On Wednesday, 29 August 2018, I went back to work after a long weekend planting trees in Golden Bay as part of project Rameka. In my head, I could still feel the earth between my fingers.
Nicole, Jonathan, Sonja, Bronnie, Kate and Perrine take a well-earned lunch break during the Saturday planting session.
Turns out planting trees with a group of caring, like-minded people doesn’t really feel like work at all. The weather – glorious as it often is in Golden Bay (at least in summer) – helped of course. We planted over 300 trees and still had plenty of spare time to have a look around, play games and share food over long conversations.
The views from the historic Rameka track are to die for …
This was the first time I met Jonathan and Bronwen, the creators of Project Rameka.
Jonathan carries a miro and a rimu to their new homes.Bronnie pretends to be digging diligently.Archie, Amy and Ruby take a well-deserved break from the planting to contemplate their efforts.
Over the weekend, I learnt how it all started and came away inspired and in awe. Setting up and running a project like this takes courage, persistence and commitment, and Jonathan and Bronnie do it with a spirit of care, humbleness and community-mindedness. I met two locals involved with the project, Matt and Paul, both of who were knowledgeable and committed to the project – I’m glad I met them.
Matt Shoult shows the team around the project.Paul Kilgour and Andy Cole discuss the finer points of planting at Rameka during their lunch break on the Sunday planting.
I also gained at least two important insights into tree-planting:
1. Planting makomako (wineberry) creates a canopy and shelter that permits other trees, such as rimu, to grow up underneath
2. The forest will regenerate itself when weeds and pests are kept under control (easy as, I say – thanks, Matt!).
Matt stands next to a rare Melicytus obovatus species that he discovered on the project – a very exciting find!
I hope to be back next year 🙂
Nicole Benkert gets her hands into the earth at Rameka.
The euphoria of a good planting session finally gets to … some, but not all … the planters at August’s planting session. From left to right: Andrew McLellan, Geoff Plimmer, Ricky Ward, Bronnie Wall, Paul Kilgour, Kate Potter, Ann-Louise Metcalfe, Karyn Burgess, Marie Langley and Martin Langley.
200 flaxes, 200 pittos, 40 rata, 25 griselinia, 25 others were planted in August at a well-attended working bee where locals and people travelling from outside the bay were joined by Robyn, Tom and Martin from QE II Trust.
Andrew McLellan installs the first QEII covenant sign at the top of the project, while QEII rep Tom Stein looks on.
Together we put up our new QEII covenant signs and walked the recently cleared historic track.
Simon Johnson and Paul Kilgour study the breathtaking view from the Historic Rameka Pack Track.
The views from the track are just fabulous, and it was agreed that the locals who cleared the top half are legends!!! Looking forward to the next working bee at the project on 18/19 November where the aim is make progress on preparing the track to reach Grade 3 standard.
When we raised funds in order to purchase the additional land at Project Rameka, we said to our generous supporters that we would protect that land.
18 months later, the Rameka Forest Restoration Charitable Trust has honoured that commitment by putting 91 ha of Project Rameka under a QEII National Trust Open Space Covenant.
Liz, Bronnie and Jonathan discuss QEII covenant options with rep Tom Stein at the base of the Rameka carbon forest.
A QEII Open Space Covenant protects the land in perpetuity and ensures its current, and future, owners manage the land in a way that protects its natural values.
Negotiating the covenant with the QEII National Trust involved recognising the uniqueness of Project Rameka being a carbon forest that provides riding, running and walking opportunities for the public.
So we and any future owners of the land are required to manage the land by:
protecting and enhancing the native flora and fauna
enhancing the land as a source of carbon dioxide sequestration
allowing non-motorised recreational activity.
Does this mean anything changes in how we currently manage the land? Not hugely, since so much of what we do is already aligned with the covenant’s purpose. But some things might take a little longer to achieve. For example, if we want to build any new tracks or plant exotic trees, we have to first work with the good folks at the QEII National Trust to decide how that would fit with the covenant aims.
But that is a small price to protect the land for good.
And so it has happened. After more than a year of sorting through building consents and engineering requirements, no more wet toes, ankles … thighs …
It doesn’t happen often, but when the Rameka Creek gets it into its head to flood, it can REALLY go to town.
The bridge over the Rameka Creek to Great Expectations has been built!
The actual building only took nine days. But those were nine totally full-on days.
Many more people were involved than are shown in this selection of photos. And to everyone who helped out – many, many thanks and big thumbs up to all of you.
