Working bee Update – Tawa Station Park‘n’Ride restoration area

One of the projects that Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves has been involved over the past couple years is an area adjacent to the Porirua Stream and besides the Tawa rail station “park‘n’ride” area off Melville Street. For many years this area has appeared as a bit of a wasteland overgrown with blackberry and other weeds.

FOTBR members saw this as an opportunity to beautify the area and at the same time enhance the ecology of a portion of the Porirua Stream side. Help and approvals were sought from landowners GWRC and WCC.

GW cleared the site and between own nursery and WCC supplies, about 350 trees / shrubs were planted by FOTBR with the grateful assistance of a corporate volunteer group from ESR at Kenepuru Drive.

Since planting FOTBR has scheduled a couple work bees a year to help keep the more serious weeds at bay, and WCC have contributed with supplies of mulch when requested over the summers.

Now the trees are starting to overtop the weeds and will become more obvious. Some species: manuka, and rengarenga, are already seeing their first flowering season this summer. Many more weeding hours will still be required to keep the site from reverting back to an overgrown wasteland, but already the sign of a remarkable transformation is evident.

If you know of another area of streamside or roadside in Tawa that could benefit for some love and planting, please let us know.

Here’s some images