Kerikeri River Restoration Project

06/10/2026

There are many amazing trees and shrubs along the river but none evoke a greater sense of wonder than the kauri. While we do not have the giants you see in the Waipoua and Puketi forests we do have some big trees. Given the chance to thrive they will become the giants our descendants will look at in awe. But to thrive they need to be looked after and it is frustrating to see people ignore, and in some cases go around, the cleaning stations. They are there for a very important reason.

Kauri dieback disease is devastating many stands of kauri and, having just come back from a walk with a friend of mine in the Waitākere Ranges, I was reminded of how fragile their existence is. We know the pathogen that kills them and there is no cure. Once in the tree it will restrict its ability to transfer water and nutrients. The tree starves to death.

So please clean your footwear going in and out of the forest. The kauri will thank you for it.

30/09/2026

W**dbusters at work: The Kerikeri River W**dbusters continue to tackle the plant pests along the river. This video shows their work along the river track by the Heritage Bypass, highlighting the Asparagus W**d as one of the main plant pests they have to deal with. To ensure it doesn't regenerate when put on the ground they roll it up and put it in the crook of a tree - an 'asparagus w**d nest'. So, if you see these clumps in trees, looking like a messy birds nest, you'll know the W**dbusters have been hard at work.

Want to help, play your part in ridding the river of invasive w**ds - they meet every Monday morning at 09:00 in the carpark at the bottom of Landing Road. Opposite the Stone Store.

26/09/2026

Kerikeri kindergarten are the proud recipients of the 2026 mid winter rat wrangle. Tane is pictured accepting the Te Hautū trophy as he caught the biggest rat of the competition.

A big shoutout to the Kindergarten for their incredible mahi and for the way they are introducing our children to the role of kaitiakatanga (caring for the Ngahere). Every child who enrolls at kindergarten receives their own trap to take home and care for. Numbers of pests caught are collected each week and entered to TrapNZ. The staff are wonderfully enthusiastic and the passion in the kids for catching predators was inspiring!

Nici and Sarah visited KeriKeri kindergarten last week to give them the trophy for the inaugural 2026 competition.

24/09/2026

It’s Spring along the river and there a number of trees and shrubs in flower. Rosie, one of the dedicated W**dbusters team, sent me these wonderful photos of the Kūmarahou and Kowhai in full bloom.

The brief flowering period of the Kūmarahou was traditionally a sign to plant Kūmura ( kūmara = sweet potato, hou = new). It was also known as 'gumdiggers soap' and, because it is able to survive on very barren soils, was also known by some as 'poverty w**d'. For most of the year it is an inconspicuous plant so worth seeing when it is in full flower.

Unlike the Kūmarahou, which is pollinated by insects, the Kowhai is a favourite nectar plant for Tui and other nectar eating birds. It is also an important medicinal plant for Iwi. For me, the Kowhai is a sign of Spring but also, given that they often appear on their own, growing in isolation, and not in large groves, a reminder that we have a long way to go to restore the forest. So, take a walk along the river and enjoy the Kūmarahou and Kowhai in the brief time they are in full bloom.

20/09/2026

It's silly, but with a serious purpose, and a lot of fun. The results are in for Forest & Bird's Bird of the Year 2026. And to think there were only five Black Robins alive in 1980. A wonderful story of what is possible

The diminutive karure black robin has won Bird of the Year.

20/09/2026

Woody Nightshade, also known as To***co W**d, is a major pest plant and Kerikeri River W**dbusters, and others, are doing a lot of work to try and get rid of it along the river. However, while they are working hard to eliminate it, what was once Bing's Wood, where the gum trees have been cut down, has become a Woody Nightshade nursery. There are now acres of the plant growing rapidly and, no doubt, helping spread the plant further along the river.
According to information on the NRC site (https://www.nrc.govt.nz/environment/w**d-and-pest-control/pest-control-hub/plant/woolly-nightshade-tobacco-w**d/), it "grows very rapidly and can crowd out or shade out native plants to form dense stands. It also effectively poisons the soil to inhibit or prevent the establishment of other less hardy species, including native plant seedlings. This has the effect of preventing the regeneration and establishment of native forest." It is also not nice for us, "The berries of Woody Nightshade are also moderately toxic to people (especially children) .... The leaves shed fine hairs when touched, which irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat and in some cases cause trouble with breathing."

