Flora and Fauna of the Turitea Reserve
Whilst access to the Turitea Reserve itself might be restricted, it is easy to see what lies behind hidden ridges when walking along Turitea Road and Greens Road through to Kahuterawa Road. The tawa/podocarp forest represents the best quality native bush of any kind in the Manawatu.
What relationship do the residents of Palmerston North have with the Turitea Reserve?
Many take advantage of the reserve many times a day without realizing it. Filling a kettle, taking a shower, washing hands, watering the plants, cleaning the car, all are likely to use water piped directly from the Turitea Reserve catchment. What proportion of ratepayers have any idea of the relationship of our quality water supply and the native bush that grows on the reserve? Just 10 minutes from Fitzherbert Bridge and you can be strolling in dappled sunshine amongst native bush containing trees hundreds of years old and native birds rarely seen anywhere else in the Manawatu. Here's just a glimpse of what you're missing and the possible impact of the proposed wind turbine industrial zone on the area. These pictures of the Turitea Road, Greens Road, Kahuterawa Road area were taken recently on a beautifully sunny day. Have a look now before it's too late!
Many of the birds seen elsewhere in the Turitea Reserve can be seen here along easily accessible paths in lush native bush.
Tawa is the predominant tree along with Rewarewa. However emergent rimu can be seen along with nikau palm, pigeonwood, and hinau. Many of the kamahi and rata that the Tararua Ranges were renowned for are now gone, but several kamahi can be observed along the bush-lined section of the Turitea Road and several rata flower along the Turitea River between the Gun club and where the road disappears into the bush.
If you know your plants you'll spot one or two tree fuchsia and putaputaweta along the way. One of the highlights of the walk is a densely shaded bank where parataniwha grows. The Tararua Ranges are the southern most point at which this fleshy purple-leaved plant grows. Another shrub with quite delicate flowers from yellow through to orange and red is taurepo, or New Zealand Gloxinia. You can spot these on the steep right hand bank as you head down Turitea Road through the bush. Not far from this spot are some five-finger and lancewood. The juvenile lancewood are easy to spot but the mature plants are a little more tricky to pick out.
Similar to five-finger, pate have five to nine leaflets, longer than those of five finger. Along the track there are many karamu and kanono (Coprosma robusta and Coprosma grandifolia) that during summer will be laden with orange berries. Where slips have occurred along the road, koromiko and tutu are the first plants to take hold in the bare soil.
Quite often, if you stand quietly a while and look around, the native birds will come to you. Recently seen along the Turitea Road/Greens Road loop have been Tui, Bellbird, Kereru, Fantail, Grey Warbler, Whitehead, Rifleman, Tomtit, Waxeyes, kingfisher, New Zealand falcon, Australasian harrier, long-tailed and shining cuckoos and there was even a report of kaka back in another area of the reserve recently. Quite often morepork can be heard just after dark along lightly wooded areas of the valley. Further down the valley pukeko and white-faced herons can be seen in the marshy paddocks along with spur-winged plovers and hawking Welcome Swallows.
The Huia is long extinct from the reserve but other bird species such as kakariki, kokako, North Island Robin, Blue Duck, Saddleback and Kiwi could be re-introduced, some in as little as 5 to 10 years, if an intensive pest management strategy was undertaken.
All these plants and animals can be seen just a short trip away from town - head on out and celebrate New Zealand's unique fauna and flora.
Other New Zealand plants local to this area can be observed on the New Zealand Plant Conservation website at www.nzpcn.org.nz.
Friends of Turitea Reserve would like the development of a mainland island like those at Pukaha Mount Bruce, Bushy Park, Karori Wildlife Santuary and Boundary Stream where, through a partnership between the community, local council, the Department of Conservation and corporate sponsorship, intensive pest management can be funded and native fauna and flora can be protected - all without the necessity for the installation of an industrial site.
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