July 6th - Kaituna Valley Trek (Kai = food; tuna = eel)

Today we went to Kaituna Valley to meet up with Marie of Banks Peninsula Trust. We met with the landowners of a covenant that have protected a significant (ecologically) piece of property. The land had a number of native plants, including totara, kanuka, tarata, lancewoods, and other significant plants. The valley was used (in the past) as a connector from Lyttleton Harbor for Maori to gather eels and flounder from Lake Ellesmere. Kai means food in Maori and tuna means eel. We met with Marie and gathered implements of destruction - loppers, shears, and small bottles of herbicides. We hiked up the valley looking for wilding pine and gorse (invasive exotics). The job was to find, cut down, and treat the stumps with a herbicide gel to get rid of these plants. It was a calm but cold day. fantastic views from the top! We saw a significant grove of very large totaras.

With the landowner and Marie gathering tools and preparing for the hike uphill

The class looking at native plants along the trail.

Students getting into the gorse

And removing the gorse

Stumps were treated with a herbicide gel

A break for lunch

Group (JC Penny pose) at the grove of totaras

A view from the top looking over Diamond Harbor

The class near the totara grove

Looking at Lake Ellesmere

An old totara stump

Misty mountains

Tea at The Store

Read the menu!

Cheers form Dr. H and Meryl. Of course I did not mention my barrel roll after a slip.