REPORT from Saturday 29 March, 9:30am – 12:30pm
Hurunui Weedbusters at Amberley Domain
Hurunui Weedbusters Wield New Tools at Working Bee
On Saturday 29th March 2025, Hurunui Weedbusters’ volunteers made impressive inroads into the dense woody weeds overtaking a native bush reserve in Amberley Domain.
Among the targets were tagasaste (tree lucerne), cotoneaster, plum, chilean creeper, and ivy. A small patch of blackberry was removed, so the chances are there will be more. Our efforts were enhanced by grunty new tools and weed gel offered by Forest & Bird’s North Canterbury Branch. We are very grateful for this timely generosity. Our expanded kit now includes loppers, saws, grubbers, secateurs, flax knives, safety glasses, and leather gauntlets for that blackberry!
Here is an inventory of plants that we identified.
Weeds dealt with: Tagasaste, plum, cherry, North Island lacebark, cotoneaster, privet, chilean glory vine, blackberry, old man’s beard, muehlenbeckia australis, ivy
Established natives: Ake ake, pittosporum spp incl lemonwood, Kowhai, Hebe spp, coprosma spp, Cabbage trees/ti kouka, flax/harakeke, Senecio, Olearia, and we rescued three mountain beech and a totara. Also found seedlings of five finger and lancewood.
A local participant told us an amazing fact about the Amberley Domain site near where we were working. A magnetic observatory of international scientific importance operated there from 1935 – to 1978. Click here to read more about it.
Coming up: On May 10, we’re hitting blackberry and other weeds infesting a Hanmer Springs wetland where conservation work is being led by the local volunteers at Te Tihi o Rauhea Trust.
To sign up for Hurunui Weedbusters’ events, or for more information: contact Belinda Meares, Hurunui Biodiversity Trust, [email protected], 0221 600 383 or Rima Herber, [email protected], 027 8722 329.
Hurunui Weedbusters at Amberley Domain
Saturday 29 March, 9:30am – 12:30pm
Join us for our next working bee at Amberley Domain. We’ll tackle some rather large woody weeds in an area of mature native bush on the side of the domain near the school.
Jobs will involve cutting out plants including chilean flame creeper, tagasaste (tree lupin), cotoneaster and plum.
There will be a need for some grunty tools such as handsaws, pruning saws, grubbers and loppers, so bring your own if you can. We’ll provide some secateurs, gloves, and Cut n Paste gel.
Meet: 9.30am at the Amberley Domain, which is off Douglas Road past the school and pool. Turn left, go down the drive and opposite the Bowling Club there is a large carpark. Morning tea is on us!
Please register with Belinda Meares, Hurunui Biodiversity Trust, [email protected], 0221 600 383 or Rima Herber, [email protected], 027 8722 329. Let us know your contact phone number for registration purposes.
