Tuhaitara Coastal Park Field Trip
Sunday 25th September 2022
The Trust’s field trip to Tuhaitara Coastal Park (Woodend) on Sunday 25 September, led by park director Greg Byrnes, delivered a wealth of learning and insights. For instance the red pond “weed” (as some assumed) is in fact a native floating fern Azolla rubra, which fixes nitrogen and is food for tadpoles. Greg’s plan was to take us on a 5 km loop walk, but there was so much to observe and discuss along the way that we didn’t make it that far, so there’s a suggestion of another tour in summer. We were impressed by the approach of facilitating local groups (including schools and whanau) to adopt and look after specific ‘biota nodes’. In this extensive reserve (800 hectares) stretching from Waimakariri River to Waikuku Beach, there are many varied ecosystems that are evolving and interlinking as regeneration efforts take effect. The project only got started 12 years ago, so with 188 years to go to fulfill the Te Kōhaka o Tūhaitara Trust’s 200-year vision, this special part of North Canterbury’s coast promises to teach us lots about how to build a resilient, biodiverse future.