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Monday 9 May 2005 - The Last Resort, Karamea
Buses departed early for Westport then continued on the post conference tour, via Reefton.
A stop was demanded by rebellious passengers to sample locally-made ice cream at Waimangaroa Store.
Knights New Nursery, Westport.
Refreshment stop. Colin and Marjorie Knight’s new venture into fuschia, begonias and a range of ornamental trees and shrubs was well patronised, despite a limited capacity to convey purchases away.
Travelling the Lower Buller Gorge through the scenic route to Inangahua.
Our esteemed driver Frances (famous TV star) perhaps noticed that our coach became unusually quiet as rock face appeared close above and on one side, with thin air and river way below on the other side...
Hawks Crag, which our coach had just negotiated.
Rotokohu Blue Lavender.
Another great lunch; at Alan and Margaret Adair’s purple venture and aromatic products.
Alan proposed a few 'secret weapons' to lessen the frightful labour overhead involving bed maintenance and harvesting.
Various forms of mulch/weedmat were being evaluated. He had found herbicide on a paint roller, and power hedgeclippers to be helpful.
Our studies were interrupted as another 'coalie' rumbled past - serious rail freight. Another thousand tonnes of non-renewable resource, flogged off overseas and gone forever from our energy reserves. In comparing our precious coal to the naturally-renewable forest resource growing hereabouts but locked up...
Beech Forest Sustainable Heritage Timber Management.
- of tools, timber, beeches, birches and pines -
reds, blacks, whites, yellows...?
A red wood had an attractive scent.
We travelled a short distance to a suitable site to examine the principles of native beech ecology and management techniques.
Given the slightest chance, the forest was always striving to regenerate itself.
We came across many points of interest in this session, with much interesting discussion with the benefit of informed background information on hand.
We saw where stands earlier under management (since abandoned) were growing healthier trees -
- and noted the health of exotics planted under that management: a eucalypt of harvestable status, right.
Reefton.
Enjoying the outdoors in fabulous weather, our stop here was brief (yep, comforting) on this occasion.
Ikamatua Tree Crops.
Philip McLennan has pioneered a site development on Mid Grey Valley alluvial soils. He has an intensive blueberry operation, tayberrys, pip fruit, and is currently trialing new products of wasabi and yellow raspberry, among his many other activities. (Main Site Visit). And his Blueberry article is published in the December issue of the societys’ quarterly magazine “The Tree Grower”
The number eight wire affliction is strong on the coast - we frequently saw the signs of many ideas having been trialed with substantial committment, and left to their own ends as more rewarding pastimes beckoned. This wasabi trial was perhaps another example, right.
The blueberries grown on this watery site depend upon a reliable band of pickers each season.
The plants from the drier end of the rows were dying back, reportedly from attack by a manuka beetle.
Michael, appropriately, appearing to take a well-deserved bow for an outstanding post-conference tour, and indeed thanks for an outstanding conference -
West Coast Tree Growers and helpers, what a fabulous success!
Text - adapted from the extensive tour notes provided and considered opinions expressed along the way
Photos - Les Gruebner and Gail NewcombDisclaimer: The observations made here do not necessarily reflect the opinion of NZTCA, the membership, or the tour hosts.
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Created: 2005 May 30 - Updated: 2007 August 10