Port Robinson Reserves
These adjoined coastal reserves in northern Hurunui have undergone a remarkable transformation instigated by the Port Robinson Reserve Advisory Group. Their revegetation programme began in the early 1990s and since then an average of around 700 plants have been planted annually, with some now mature enough to provide a local seed source. The plants are donated by Trees for Canterbury, who in the earlier years of the project also provided teams of volunteers to get them in the ground.
This is a fragile environment, with plenty of weeds to contend with including old man’s beard, banana passionfruit, boneseed, nasella tussock and wilding conifers. Trapping is another activity that the locals carry out, with feral cats a target as well as stoats.
To the south of reserve, a neighbouring owner of a block at Manuka Bay is also planting eco-sourced natives grown in their nursery, with the aim of meeting up with the Port Robinson restoration.
The Port Robinson Coastal Reserves are managed by the Hurunui District Council. They run between the southern end of Gore Bay and the Lighthouse Paddock at Point Gibson and feature 60-80 metre high cliffs, boulder beaches, rocky outcrops, erosion prone coastal faces with tussock grassland, gullies containing broadleaf forest remnants, and an elevated plateau with magnificent views up and down the coast.
For information, contact:
Terry Ashley – [email protected]
or Andrew Ashley – [email protected]