Nga Uruora Kapiti Project
Nga Uruora
Where can you find the group?
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The escarpment |
Nga Uruora works on a wide range of sites between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay, three of which are receiving Care funding:
- The Paekakariki dune area stretches from the Fisherman’s Table restaurant in the south to just north of the Wainui stream in the north
- Ames St Reserve is located behind the Paekakariki dune area, between the foredune and SH1.
- Sanderson’s Reserve is a small pocket of vegetation opposite Ames St Reserve between SH1 and the railway track.
Follow the link to check out an aerial photo of the area.
What has the group done?
The Take Care programme funding has provided Nga Uruora with potting mix to propagate their own eco-sourced native plants for a number of years, but 2009 will be the first year that Greater Wellington will help fund their restoration work at these three coastal sites.
However, Nga Uruora have been working on these areas around the Paekakariki dunes since 2006, gradually replacing introduced weeds with the original native grasses, trees and shrubs.
Current activities
At the Paekakariki dunes, Nga Uruora is restoring dunes vulnerable to erosion by planting spinifex which is a native sand-binding grass that catches wind blown sand and can help to build stable dune profiles.
Ames St Reserve has a notable mahoe dune forest 20-30m above the steep dune face. It also has a number of significant weeds that the group is currently targeting including boneseed, wattle, boxthorn, germen and cape ivy and tradescantia. These will be eradicated and replaced with suitable native species.
Sanderson’s Reserve was the site of an early Forest and Bird planting of cabbage trees by founder Ernest Valentine Sanderson and is an ideal site for the establishment of larger forest trees as a seed source for Nga Uruora’s flagship coastal escarpment project. This year the group has already planted 56 kahikatea, 16 rimu, 5 rewarewa, 16 hinau, 3 totara and a pukatea in this reserve.
There are weekly working bees and monthly meetings. Check out their website to find out more.