Club Night July 2016
There were two safety notices.
Blakely Pacific are Harvesting trees in the Herbert Forest. While not directly near walking tracks care still needs to be taken on their roads.
DOC are undertaking possum control in the Lake Ohau area.
Trip reports:
Wednesday Walkers had four walks over the last month. A circuit to Douglas Rock on Dome Hills Station, the Black Cap – Scout Hill circuit, the Weston escarpment circuit, and a farm walk near Baghdad Rd.
The tramping Club had no trips that actually went so we heard about a members walk on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Planned Club trips are to Mts. McKenzie & Trotter, a bike ride in the Kakanui area, and an overnight trip to Mt. Summers. More details are on the NOTMC website.
Our guest speaker was local botanist Hugh Wood who gave a talk and showed slides about the flora and fauna from the Southern Ocean to the Mountain tops of the Mount Cook National Park.
He started off at the Auckland Islands where the Hooker sea lions are affected by canine distemper with only 25% of 1994 numbers left. We also saw yellow eyed penguins, gentians that are purple, and mega herbs whose leaves are designed to act like solar panels and collect mist droplets for their roots.
Then it was to the Chatham Islands featuring the Chatham Island Forget-me- not, to the Waipapa Point gentians, Curio Bay fossilised trees, and Trotters Gorge limestone formations, Celmisia Hookeri and sun orchids.
The Waitaki Valley featured Clematis Afoliata near Georgetown, vegetable sheep on the Kirkliston Range, mountain dragon flies that used to be the size of seagulls in the Crustacean Period, buttercups on the Awakino Saddle, and native convolvulus on the Otematata Saddle.
The mistletoe at Lake Ohau is now growing on the matagouri thanks to DOCs possum control, but the bright pink flowers of the hebe, Swainsona novae-zelandiae on the Ben Ohau Range are being eaten by the hares.
Our most intelligent bird, the kea is declining in numbers, estimated to be between 1000 and 5000. It is hoped a more accurate count will be done soon.
Hugh’s slides showed the full colour of the native plants and mountain scenery and his wide ecological knowledge, memory of plant names and their distribution area here in our own back yard gave us a new perspective into the places we tramp.