So, here’s a taste of the action that took place over the week:
First up was measuring out exactly where the bridge needed to go …
Ricky Ward checks that everything lines up true for the bridge across Rameka Creek.
Then it was a case of digging ….
Caver Phil Castle is back in his element – digging into the earth as he helps prepare the foundations trench on the bridge site.
And pumping …
Corina Ward helps pump water from the trench.
And digging – did we mention digging?
Brian Sowman and Andrew Smith knuckle in for just a bit more digging.
Measuring, sorting and sawing timber …
Andy Cole gets into the swing of things at the old mill site next to the creek.
But there was still a bit of time to stand back and assess exactly what it was we were doing.
Martin Langley keeps calm and smiles his way through all the hustle and bustle of bridge prep.
And then it was time for the concrete to be poured for the foundations.
Richard Green arrived with the concrete for the foundations on a brilliant morning – perfect for setting.
Then first the piles and later the beams were lifted into place …
Friday was a wet day, but the 12-metre-long beams got lifted into place anyway.
And after that, it was a case of all hands on deck as volunteers came flocking to help hammer, saw, measure, grease, measure, saw, and measure again, bolt, hammer, dig … all the usual things one does to put a bridge in place.
Evan McCarney said this was the hardest holiday he’d ever had. Most of us agreed.Damian Stones and his son Zac prepared an awesome track to the bridge.David Bennett and Robin Dawson measured twice and cut only once to get all the decking timber exactly to size.The weekend round-up involved finishing the retaining wall at the base of Great Expectations, building a ramp to the other side of the bridge and putting in place the decking and then handrails.Stuart Palmer and Karyn Burgess worked hard to sort out a handrail for the ramp onto the bridge – and it wasn’t easy!Andrew McLellan treated the sawed timber ends while Brett Whiteley and Helen Spring worked on the bridge decking.
And finally the bridge was complete … Ta-daaa!
Fil and Albie Burgers put the final touches of stain to the bridge across the River Rameka.
In the first week of November 2015, Jonathan, Bronnie and Simon Johnson headed down to Rameka with this year’s American interns from the HECUA New Zealand programme – Olivia Thorp and Hardt Bergmann. The agenda was to:
release the trees planted in August
take part in the DOC Conservation Week trapping workshop
tidy up a couple of unrideable corners on The Odyssey
clean up Great Expectations.
And time was built in to show our US visitors the highlights of the Bay.
Bronnie, Olivia, Simon and Hardt celebrate creating a new sitting platform at the entrance to Rameka
This was the first time Olivia and Hardt had been to New Zealand and probably the first time they’d spent any time taking care of a forest restoration project. We asked them to share their thoughts:
Hardt and I spent seven tiring but adventurous days in Rameka Carbon Forest with Jonathan Kennett, Bronwen Wall, and Simon Johnson. On Saturday, we packed ourselves along with a week’s worth of supplies, tools, and traps into Jonathan’s tiny Ford Mondeo and made our way up to the Lorax Lair at the top of the hill.
Weka rule at the Lorax Lair
We quickly grew to love this place and its quirky features, especially the wood-fired bathtub on the edge of the hill. Built by locals who often visit the lair, it was a great way to unwind after a hard day’s work!
Our first full day out we participated in a trapping workshop run by DOC, along with many other locals from the Golden Bay area to discuss pest control, particularly of possums, rats, and stoats.
Volunteers from Golden Bay gathered at the Totara Car Park for a trapping workshop
After the workshop, about 15 volunteers headed up to clear 150m of the severely overgrown original historic Rameka Track. This track was built in the 1890s as an access route between Takaka and Tasman Bay. Once the main road was built, the pack track was pretty much abandoned, sections fell into disrepair and over time disappeared beneath plant growth. We aimed to change that!
Jonathan sets a trap on the ‘new’ Historic Pack Track.
We spent the next several days setting up traps for possums in hopes of helping the native flora and fauna to flourish.
When we weren’t setting up traps, we were weeding around the native trees Bronnie, Jonathan, Simon, and others had planted the year before or working on the Odyssey and Great Expectations tracks, the two mountain bike tracks that run through Rameka. This work involved clearing overgrown trees and tidying up a particularly rough switchback to make it more rideable.
Hardt Bergmann stands on a switchback before starting work to make it more rideable, The Odyssey, November 2015And the finished product – satisfaction plus!
It was a week full of spectacular views, heaps of learning and hard but rewarding work.
