Wonders of Whakatane - The Ohope Scenic Reserve

Today I wanted to complete the other half of the Nga Tapuwae o Toi walk, between Whakatane and Ohope, and since the last time it was so nice, I made the same arrangement with my parents: I’d do the hike in the morning while they could enjoy some time in Ohope, then we met somewhere on the long beach, and I rode home together with them.

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Hiking the Scenic Reserve

This time the distance was a little bit more (12 km instead of 11.5 km) though with less elevation gain (387 m instead of 420 m), but the time it took me was roughly the same: about two and a half hours. It consists of two sections, the Bird Walk in Whakatane, and the Fairbrother Loop on the Ohope side. Since the trail led me inland instead of along the coast, it was a pure forest walk. I was impressed at how well the trails were maintained. There were wooden stairs built on the steeper climbs, controlling erosion due to heavy use, and in lower elevation boardwalks led across boggy marshes, keeping the hiker dry-footed, and the wetlands protected.

Supposedly there were also a number of archaeological sites of ancient pas (fortified compounds) in the area, but none of them were accessible to the public, and hence completely hidden from view. Still, it was a beautiful hike, taking me over hills and valleys, through giant fern forests and soggy wetlands, and there were plenty of info signs around, offering an interested mind sufficient information to chew on.

The most beautiful one, on the Ohope trailhead, was carved in the shape of a Maori marae (meeting house). Here are a few of the most prominent trees I came across:

Kauri, the Most Important Tree on Aotearoa

Just at the trailhead of the "Bird Walk" section of the Scenic Reserve, next to Gorge Road in Whakatane is a small Kauri (Agathis australis) grove. The trees are young, planted recently by the local Rotary Club, but they are kauris all right. These unsuspecting trees can grow into massive giants, with an unusually thick trunk. What’s even nicer, is their excellent quality of wood. Its straight grain, rot-resistance, and exceptional weight-strength-ratio make them ideal for boat building, as well as musical instruments. Due to their high abundance on the North Island, they have also been used in construction, as well as for railroad ties, and as a result, their numbers have dwindled by the mid 20th century. Though many of them were planted recently, it will take some time before these trees grow into full maturity.

Wheki – Iconic New Zealand Fern Trees

Probably the most stereotypical tree in New Zealand is the fern tree (Dicksonia squarrosa). With their rough looking trunks and large fern leaves in the crown, but without any branches, this tree resembles a palm (which also grows quite abundantly here in the Bay of Plenty), except it’s a fern! Their prehistoric appearance harkens back to the Jurassic and Cretaceous eras, and just like the kauri, it is quite an ancient species that remained abundant in this isolated part of the world. Unlike the kauri, the fern can be found virtually all over the place, growing relatively quickly, and procreating easily. Its wood is often used for fencing, and it’s not uncommon to see new growth sprouting from logs in fences.

Pohutukawa – the New Zealand Christmas Tree

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The Ohope Scenic Reserve, through which I hiked, is home of one of the largest pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) forests in New Zealand. This much loved tree grows on coastal cliffs, branching out in all directions, and can be up to 20 meters tall, and 40 meters wide. The wood has been highly valued for its strength, and was used for paddles, weapons, and tools, and its nectar for food preservation. Its most recognizable part is its red flower (which blooms in December, so the picture is not mine), which has earned it the name Christmas Tree. Good on you kiwis! It doesn’t always have to be a Douglas Fir, right?

Controlling the Most Notorious Pest

As I walked along the trail, I kept seeing wooden boxes, usually with a piece of bread and an egg inside. On my last visit ten years ago, they were explained to me as possum traps. The Australian brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) - not to be confused with the American Didelphimorphia or opossum - have been introduced into New Zealand relatively recently, where they have been the cause of much destruction. Not only do they eat the eggs and hatchlings of many birds, but they eat shoots, leaves, flowers, and even the bark of many trees, the pohutukawa being among their favorites. To make matters worse, these creatures also carry bovine tuberculosis, which has been eradicated in Australia. In order to control the damage done by these invasive pests, traps have been set out to catch them, rather than poison them, as it had been the practice in the past. This way, these illegal immigrants can be removed from New Zealand’s native bush, and presumably repatriated to their ancient homes. Otherwise, a more effective final solution might await them, which does not poison the native ecosystem.

As for the native fauna, in New Zealand that means mostly birds. As you might have guessed, this place has never been too big on mammals. The only endemic species are seals (who live in the ocean anyway) and a type of bat. Even when Homo sapiens first arrived, they only introduced the dog (on purpose) and the rat (inadvertently).

The birds, however, are so diverse and so abundant here, not only in the remote bush, that I will have to dedicate its own post to them.