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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 Remutaka Forest Park
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 stated on their Volunteer Day down at the Catchpool Valley.
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).

Girl Guide/ Rangers group came to help out on a rather wet winter's weekend in June.
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 school children to their Catchpool Valley restoration site for tree planting
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
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 trees in the restoration zone allocated to their school, these students had a great day away from school.
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
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.
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 reeds at our wetlands. On a day more suited to ducks...
Photo of a Mallard duck peering through the sedges at our wetlands. On a day more suited to ducks... (Photo credit: PC).