Fieldtrip 2003

Field Trip to Oxford -- Porters Pass area with Jocelyn Campbell (Department of Geology, University of Canterbury)

Sunday 19 October 2003

The field trip took a circuit through Cust, to View Hill and back across the Waimakariri to Porters Pass and Lake Lyndon. In the first part of the trip, topographic features generated by the underlying faults were visited. The latter part of the trip concentrated on part of the Porter Pass Fault and the results from recent trenches and surveying discussed in terms of the timing and likely size of earthquakes over the last few thousand years.

Fieldtrip 2002

Past and Present of Canterbury Vegetation

Sunday 19 May 2002

About 40 Branch members met at the University of Canterbury and travelled by bus to Travis Swamp, Riccarton Bush and Kennedy's Bush to view areas of original forests and sites of forest restoration in Christchurch. Led by Matt McGlone of Landcare, Lincoln, members were met by Christchurch City Council ranger, Rodney Chambers at Travis Swamp where they were shown the progress being made towards the development of the Travis Wetland Nature Heritage Park.

Formed about 1600 years ago when a previous estuary became cut off by sand dunes, the site lies in a low-lying depression that is bordered to the north and west by recent travels and to the east by sand dunes. In the l2th-l3th centuries when Maori settled in the area, the swamp was dominated by tall sedges, manuka and other shrubs, with trees, such as matai, totara and kahikatea, at the margins. Subsequent burning changed the flora to be dominated by raupo, flax and tussock. Present day restoration of the area includes numerous plantings and the construction of a lake that is home to many bird species. A well-appointed information centre is on site, as is a bird-viewing building.

The next stop for the group was Riccarton Bush. During the lunch break in Riccarton House, the administration officer for Riccarton House, Graham Hemming, spoke about the history of the Deans family and the house, which members were able to tour before heading out into the bush area. Brian Molloy addressed the group as they sat amongst the trees on a new platform especially designed for such gatherings. He described the progress being made to restore and preserve the bush for future generations to enjoy. Members enjoyed his comments and appreciated his enthusiasm and dedication in preserving us wonderful asset for the city.

The last stop was on the Summit Road where the group viewed remnant forest and shrub areas at Kennedy's Bush. The very cold wind that had been a mere nuisance on the Plains, was quite fierce at the top of the Port Hills, but the group gained shelter and walked among the trees of Kennedy's Bush. Matt gave an interesting commentary on the trees present at the site. These included matai, totara, mahoe, fivefinger and pepperwood.

He posed many questions concerning the future of these remnant bush patches, including their protection from weeds, pests and fire, as well as from human needs, such as those for recreation, scenery, farming and housing development. He concluded that history has not ended for the native ecosystems of the Christchurch region.

The Branch members who participated had a really pleasant and informative day and were very grateful for the expert commentaries provided by the speakers.