The Onamalutu Reserve |
First settled by European farmers in the 1850s, the discovery of gold in many of the Northbank’s valleys saw small settlements spring up as prospectors came in search of their fortune.
By 1871 the best of these claims were worked out although gold-bearing quartz reefs were worked between 1899 and 1922.
The 1930s depression saw people desperate for work searching the Northbank’s valleys for gold yet again, though with little success.
Early farmers burnt vast areas for grazing with the inevitable effect on the natural vegetation.
To stabilise the erosion, planting of pine forests began in 1967, and today access to the Mount Richmond Forest Park is through these forests on forestry roads.
The Forest Park offers many recreation opportunities including hunting, fishing, tramping, a variety of shorter bush walks and mountain biking.
Just 5km from “Nutmeg Creek” is the historic Wakamarina Track. The track is an old gold miners’ trail cut in 1871, which traverses the Richmond Range from Bartlett’s Creek to the Wakamarina Valley.
The Onamalutu Scenic Reserve and its unique remnant of virgin podocarp forest give the visitor an example of the forests that once covered the alluvial plains of the Wairau and surrounding valleys.
Mussel Farming
The sheltered, unpolluted waters of the Marlborough Sounds are the home of the New Zealand Greenshell™ Mussel industry.
The port town of Havelock is acknowledged as being the mussel capital of New Zealand and is host to the annual Mussel Festival.
Since its beginning in the 1960s, the mussel industry has grown to become the provider of New Zealand’s second most valuable seafood export.
About 2153 hectares of Marine farms in the Marlborough area produce 50,000 green-weight tonnes of mussels annually.
Nelson Lakes National Park
This park protects 102,000 hectares of the northern-most Southern Alps. The park offers tranquil beech forest, craggy mountains, clear streams and lakes both big and small.
Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa are the largest lakes in the area offering the trout fisherman plenty of scope.
Caitlin, Rob (centre) and friends at Lake Rotoiti. |
Craggy mountains surround the lakes. The vegetation is predominantly beech, with the red and silver species growing in lower, warmer sites and mountain beech at higher altitudes. The bush line, where forest gives way to alpine plants, is a remarkable feature of the park; the change is abrupt and uniform as if drawn with a ruler. In summer the alpine fell fields teem with flowers, though typically they tend to be pale colours, white, light blue and sometimes yellow.
The forests are full of birds such as tomtits, robins and the tiny rifleman, New Zealand's smallest bird. South Island kaka are also present. A highlight in the park is the Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project, which aims to create a pest-free refuge in the honeydew beech forests beside Lake Rotoiti, paving the way for the recovery and re-introduction of native species in the area. It also provides an ideal opportunity for the public to see conservation work at first hand, and for people to enjoy and appreciate New Zealand's unique natural attractions.
To find out more, contact:
Department of Conservation
St Arnaud
View Road, St Arnaud
Private Bag, St Arnaud
Phone: 64 3 521 1806 Fax: 64 3 521 1896
Email: starnaudao@doc.govt.nz
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While similar restoration efforts have been made for years on New Zealand's offshore islands, the 825ha Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project is part of a national programme aimed at extending these successes onto the mainland through the creation of island-like refuges, known as 'mainland islands'.
There are networks of short tracks exploring the forest, lake shore and glacial features of both lakes.
Longer walks and alpine tramping trips are also available. The most popular are the Travers/Sabine Circuit and the trip up to Lake Angelus, a beautiful alpine lake. In summer these tracks are suitable for parties of average fitness and skill, in winter more experience is required.
Jack and Tan
Pelorus Jack
In the late 19th and early 20th century a dolphin, nicknamed Pelorus Jack, used to guide vessels safely through the treacherous French Pass, a narrow stretch of turbulent water between D'Urville Island and the Mainland.
Pelorus Jack was so reliable that skippers would wait for him to appear before entering the pass.
On one unfortunate occasion a drunken passenger on a vessel called the Penguin took a shot at Pelorus Jack and wounded him.
Jack recovered from his wound and while Jack continued to guide other vessels through the pass for many years, he never again went near the Penguin.
It is interesting to note that the Penguin was later lost with the loss of many lives as it sailed through French Pass.
