Pirongia Field Trip Sept 2023

PIRONGIA FIELD TRIP

Led by Lucy Roberts and Lesley Mochan

Friday 15th - Sunday 17th Sept 2023

Twenty Project Tongariro members had a wonderful weekend enjoying the Waipa district, staying at Pirongia Lodge on the slopes of Pirongia Mountain. Most members arrived on Friday night for a relaxing meal and evening catch-up. The lodge was wonderful it had plenty of room, comfortable beds, a large commercial kitchen, and was situated in a great location.

After our arrival, some headed out in the dark with their torches to explore the nearby Mangakara Nature Walk. We all went to sleep to the sound of Moreporks.

On Saturday morning, we woke up to the most beautiful sunrise and a 180-degree view from the lodge. This panorama included balloons over Hamilton in the distance to the northeast, rolling mist across the Waipa district straight ahead, and around to Kakepuku Maunga in the southeast. A leisurely breakfast followed, with some members taking the opportunity to watch the rugby on phones and a laptop, with the All Blacks beating Namibia 71 – 3.

The morning briefing on the Pirongia Lodge deck was delightfully interrupted by the ‘kek kek kek’ call of a Kārearea / New Zealand Falcon above the forest behind us. After a team photo, we set off in a convoy to Kaniwhaniwha car park, where we met Nardene Berry of the Te Pahu Landcare Group. Nardene walked up the track alongside the Kaniwhaniwha stream, telling us about all the wonderful work the group are doing along the Nikau walkway including, restoration planting, releasing, weeding and animal pest trapping,

A stunning Pukatea tree (Laurelia novae-zelandiae) and fantail nest were also highlights on the way up the Nikau track. A beautiful stone and plaque had been placed under a rimu tree to celebrate the 20 years of Te Pahu Landcare Group (2002-2022) and the 2.6km they reforested from bare land.

When we arrived at the Nikau Caves, a smaller group headed further up the track to the tallest Kahikatea tree. At 66.5 m, this is the tallest recorded native tree in New Zealand and is considered to be around 400-500 years old!

The rest of us grabbed our torches and clambered down into the cave. We wound our way through a few tight squeezes (for some of us) with some cave wetas above our heads. The main limestone cave was about 30m long.

After going through the cave, we continued along the Nikau Cave Circular Walk, having lunch together at the campsite. From there we retraced our steps down the track alongside the Kaniwhaniwha stream back to the car park. We then headed into Pirongia for a look around the township, the Pirongia Heritage and Information Centre, the Alexandra Redoubt and took some time to have a cuppa at the local cafés.

At the Heritage Centre we met Tia and Taio, committee members of Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society and Ngati Apakura - Tangata Whenua for Pūāwhē / Pirongia forest.

We then headed back to the lodge to get ready to welcome Dianne and Selwyn June who did a wonderful presentation on the work of Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society. They described the tremendous mahi by society members both at Pirongia and Okahukura, Pureora. Animal pest control and baiting which is protecting the wider forest ecosystem and threatened species like the kokako. Resulting in this year’s Kōkako survey identifying a total 23 pairs and 5 territorial singles under management areas in Pirongia. Not to mention the threatened plant work the society are doing with Dactylanthus and Mistletoe.

Tia and Taio joined us for dinner as well. Tia gifted Kiri and Project Tongariro with a book written by Emma Hinton “Finding Grace Kimihia a Grace.” We shared an amazing potluck dinner and chatted till late. Some headed to bed whilst others went for a night walk again to see what else they could spot in the dark.

Sunday morning after breakfast we cleaned, tidied, and packed up, ready for inspection by Kate, the Lodge Warden.

Having passed inspection, we headed for coffee in Pirongia and then off to meet Bill Harris from the Wetland Trust and Ngati Apakura at Rotopiko / Lake Serpentine.

Rotopiko is a complex of three small peat lakes near Ohaupo in the Waipa District. Bill shared the importance of the wetland to Ngati Apapkura and the work the Wetland Trust, Iwi, Department of Conservation (DOC) and Waipa District Council have been doing at the site.

It was a fascinating and sobering walk. Bill explained how unfortunately the 40-hectare reserve and pest free space has become home to a huge number of sparrows and starlings. We could see and smell the evidence of the number of birds as we walked around the lake and through the Kahikatea bush. Bill described the impacts the birds were having on Rotopiko, the ecosystem, lake water and native species. He also identified the different options for management that the Wetland Trust and its partners were grappling with.

Having walked through the Kahikatea forest prior to the fence and pest control the difference was amazing with lots of seedlings coming through on the forest floor. We also heard about the endemic giant cane rush, and its caterpillar tenant ‘Fred the Thread’ Some stayed for lunch at Rotopiko whilst others headed for home.

Thank you very much to the following people for sharing their stories, history and mahi – making for a very memorable weekend:

Nardene Berry of the Te Pahu Landcare Group,

Dianne and Selwyn June, Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society

Tia Ormsby van Selm Ngati Apakura and Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society

Bill Harris Ngati Apakura, and the Wetland Trust.