A huge thank you to everyone who came along recently to help with the first native planting session.
Friends of Pōhowera well and truly hit the ground running, with around 30 people, mostly local community members, turning up with spades at the ready to plant close to 300 native plants. The area planted was alongside the cycle track, across from SH1.
Before planting day, local resident Ross James put in a huge amount of time preparing the ground after some recent clearing work by a local contractor.
Each plant was lovingly fertilized, mulched and protected. Council will water the new plants as needed, and we hope our Friends of Pōhowera volunteers will help keep the weeds in check going forward to give them the best possible chance to thrive.
A special thank you to EcoZip, who provided a large number of kānuka and akeake grown in their nursery, and to local residents who have been busy potting up self-seeded natives in preparation. All of the plants were sourced from within 5km of the park and selected for their suitability for the local coastal environment.
And while a huge amount of work was achieved, there was plenty of time for old friends and new to catch up over a delicious morning tea kindly provided by Lynette Buurman, with support from Te Ana – The Caves. What a treat.
This is a much loved coastal area with so much potential. The scale of the work ahead can feel daunting, but every big project has to start somewhere and today we took that first step. This is just the beginning for Pōhowera Park.
NEXT PLANTING
Fri 11th Sept from 10am to 11am followed by morning tea. Further planting in the same area and a bit further along so meet in the Pohowera Park carpark again (turn opposite the Kaikoura Golf Course club entrance).
PLANT CARE WORKING BEE
Going forward Friends of Pohowera will meet monthly for weed and grass control in the planted areas.
Thanks again everyone!
