Westmere Lake: A Wanganui Branch Project.

Forest and Bird, Issue 155, 1 February 1965, Page 11

Westmere Lake: A Wanganui Branch Project.

Three miles west of Wanganui, on the road which turns off to Mowhanau beach from the Great North Road, lies Westmere Lake. The reserve, which is owned by the Wanganui City Council, is designated a wildlife sanctuary and is about 50 acres in extent, 26 acres of which are water. It is similar in size to its more popular neighbour Virginia Lake, but much shallower.

The property was at one time part of the estate of Mr. W. H. Watt, the first Mayor of Wanganui. When in 1877 the town was seeking an additional water supply, Mr. Watt made an offer of the Westmere Lake property, and work began on building stopbanks in the vicinity of the outlet to raise the levels some eight feet for increased storage. However, at the turn of the century, an alternative supply was found some miles further out and the waters of Mokoia were allowed to fall back to their original level. The lake is fed by the Mokoia Stream, which enters on the east side and leaves near the entrance gates, eventually flowing into the Wanganui River in the city area; the lower reaches are now confined to concrete channels, which drain much of the residential area and act as a sewer and stormwater drain.

When in 1957 a branch .of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society was formed in Wanganui, Westmere Lake was suggested as a project. The reserve was lying undisturbed, visited only by a few picnickers and swimmers in the summer. Many years before, the city council had planted the lake surrounds with exotic timber trees, principally eucalypts. Stands of pine had been milled before the advent of our planting, but the eucalypts met with little demand. Around the shores there were the inevitable willows. Beneath the tall gums and in gullies there was indigenous cover following the pattern of secondary growth, mainly introduced by birds encouraged by the exotic forest cover, and so the native bird life was considerable. Thus the reserve offered the opportunity of creating, within easy reach of the city, an arboretum of native flora.

Formal permission was obtained from the

city council —the superintendent of reserves, Mr. M. R. Boothby, was (and still is) a member of our committee—and a programme was mapped out. Working bees assembled at the lake as a regular activity on the first Saturday afternoon of the month, and this has continued since the adoption of the project. Gorse and blackberry were grubbed (chemical control was too dangerous under our circumstances) and general tidying and staking attended to over the summer months. In the winter and spring we canvassed for native tree seedlings, but generally better results have been achieved from small seedlings grown in containers before planting out. These have been accommodated at the homes of members and at the council nursery.

The native plants already growing in the reserve were chiefly kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum, some coprosma, mahoe wao (Melicytus lanceolatus), rangiora (Brachyglottis re panda), red matipo (M yr sine australis), kohuhu (Pittosporum tenuifolium), poroporo (Solanuni Caviculare), several tree ferns (Cyathea medullaris) and ponga (Cyathea dealbata), and of course cabbage trees (Cordyline australis). Waterside plants were mainly raupo (Typha angustifolia), with some flax (Phormium tenax). The bird life is rich enough to be interesting. On the lake are grey and mallard ducks, with pairs of black swans as occasional visitors, while wading in the raupo or perched on the willows are pukekos; and the boom of a bittern may be heard when a meal of frogs is to be had. The kingfisher, tui, and grey warbler are always to be heard, and the pied fantail soon makes his presence known. The notes of the shining cuckoo are heard in season and sometimes passing overhead the yelp from a flight of the pied stilts. On winter forage, flights of silver-eyes pass through the reserve.

Our planting for practical purposes has been restricted to stretches of the stopbanks on either side of the entrance gates and to an area, perhaps five acres, surrounding what is colloquially known as the horse-shoe. A year or so after we had started planting, temporary piles were obtained from the eucalypts in the rea . to assist in the construction of the new Cobham bridge spanning the Wanganui River Some damage resulted to our planting but a further area was opened up and offered greater opportunity for planting. It provided, too, unfortunately, the conditions so favourable to

the spread of gorse and blackberry. We had to redouble our efforts with grubber and slasher. The profuse coprosmas and mahoes are providing top cover, however, and provmg good allies, in that they are gradually depriving the aliens of the light they need.

We have planted perhaps seven or eight hundred nativesmany, of course, from the city council nurseries—since we began seven years ago. Our plantings have included kauri (Agathis australis), kowhai (Sophora tetraptera), pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), karo (Pittosporum crassifolium), karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus), puketea (Laurelia novae-zealandiae), puriri (Pit ex lucens), ramarama (Myrtus bullata), rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), totara (Podocarpus totara and P. hallii), titoki (Alectryon excelsum), taupata (Coprosma repens), horopito (Pseudo winter a axillaris), lancewood (Pseudo panax crassif , lacebark (Hoheria populnea), fivefinger (Neopanax arboreum), red beech (N othofagus fusca) and N. solandri, Olearia chathamica, akeake (Dodonaea viscosa purpurea) and Corokia cotoneaster.

As this planting is designed to provide a collection of native plants rather than to preserve a stand of native bush, species not found growing locally in their native state are included. So on any of our trips seedlings are collected, to be. grown in pumice beds with an initial covering of polythene to conserve moisture, and later moved on to pots and containers for eventual planting out. In this way it is possible to collect at any season. The success of the planting depends on regular work on the area, and best results have been achieved where there is light top cover from the eucalypt stands. Open grassy areas have been the most difficult, because of smother, and blackberry and convolvulus run riot. It is also most necessary to stake all plants, at least rapidly to locate them. '

Our numbers at the working bees have dwindledboth Bushy Park and the Ruapehu Lodge now claim our attention and make demands on members’ time. But there is seldom a “first Saturday” without some of the team planting, attacking blackberry, weeding - or driving stakes.

The lake could in time become a native ?em set among the rich pasture lands of the plateau—a reminder of the heritage which is ours. (Contributed.)