11-13 November 2005
Mark brown reports ...
A small but enthusiastic group of plant rooters met at Arthur's Pass, sat around a table at the Drunk Duck Restaurant (or was it the Wobbly Kea?) and planned the next couple of days of seeking and sharing.
Pissing down with rain, a cold pie for breakfast, we then had a very interesting look around the DOC Headquarters where we were able to see a huge change in travel over Arthur's Pass in the last 100 years. We were also able to identify some plants including Coriaria angustissima, an herbaceous tutu with fern-like leaves which is a nitrogen fixer and therefore a coloniser in this high rainfall area. We also saw Brachyglottis bidwillii, a sub-alpine shrub with thick, stiff, dark green leaves and white tomentosum underneath.
Then we proceeded on to the Otira viaduct where we saw some magnificent specimens of Dracophyllum traversii, the mountain neinei and Hoheria Lyalii, the mountain ribbonwood. Grant Hayman was involved with the propagation of plants required for the re-vegetation around the new viaduct and told us some of the trials and tribulations he encountered on this project.
Still persisting down we descended down the Otira gorge admiring the engineering of the new road and then stopped at the Jackson's Hotel to dry out by their open fire. Not everybody got dry. We then headed for Lake Brunner and lunched at the Station Café in Moana, the capital of Brunner, the picnic having to be abandoned due to the weather.
After lunch our trusty van and driver, Steady Eddie, took us to Blackball, an ex mining town above the Grey River, and we were able to visit the Blackball Salami Company which had a great range of salamis and processed meats. Unfortunately the Bier sticks made us very thirsty and we had to stop at the Former Blackball Hilton Hotel. Once again the history here was amazing as was the Monteith beer.
We then followed the Grey River to the coast then headed north to Punakaiki along some very spectacular coast. Here we met up with Joan Hamilton who then took the position of being our fearless leader.
In the afternoon Joan took us down Truman's Track to the beach and we drank to the sandflies as the sun set in the west. The plants growing in this area are regularly drenched by sea spray and handle this situation extremely well although the Melicytus ramiflorus were burnt from a winter storm. A few of the plants thriving were Asplenium obtusatum, Coprosma repens, Hebe salicifolia and further away from the coast were Prumnopitys taxifolia, Metrosideros robusta, Freycinetia banksii and Rhopalostylis sapida.
We then visited the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. As it was later in the day most of the Germans had gone home so we were able to have a good look at the flora where we observed Euphorbia glauca, Asplenium obtusatum, Disphyma australe and a great mixture of both Phormium tenax and cookianum, Coprosmas, Grisilineas and Hebes. We also saw Shirley O trying to push Dave into a blowhole but luckily for him a couple of members rushed to his rescue.
That evening we retired to the local hotel for food, drink and sleep.
Sunday dawned and the weather was showery but warm. Joan gave us a tour of Punakaiki Villas, which is a tourist complex she had planted approximately four years previously. Here we saw a very interesting Phormium with shorter wide leaves and very red flowers. Tony Ho is trying to identify this at present. We also saw a good specimen of Griselinia lucida in flower.
Then it was time to head back to civility but we had to stop at the Jackson's Hotel as the salt air had made us thirsty again and Dave was not leaving the West Coast until he had eaten whitebait, and here he was able to satisfy his desires. Once again over Arthur's Pass and onto Christchurch were the rain was heavier than on the coast. |
