Mid Canterbury
with Tussock
& Beech
Stretching from the Southern Alps
to the Canterbury Plains, the
80 000 hectares Hakatere Conservation Park was created in
2007 to preserve a significant area of eastern South Island High
country with outstanding scenic, wildlife and landscape values. It
has been proposed as a natural site of high
priority for UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Mt Somers (the
village and mountain both have the same name) lies at the eastern
end of the Ashburton Gorge, the main access route to the Park. The
village is a small settlement with a population of 200; the mountain
is an ancient rhylolite & andesite volcanic intrusion, formed 90
million years ago. Staveley
is a small hamlet (population 50), located at the foot of the
mountain at the northern end of the
Mt Somers Tracks. Close
by is the Sharplin Falls,
a beautiful waterfall accessed by 30 minute walk through pristine
mountain beech forest.
O Tu Wharekai, at
the heart of the Hakatere Conservation Park, is one of the best
examples of an unspoiled, intact, inter-montane
system of wetlands
remaining in New Zealand. Whereas over 90% of the nation’s wetlands
have been destroyed, the loss in this area is only 1.5%. It includes
the largest habitat for aquatic birdlife in New Zealand and supports
30% of our indigenous species. This includes the wrybill,
black-fronted tern, black-billed gull and banded dotterel – the
“famous four” braided river bed breeding birds, all endemic and
threatened. >80% of the national total of wrybill breed in the area.
The 2185 m high Mt Hutt
carries a wide diversity of plants and habitats, ranging from
mountain beech and southern rata forests, through sub alpine scrub,
tussock grasslands to high alpine communities. Many species of
uncommon alpine plants can be seen including mountain buttercups,
edelweiss, vegetable sheep and the black cotula.
Aoraki-Mt Cook and Arthur’s Pass National Parks are within driving distance of Staveley. Well known
for alpine flowers during the summer they are also home to some of
New Zealand’s rarest birds: kaki /black stilt at Aoraki-Mt Cook and
mohua / yellowhead, yeloow and orange-fronted parakeet / kakariki
and raroa / great spotted
Erewhon – The High Country
Reflections on an Images of a frozen landscape programme.
Under a mighty microscope
smaller than small we crawl.
Marvelling at things far & near
we poke & peer
While ranks of mountains,
winter white,
encircle Erewhon with peace
and everything is brilliant light.
Nowhere has found her niche
Here, rivers of ice
encased in frost
once crushed the mountains which they crossed.
Entwining now in braided flow
gently through the plans they go.
No nick of time disturbs
this shining valley,
where grows the golden tussock grass,
rippling with light as the
snow wind
lays its cold hand upon the crystal air.
Until an undulating wave of snowy backs,
moves the snowy mountain’s flanks
as, silhouetted against an aching blue, the shepherd
whistles in his dogs.
Judith Madden, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland,
Australia. July 2006