Natural Habitat Restoration

We have two very different natural environments in the two major areas where we have undertaken weed control.

The wetlands restoration is just a small part of the Langs Beach scenic reserve encompassing the flat land that the surrounding hills drain into. Originally this would have been wetland but over the last hundred years or so the water courses have been changed, (in various parts drains have been put in,) and weeds have taken over. Department of Conservation are keen to encourage the restoration of wetlands because “they act like the kidneys of the earth cleaning the water that flows into them, returning nitrogen to the atmosphere, trapping sediment, filtering out nutrients and removing contaminants. In New Zealand they support the greatest concentration of wildlife out of any other habitat.”

The Langs Beach Scenic reserve is administered by the Department of Conservation. When work first began the most overwhelming weed appeared to be ginger plants. Rhizomes from this plant were stacked upon each other so that it was like walking over hillocks that were up to 1 metre high. It seemed impossible. And finding where a track would go involved bush/weed whacking to find a way through, requiring special skill. However slash and paste techniques along with support from DOC volunteers soon saw rid of the majority of the ginger. But ginger was just the beginning. Infestations of asparagus fern ,blackberry , pampas, deadly nightshade, and cotoneaster were throughout the reserve. Bit by bit the Friday ‘trackies’ and the Saturday ‘weedies’ have worked away - spraying, weedeating, handpulling and chopping and have made real inroads into the weed problem. Maintaining control of the weeds will be an ongoing challenge. (I have heard it said that it takes 5 years of spraying to get proper control of the asparagus fern).

Our aim was to restore this area and we commissioned a report from “Rural Design.” This described the status quo and how to go about getting rid of the weeds and then when to plant. All the plants are native to our particular wetland. So although at stages there may have been times when you looked and wondered why things were looking so dead it is part of a timeline of restoration.

Towards the back of the wetlands we have planted mostly sedges, reeds, manuka, kanuka, cabbage trees and kahikatea. We sleeved many of these plants to protect from rabbits and pukekos (which are constantly enjoying our planting.) More recently we planted the entranceway. Here we have planted some pretty native flowering species: kowhai and native hibiscus as well as five finger, kahikatea, flaxes, manuka and kanuka. We’ve also planted along the riverbank to shade the stream in order to encourage native fish: short finned eels, kokupu and maybe even providing a place for whitebait to spawn. And finally we’ve planted the bank at the beginning of the reserve.

The main planting in the wetland has been completed. We now need to maintain weed and pest control and replace any plants we lose. Progress has been thanks to many volunteer hours and donations from both the community and Whangarei District Council. And of course the wonderful morning teas that Christine Birss provides us with at the end of our weekly work!

The second area is what we call “the bridge to bridge” (or b2b) and is administered by the Whangarei District Council. This is the area that follows both sides of the stream from the bridge at Langs Cove to the bridge at the entrance to the Langs Beach Estate. There has always been a track that begins on the reserve by the Langs Cove bridge that meanders along the stream but then begins to climb up to the large grassy area at the top of the hill overlooking the ocean. (This is known as the ‘fantail track’) . Around March 2021 a track was formed alongside the river and ending up at the second bridge.

The weeds here are somewhat different to the wetlands. Not so many ginger plants on this side but infestations of asparagus fern, ladder fern and many many monbretia and watsonia bulbs have required hand removal. On the roadside we sprayed and weeded jasmine, pampas, onion weed and morning glory, and out of control wisteria that has been smothering the trees.

We are now slowly planting this area. Whangarei District Council have provided us with the plants and fertilizer. The initial planting was of 800 plants and for our August 2021 planting they have provided hundreds more to fill in the gaps. These plants have done very well thanks to hours of weeding and summer watering. Much of this walkway is still weedy so is a ‘work in progress’ but there are already some beautiful nikau and large native trees along this walk and ultimately it will be a lovely spot for a picnic by the river and provide a beautiful entry into Langs Beach from the South.