Month: January 2013

Ashhurst wetland: the restoration of the wetland that wasn’t

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Wetlands below Ashhurst Domain, on a site that was once the course of the Pohangina River
Wetlands below Ashhurst Domain, on a site that was once the course of the Pohangina River

Though we often hear about wetland restoration projects, the Ashhurst wetland, on the river flats below the Ashhurst Domain [click here to view location] is not a case of “restoration” in the normal sense. Continue reading →

Dear’s Bush – a rare relic of Manawatu swamp forest

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George Dear in Dear's Bush
George Dear standing on the “bridge” across Maire stream, which runs through one block of the bush preserved by his grandfather in the 1870s.

A few days ago, I had the privilege of visiting a piece of remnant forest on the plains between Manawatu and Rangitikei Rivers [click here to view location]. The bush was set aside by George Dear, an immigrant from Bedfordshire, England, who became one of the first settlers in the Rongotea district. Continue reading →