Island Bay Coast Care

Island Bay sand dunes

Where can you find the group?

Plant care day at Island Bay

The Island Bay sand dunes are located on the Wellington south coast. The area of fenced dune is the last small remnant of a large dune area that extended right back to Severn Street before the roads were put in. Follow the link to check out an aerial photo of the area.

Contact Greater Wellington's Care Group facilitator on 04 384 5708 or 0800 496 734

Volunteer co-ordinator Rachael Bell ph 04 383 6440

What has the group done?

This group became involved after noticing a bulldozer on the dunes clearing a path through the vegetation to put in a boardwalk. They worked with Wellington City Council to change this project into a dune restoration effort. Wellington City Council has since fenced the area to protect the dune plants from accidentally being destroyed by people walking over them and provided plants to replace those damaged by the bulldozer.

Greater Wellington and the Wellington City Council now work together to support this group and the wonderful work they are doing to restore the dune to a more natural state.

Since 2003 throughout the winter season the group has held public working bees to plant the dune with native foredune plants, such as pingao and spinifex, that catch sand and help to build and stabilise dunes.

The group has also planted a number of rare and endangered native dune plants including shore spurge, shrubby toraro and New Zealand iceplant. Voluunteers at the working bees also remove invasive weeds to make way for the natives. This is being done very carefully because areas of bare sand can erode quickly.

The group won a Conservation Week 2007 Merit Award.

Current activities

The group continues to remove invasive weeds like marram grass and plant native sand binding species including spinifex and pingao.

Plantcare and Planting programme 2010, all 9.30am to midday

• 27 March Plantcare Sandunes
•  24 April Plantcare Oku Reserve
•  15 May Plantcare Sandunes
•  29 May Plantcare Oku Reserve
•  26 June Community Planting Sandunes
•  17 July Community planting Oku Reserve
•  7 August Plantcare Sandunes
•  28 August Plantcare Oku Reserve
•  18 September Plantcare Sandunes
•  9 October Plantcare Oku Reserve
•  23 October Plantcare Sandunes
•  6 November Plantcare Oku Reserve
•  27 November Plantcare Sandunes
•  11December Plantcare Oku Reserve