All previous newsletters can be found here.
Work Day Reminder, July 19 2025
The next monthly work day will be from 9.00am – noon this coming Saturday.
This month we’ll probably be doing some weeding and tidying up along the path between the Travis Country Drive houses and Angela Stream.
If you arrive late there will be a notice on the Education Centre door explaining where we have gone and a phone number for you to call if you need more guidance to our location.
All tools provided. Gumboots are recommended. If you don’t have any we have pairs for loan at the Education Centre. Please bring your own gloves if you can, but we have some of them for loan too.
If the weather on the work day is poor and we decide to cancel then an email will be sent by 8am on Saturday morning. So if you think the conditions are marginal, please check your emails.
If you’re reading this on the website and are not on the email list then you can add yourself to it through the form at the foot of the home page. If you change your mind there’s an unsubscribe link in each newsletter.
Volunteers welcome
Would you like to volunteer to help with caring for the wetland? We would be interested to hear from you. You may have a community group, workplace or extended family that would like to be involved too. Please contact us via info@traviswetland.org.nz
Latest News
Report on the Previous Work Day, 21 June
Winter is planting season and this time we were working over the road from Travis Wetland in the red zone between Brooker Avenue and Anzac Drive. The morning was cloudy with a chilling south-west wind, but this did not deter our keen team of 15.
Colin and helpers laid out about 160 plants along a waterside site that had been partially planted a couple of years ago. Moisture loving plants such as Umbrella Sedge and Kahikatea were placed closest to the water, with flax and cabbage trees leading out to variety of trees and shrubs to suit drier areas.
Perhaps the cold conditions encouraged fast work, as most plants were in the ground soon after 10 am. A rain shower arrived as well and the only sensible solution was to break for a very early lunch back at the Education Centre. Thanks to everyone who got up early to help out at mid-winter.
Article and image: Sue Britain
Students from Hong Kong at Ōruapaeroa Travis Wetland
Last month a Conservation Volunteers working party at Travis included seven students from Hong Kong. The enthusiastic group of volunteers joined Wayne’s Wonderful Weeders at the Red Zone, on a very frosty, Wednesday morning. The temperature was -3 when they arrived!
They were all were warmly clad and with big smiles they were keen to add to the existing plantings. The area is very close to Anzac Drive so we were able to point out where the Kate Shepherd Complex had existed and talked about the earthquake and its consequences.
Once the planting was done everyone made their way to the warm room at the Education Centre. After a hearty morning tea the group explored the Wetland via the Bird Hide and eel attractions.
Big thank you to all, well done.
Article: Eleanor Bissell, images: Donna Lusby
Kiwi Conservation Club Outing at Travis
On 22nd June after a yummy light lunch of soup, scones, cheerios and other tasty treats Forest & Bird KCC kids ventured forth into the wetland. They scattered raw sheep’s wool for the birds to use as Spring nesting material. The wool was hung on bushes at the Inwoods Road pathway. The group planted plume grass along there too, before they all went on the A B C Trek, armed with clipboards and pencils. [Idea taken from What’s in my Backyard 2008 KCC Magazine]
Letter L, was particularly interesting as Lemonwood plants are plentiful trackside. [When their leaves were crushed it verified their common name and put smiles on faces.] Letter F provided Fascinating Fungi – some nearly the size of a football, others teeny tiny, colourful and on decaying branches littering the forest floor. These were spotted by sharp eyed kids. All learned that fungi are separate from plants, as are lichens.
John Dunlop set up our new Travis microscope which magnifies what our naked eyes can’t spot. When attached to a computer screen all can gasp in surprise. Participants even spotted minute caterpillars crawling and confused. Huge thank you to John.
Our free exchange and give away table goods proved very popular. Left over goods were donated to an Op Shop.
It was a great afternoon of fine weather that finished with a shared afternoon tea.
Something special to add too!
Heath, who is a KCC member and regular participator at our Travis workdays, came top of his class and best overall for data analysis on his entomology project. He is planning to bring it to Travis on the next work day for all to view. Great going Heath.
Article: Eleanor Bissell, images: KCC
Drains near the car park cleared
Ranger Jason, on a handy digger, cleared the drains near the Beach Road car park. He and Ollie took away 6 loads of oozy wet mud to have the drain water running freely again.
Article and image: Eleanor Bissell
Recent images
All images by Grahame