Project Description:

The waterway

The meaning of Takapuna reflects the many springs or puna that bubbled out of the whenua from Maungauika in present day Devonport to the urban area known today as Takapuna. When the Tainui and Arawa waka landed in this area they drank from these springs, likewise when European ships visited the area in the late 1820’s the springs were used to replenish water supplies.

Today those springs still exist but are largely piped underground and out of sight. We want to restore some of this urban habitat and revegetate it so birds, lizards and fish can return.

The urban waterway we plan to restore first is on reclaimed land in Narrow Neck – some underground parts we would like to daylight. An existing tributary is spring fed and has some exotic and native vegetation around it and contains eels, and possibly kokopu. We believe it is the only remaining open stream in the Devonport area.

Who we are

Our group – Ngātaringa Eco-Corridor volunteers was formed over two years ago and has been assiduously removing tradescantia – a weed that smothers the forest floor – from the forested area as well as removing other pest plants and planting natives to stabilise the banks. We are part of the Restoring Takarunga-Hauraki initiative funded by the local area Board

A group of around ten meet every friday for an hour or so, and we have community days once a month with a bigger group of local people. A local school monitors the health of the waterway.

The tiny forest and the birdsong is a reminder of other times, Visitors always linger in the area enjoying the experience, peering into the tiny stream, watching the local birds washing and drinking.The stream flows into a drain at the edge of the golf course (Alison Park) that flows directly into Ngātaringa Bay inside the harbour.

Our project

We would like to increase planting massively and regenerate an area currently in grass along Seabreeze Road to form a green corridor for fish and birds, that runs from Narrow Neck beach across the peninsula into the inner harbour. 50% of freshwater species require this unique habitat that transitions from salt water to freshwater, so new habitat in an urban area is one of our goals. This new planting will also become a resource for local birds and birds visiting from offshore islands, particularly Rangitoto, 3 km away.

We need your support

We need your help with this exciting project – we have 1233 metres of waterway to plant. We need $75,213 to buy plants and nurture them until they are well established. Funds that you donate will be used to purchase plants, co-ordinate this large project,  remove some large pest trees seeding prolifically and to provide ongoing maintenance to ensure that plants thrive once they are planted. Our volunteers will do the planting and most of the releasing of plants to establish them.

Lets reverse the extinction crisis in the suburbs by creating habitat in unlikely places that provide a legacy of biodiversity for our children.