News & Events

Otatara Landcare Group is organising tree releasing sessions at Bushy Point each Wednesday in February, starting 1 February, and possibly extending into March, from 6.30-7.30pm, weather permitting.

Meet at the Bryson Rd entrance to Bushy Point.

The plantings carried out on Tree Planting Day last September will be checked first, then we will move on to other areas where some seedlings still need releasing from encroaching grass etc if they are to survive and prosper. Various methods can be used to release the trees and suppress competing grass growth, as will be shown.

Please bring:

shoes or gumboots suitable for working in long grass

gardening gloves

clothing suitable for the expected weather conditions

a face mask if you are allergic to dust or grass seeds

safety (or other) glasses to protect eyes when weeding amid tall grass stalks

optionally, a pair of sharp garden shears suitable for cutting grass.

Please contact Douglas Black on 022 104 8661 for more information or to find out where we are working on the night.

If you are a resident in Otatara you should have had the Pigeon Post delivered to your door. Here is the colour version (PDF, 2.17 MB). Enjoy.

Over 90 people helped plant 1100 local native plants on 11 September 2022. On the previous Friday OLG committee and helpers put the plants out on-site from Linda and Rays special Bushy Point plants area. On the planting day mist shrouded the site early morning but people and cars filed in from the Bryson Road entrance. Barry gave a welcome and health and safety talk then people split into small groups with planting leaders and headed off to the various planting sites at 10am. As people planted and moved closer to the gathering area the smell of onions and sausages from the bbq tended by Linda and Cathy came wafting over to the planters. This gave added motivation to get the last remaining plants in and covered by midday!! By then the sun was fully out and made for a glorious day. Barrys organisation of the day was fantastic and just over 1100 plants were planted adding to the previous 31,000 plants for the site since the year 2000. A new self-guided walk brochure has been made for the site by Cathy Macfie and Helen Duston and is avaiable at the Bryson Road entrance to pick up when you next go for a walk at Bushy Point. You can also print it out yourself here (PDF, 674.01 kB).

BUSHY POINT BIG PLANTING DAY

Sunday 11 September 2022

Where: Entrance off No: 5 Bryson Road (Estuary end)

When: Arrive 9.50 a.m. for a 10 a.m. start

FREE BBQ from 12 noon

One thousand plants are ready and waiting.

Give us a hand to grow Bushy Point’s forest-in-the-making!

What we need you to bring:

• Gardening gloves
• Spade (narrow ones are best to dig planting holes)
• Appropriate footwear and clothing for the conditions
• Drink Bottle

Keeping ourselves safe from Covid

• The planting sites are small and scattered, ideal for separate groups of family and friends. Each planting area will have a team leader.
• We will provide hand sanitiser, soap and water.
• If you feel at all unwell, please stay at home!

OLG AGM - Thursday 12 May 2022 – Church Oreti Road 7pm

Barry Smith to give a talk – “The Volcanic Eruptions of Hawaii in 2018 & 2020”