30/08/2013 - Revegetation Unit 21033

Actual Temperature
13 degrees Celsius
Humidity : 82%
Rainfall : 0.00m
Wind : Moderate Wind

On Friday Revegetation Unit with Lisa Burton and around 12 peoples all together get into Polytech's van and went to Okia Reserve on Otago Peninsula.  The 231 ha Okia Reserve on Otago Peninsula is the largest managed by the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust (http://www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/)  and was jointly purchased with the Dunedin City Council in 1991.  Victory Beach forms one of the reserve boundaries and at 3km is the longest beach on Otago Peninsula. The track meanders through Okia Reserve and past the pyramids. Major geological features in the area include the Pyramids and the radial basalt flow in the cliff north-east of the Pyramids.

The Pyramids are in the Okia reserve which is a mixture of wetland and dune country. They are made up of perfectly geometric basalt volcanic columns. Climb up the smaller one for views over the dunes and to see if there any sea lions about, but be careful as they can be quite aggressive towards pesky humans. The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust Vegetation Management objective are 

                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                         To revegetate (through planting and natural regeneration) the reserve in indigenous plants and trees.

To manage vegetation in a manner that gives primacy to the needs of native wildlife and

1.           i) encourages the re-establishment of the native forest and shrub land vegetation on the 
                dune crests throughout the reserve;
   2. ii) maintains, protects, and encourages the natural succession patterns of the dune and dune hollow vegetation;
   3. iii)  prevents disturbance of vulnerable wildlife areas and cultural sites by planting; 

Our group walked from the main entrance to We planted many types of plants such as Coprosma crassifolia, Cupressus macrocarpa, Coryline australis, Pseudopanax crassifolius, Helichrysum lanceolatum, Pittosporum eugenioides.  

After lunch, we cleared the weeds under the Pikao bush. Pikao has been planted as part of the Dunedin City Council Coastal Dune Conservation Programme at mid-beach, where the walking track from the little Pyramid leads onto Victory Beach. Sand tussock and Cook’s scurvy grass have also been planted there. Pikao has also been planted alongside the track between The Pyramids in an old “sand blow” but this site is not going to be maintained the abundance of planted and naturally regenerated indigenous species decreases to the south. There is a patch of gorse located within lupin scrub in the central part of the site.