It really is depressing when those of us who are working so hard to restore the river, find that others seem to be doing everything they can to ensure it never happens. What was once Bings Wood, a place where the residents of Kerikeri walked for many years, is now a w**d infested site, covered in slash that, as the weather warms and dries, will soon become a major fire hazard. Surely something can be done to rectify this situation.

If you want to do something political contact Councillors and make your voice heard. If you want to do something 'hands on' head down, on Monday mornings, to the Kerikeri River track, opposite the Stone Store, and you'll find the Kerikeri River W**dbusters hard at work. They are always looking for new volunters to join their group.

14/09/2026

Help us restore the river: Would you like to join our trapping team? If so, come along to our workshop being run by Mae Lewis from Kiwi Coast. Learn what is involved in effective trapping and meet the team. Our trap lines are set up so each volunteer checks their line every fortnight and, with two people on each line, it means they are checked weekly. It takes about 1½ hours to check a line, so it is not a big time commitment. If you do decide to join us, further support and training will be provided

The workshop is being held on Sunday morning 27 September. Contact us through this page or txt David on 021800266 for details.

10/09/2026

We often talk about undertaking the trapping programme to protect and restore our bird life, and forget about wonderful little critters like this one. Found and photographed by Cooper, one of our trapping team, this is a rare Northern Green Gecko. It is described as 'at risk' and the population is listed as 'declining', so it is a very special privilege to capture one on camera. It is also a testament to the work the team his doing to reduce pest numbers.

The Northern Green Gecko has been decimated by our introduced pests and the fact that we are reducing their numbers gives little creatures like this one a chance. It is not just the birds, it is also the lizards and insects that are eaten in large quantities by pests such as rats, cats, stoats and weasels and seeing treasures like this keeps us all motivated. Yes, our monthly catch numbers are important, but it is the effect they are having that is the real story.

Thanks for being so sharp-eyed Cooper, and great photographs.

08/09/2026

August was Possum month! 36 possums were caught during the month - a new record. Most of them were caught along a part of the river where we have only just started trapping. It shows not only how many are still around, but also what a wonderful job the team has done in removing so many from the rest of the river. This is not only important for the birds, which are nesting right now - possums are voracious egg eaters - but also for the plant life in the forest. As someone noted in response to our recent post on the Puriri, there is clear evidence that new seedlings are coming through. That would not happen without all the work done by volunteers trapping animal pests and w**ding plant pests. Both are crucial for the regeneration of the forest. Great for the forest and great for the birds that feed on its fruit.

Just imagine if we could achieve what has been achieved on the Otago peninsula and for our precious river to become possum free:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/environment/1304990/birds-flocking-back-after-possums-eliminated-from-otago-peninsula.

Now that is something worth working towards.

06/09/2026

One of the magnificent trees along the river is the Puriri and one is particularly interesting. Unlike the Kauri, the trunk of a Puriri is seldom tall and straight, but often gnarled and bulbous. These lumps and bumps are not harmful to the tree but a natural response to stress, similar to scar tissue. They also helped many survive. When logging of native trees was happening all over Northland, loggers chose the straightest trees, which is why many of the old, lumpy puriri, like this specimen along the river, survived the axe. The wood inside, dense and highly figured, is prized by woodturners for bowls and furniture.

These burrs, as they are called, are caused by stress of some kind; wounds from storms, a broken branch, drought and, of course, the Puriri Moth. Its larvae bore long tunnels into the trunk, and this damage can stimulate abnormal wood growth leading to the burrs we see.

Like many of our native trees the Puriri was widely used by Maori in pre-European times. Puriri wood made weapons and implements and the leaves a decoction used for bathing sprains, backache and ulcers or drunk for sore throats. One of the chemical constituents of the leaves is the methyl ester of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, which has been patented as a germicide.

Just one of the amazing trees along this very special river.