beautiful Nga Taonga Trail to their planting zone on the
other side of the stream. (Photo credit: PC).
Members of the MFE team shown enjoying their
planting experience on their Volunteer Day down at the Catchpool. (Photo
credit: PC).
Tree Planting
Corporate groups from Wellington Electricity and the Ministry for
Environment came along to plant trees and bust woody weeds on their
Volunteer Days in June, 2021. They were fortunate to enjoy clear, sunny
weather on their respective days.
A large group (2 double-decker bus loads!) of school children from a
Wainuiomata School - and a Girl Guides/ Rangers group - also came to
plant native trees last week - but the weather was less kind (rather wet
indeed!) especially for the Girl Guides on the weekend that saw heavy rain flooding the streams and the ford/ fish passage, making them
impassable for a time.
With their double-decker London bus unable to traverse the flooded ford, we
walked both the school groups along the Nga Taonga Trail to their
restoration planting zone near the Catchpool eco-hotspot on the other
side of the stream, carrying trees and spades, etc. with us.
Nevertheless, good fun was had by all, despite the weather.
Planting kanuka in the restoration zone
allocated to their school, these students had a great day away from
school.
Ford & Fish Ladder in Flood
The flooded ford and fish ladder shown before
the digger removed the debris blocking the fish passage. The water
levels had come down considerably overnight, and once the debris was
removed, the ford was made passable again for vehicular traffic.
(Photo credit: PC).
Digger removing debris from the flooded
ford to clear the fish passage and allow vehicles to cross. (Photo
credit: PC).
Photo of a Mallard duck peering through the sedges at our wetlands.
On a day more suited to ducks... (Photo credit: PC).
