April

Locals lend a hand in painstaking revegetation project

A major revegetation project at Cape Reinga, an ecological hotspot on the tip of New Zealand’s North Island, is returning the land to its natural state - seed by seed.

A team of seed collectors from the Department of Conservation is painstakingly hand picking thousands of seeds from native plants as part of a project to upgrade visitor facilities. Along with new parking areas, eco friendly toilets and new walking tracks, the extensive replanting project is due to be completed in 2010.

Te Hapua couple Toni and Toka Maaka head the team of seed collectors contracted to source over 175,000 seeds for DOC and more than 120,000 for Transit NZ who are resealing the last 19km of road to the area.

Cue Mother Nature
The team says it’s a back breaking job that has involved a steep learning curve for the workers who’ve had to take their cue from Mother Nature.

''We make plans and the next day we have to change them because it’s the seeds that tell us what we are doing on any given day,'' says Toni, who is of Ngati Kuri and Te Rarawa descent. Although Toni and the team knew little about native plants or gardening before starting the project they have taught themselves by books, researching and taking pictures with them to identify the plants.

They began experimenting last summer by finding the right plants, keeping track of when the seeds were picked, how much was collected and where they were found.
''Flax is the easiest to collect because of the size of the pods but the smaller ones like hebes and kanuka have lots of tiny seeds that are like dust,'' she says. These are the most labour intensive and can take weeks to collect and clean.

Once the seeds are collected they are taken back to the Maaka’s shed where they are dried, sifted and cleaned. The job of cleaning is an involved process and to speed up drying time, Toni has relinquished her kitchen table. ''Our family all eat at the kitchen bench now,'' says Toni.

Natural Enhancement
The busiest time for seed collection is from January to April. Once the seeds are cleaned, they are delivered to nearby Ngataki nursery at Te Manawa o Ngati Kuri for propagation. Over 2000 flax removed during the earthworks are being stored there and will be returned once the earthworks are completed.

So far over 80,000 plants have been successfully propagated, including 17 targeted native species and the aim is to collect as many seeds as possible while the weather is good so they can be propagated and well established before the winter arrives.

Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) and the wider Te Paki area, is described internationally as an ‘ecological hotspot’ because of the high numbers of plants that are only found in the area such as the rare native orchid and Bartlett’s Rata, a member of the pohutukawa family.

''There are only 31 Bartlett’s Rata in the wild today in two locations near Radars Bush and Unuwhao Forest,'' says nursery manager Wayne Petera. That number is increasing with the help of 35 more of the trees currently being grown at the nursery. By the time the entire project is completed, the nursery will have grown half a million native plants for Te Rerenga Wairua and the road leading to the sacred site.

''The revegetation will transform the site from being stark and vacant and make it more welcoming and vibrant. ''I see it as making a real contribution and continuing to enhance our natural environment,'' says Wayne.

Interesting facts about Cape Reinga:

• A lone pohutukawa clinging to a windswept cliff top where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean collide represents one of Maoridom’s most sacred sites - Cape Reinga

• The pohutukawa is 'the place of leaping'' in Maori mythology where the spirit of the dead leaps off the tree, plunges into the sea and resurfaces for one last look back towards the land before making its way to its final resting place in the ancestral homeland of Hawaiiki nui.

• Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) is one of New Zealand’s most visited cultural spots, with over 140,000 local and foreign visitors a year.

• Department of Conservation work began in September to upgrade visitor facilities in conjunction with Transit New Zealand’s sealing of the final 19km of State Highway 1 from Waitiki Landing to Te Rerenga Wairua. The work will be completed in 2010.

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