‘Summer’ river walk enjoyed despite the rain
On the 25th of January Jesse Bythell led a river walk along a portion of the Waikawa River near Mangai Piri | Niagara Falls. Despite the constant rain, 6 other keen folks turned up from as far away as Niagara and and Mossburn (a visitor at the Motorhome Association campsite). Starting on the bridge we spent some time talking about the long connection of people to this place, then explored the DOC reserve below the bridge (special because it is the only remaining piece of riparian kowhai ribbonwood forest left on the Waikawa which has a closed canopy and includes most of the representative species for this rare local ecosystem type). Winding down Manse Road attendees chatted about the Catchment Group’s Erosion Mitigation Project and recent efforts to intercept sediment and slow the flow - something which felt very apt during the downpour! Stopping at the Dog Dosing Strip planting showed how well the plantings there are doing. While some plants were under water because the river was 3 m above its normal height, the right plants in the right place should tolerate these dynamic conditions.
The Waikawa Community Nursery hopes to offer at least one guided field trip each summer somewhere in the Waikawa Catchment. Stay tuned to find out about future events or contact us to be put on our mailing list: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
Posted: 28 January 2026
