This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 96, no 9, October 2024
Work party in Ōrongorongo Valley
Wednesday 28 August 2024
All seventeen of us agreed it was a blooming good day in the lovely Ōrongorongo Valley; we worked hard, chatted and laughed a lot and relished the day’s mild and sunny weather. With DoC’s recommendation, we intended clearing invasive young pampas plants and some gorse on and near the valley floor.
Unfortunately, due to heavy rain on preceding days, we weren’t able to cross the river to clear young pampas on the shingle fan of Browns Stream near Waerenga Hut. DoC had said to tug out young pampas there and if possible dig out the bigger plants. Instead, after a briefing to distinguish between pampas and endemic toetoe, some of us pulled out young non-flowering pampas on the higher and dry sections of the valley floor. Doing so was very worthwhile, because it was invading established patches of other colonising vegetation, some of it endemic, on the river bed.
Meanwhile others dug out small but gnarly deep-rooted flowering gorse on the valley floor. We were careful to shake the roots bare before heaping the gorse on tarpaulins, then lugging it over and piling it up in shady spots close to the river bank.
We particularly enjoyed our lunch break as we sat in the sun and conversation moved to favourite 1970’s recipes (ginger nut log dessert and cheese and pineapple nibbles got a mention).
Thanks to the seventeen hardy TTC’ers who carried in weeding tools and kneeling pads for a very enjoyable and rewarding day out. Thanks also to Joan Basher and Franz Hubmann who joined me on a recce into the valley. Hopefully next year we can cross the river to Browns Stream for a major onslaught on the pampas spreading like wildfire there.
- Party members
- Mary Kane (leader and scribe), Joan Basher, Paul Bruce, Rachel Fry, Paddy Gresham, Rob Handyside, Anthony Hill, Tim Hoare, Franz Hubmann, Cheryl Mc Donald, Peter Morten, Marilyn Richards, Janette Roberts, Ann Walker, Jill Wild, John Willet, Cathy Wylie.