New Forest Reserve Near Christchurch

Forest and Bird, Issue 296, 1 May 2000, Page 10

New Forest Reserve Near Christchurch

—James Samuel

igh on the southwestern 7 Port Hills, Christchurch folk are discovering an extensive native forest, dominated by three volcanic heights. The 106 hectares of Omahu Bush, lying just below the peak of Omawete (Cooper’s Knob), form a sizable remnant of the original coastal forest that clothed much of the Port Hills when the Canterbury Association settlers first came ashore in 1850. This private reserve, newly developed by a charitable trust, is the brainchild of Forest and Bird members, Grant and Marilyn Nelson. It includes areas of tussock hillside and a landmark basaltic cone, Gibraltar Rock. Another lower cone breaks the panorama of Lake Ellesmere (Te Waihora) to the southwest. The bush is rich in native trees, a quick count revealing over 20 species, including longestablished matai, kahikatea and

totara. Notable are the kowhai over 14 metres high, and large tree fuchsia, lancewood and ribbonwood. Broadleaf, five finger, tarata, titoki, and kaikomako add to the list. There are dense groves of kanuka, particularly in the lower areas, and the open hillsides have abundant thickets of horopito. A cascading stream is bordered with fern varieties, including well-grown soft tree fern Cyathea smithii and silver tree fern Cyathea dealbata. Here and there are cabbage trees, marble-leafed supplejack, bush lawyer and fierce stinging nettle. The heavy flight of the wood pigeon is soon heard by the visitor; frequently two are at play together, wheeling and swooping high above the forest. The predominant song is that of the bellbird, close overhead and not at all shy. There are also tui, fantails, silvereyes, grey warblers and even kotare, the kingfisher.

The forest was originally part of the celebrated Taitapu Run of Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes. After his death at the age of 95 in 1956 his large estate was divided into smaller holdings and the well-preserved forest tract passed to a farmer named Prendergast, whose name was given to the bush for some years. When the present trust purchased it some 18 months ago, members of the Summit Road Society, inspired by Gordon Kirk, formed a walking track looping down from the Summit Road to the bottom of the forest. Among these outdoor enthusiasts were several connected with the parks and recreation course at Lincoln University. They did the practical work required for the course at Omahu Bush. The track, including an appropriately rustic bridge and tree-naming signs, could not have been built in a better cause.

The whole area lies within a broad valley and includes several permanent streams, notably one with a waterfall at the lower end of the bush. The character of the vegetation shows a marked change at about the 300-metre level. The lower slopes are clothed mainly in kanuka, but higher up, with increasing rainfall, the forest is much more varied and the canopy reaches to 15 metres. The uniform canopy height of this coastal forest suggests some selective logging 100 years or more ago. Omahu Bush offers a rare combination of features — volcanic, botanical and bird life — so close to the city. As Christchurch approaches a population of one-third of a million people, this natural resource will be of ever-increas-ing value to citizens and visitors alike.