All previous newsletters can be found here.
Work Day Reminder, July 18 2026
The next monthly work day will be from 9.00am – noon this coming Saturday.
This month we will be planting in gaps along the Mairehau dune system and in the Inwoods Rd area. If you want to go there directly we’ll be meeting opposite the Wetlands Eatery at 345 Mairehau Rd (Burwood Health Medical Centre). Or meet at the Education Centre as usual – someone will be there at 9am. 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
Report on the last work day, 20th June
Fifteen keen souls turned up on a fine winter’s morning to do some planting in the old horse paddock to the north of the Beach Rd carpark. It was a fairly blank canvas and ranger Matt wanted to soften one of the unnaturally square corners with some native plants. These were fince specimens that had been recently purchased by the Trust from Trees for Canterbury. Fine weather made for good progress and more plants had to be fetched from the shade house a couple of times.
Digging conditions were generally good, but along the line of the major wastewater pipe coming from Belfast there were lots of stones just below the surface that made excavation challenging. Persistence was required to get a hole of sufficient depth to ensure a happy plant. We were fortunate to have some energetic people, including two international students, with the necessary muscle power.
It was the day before the shortest day so it was a bit bewildering to have the temperature soar to 22C while we had morning tea. However, there were no complaints about the unseasonal warmth as we enjoyed food and drinks on the Education Centre verandah.
Thanks to everyone who came along and pitched in.
Article and images: Dave Evans
KCC Predator Programme at Travis
Busy, noisy, hammering sounds from inside dominated after Ben’s well-informed introduction to the Forest & Bird Kiwi Conservation Club about predators in our country. Enthusiastically, closely watched and with parent assistance the great turnout of participants put together traps to catch rats. All equipment was provided free by Predator Free NZ whose nationwide goal is to eradicate mustelids, rats & possums in NZ by 2050.
Following trap making the kids ‘decorated’ tracking tunnels with pictures of predators and our native creatures ranging from Wētā, to birds. Super pumpkin soup and other lunch goodies followed and were enjoyed by all.
To finish the programme kids put together peanut butter & birdseed ‘cones’ to take with them and hang on a tree of their choice. A reminder of the NZ garden bird survey starting 27th June ending July 5th. All made items were for the participants to take home.
Thank you to the helpers and big shout out to Ben for organising the programme and to the CCC for the use of Travis Wetland meeting room. Outside the rain fell!
Article and images: Eleanor Bissell
Gallons of Sweat
Following the purchase of Travis Swamp in 1997 a plan was made to plant a tōtara-matāī forest of 6 to 7 hectares in the southern part of the wetland by a bend in Angela Stream. This type of forest is rare in Canterbury and the aim was to have a patch in eastern Christchurch to attract birds such as bellbird, kererū and tūī.
IAG New Zealand kindly donated $5000 for plant purchase and provided practical assistance during preparation and planting in 2005.
It is well worth reading the excellent article about this in the Trust newsletter from May 2006.
The writer expected the project to take several years, thousands of plants and gallons of sweat. Anyone who has planted or weeded in the area will have contributed to the gallons of sweat and also to the amazing lush and varied bush that now fills this section of the wetland (now referred to at the Southern Woods). This has been an amazing achievement as we learn to adjust to earthquakes, climate changes and weed invasions. We look forward to further enrichment over the next 20 years and beyond.
Article: Sue Britain Images: John Skilton and CCC
Thirty years ago – CCC buys Travis Swamp
The below newspaper clipping is from the 3rd of June 1996.
After prolonged negotiations with Travis Country Estates Ltd the Christchurch City Council secured the remaining 60 ha of Travis Wetland – giving a total of approx. 110 ha. So began the restoration of the wetland to the amazing area it is now 30 years later.
Snippets from the Rangers
Working on Mondays the CCC rangers have started repairing the wet sections of track by adding new culverts. This work will be carried out over the next few months. They have started at the Angela Stream Bridge and are working back towards the cattle yards (near the main pond eel viewing site). They are doing the worst section first – the track is extremely wet now in this section!
They have noted that while trying to keep their feet as dry as possible walkers are leaving the track and walking at the sides. Although there is some grass visible at the sides of the track the wet mud there is deeper than the water on the hard surface in the middle of the track. Please keep to the track.
The ranger team and a CCC parks asset planner looked at all the buildings and discussed what work should and could be done. After any maintenance that is essential the budget will limit what can be achieved over the next 12 months. Maintenance and enhancement of the historic buildings is an ongoing process.
Rodent bait stations were baited twice in May to try and reduce the rodent population before winter. It’s a good time to target rodents when the natural food supply reduces and they are looking for alternative food sources.
Matt flushed an Australasian bittern during the recent bird survey. Two Cape Barren Geese and two black fronted dotterels were also observed.
Excerpts from ranger Matt Rose’s report to the Trust’s board meeting in June.
Recent images from Ōruapaeroa Travis Wetland
