Hinewai Reserve
| Hinewai Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Hinewai Reserve sign by the main gate | |
 Interactive map of Hinewai Reserve | |
| Type | Nature reserve |
| Location | Banks Peninsula, New Zealand |
| Nearest city | Akaroa |
| Coordinates | 43°49′S 173°2′E / 43.817°S 173.033°E |
| Area | 1,426 ha (3,520 acres) |
| Created | September 1987 |
| Operated by | Maurice White Native Forest Trust |
| Status | Open to the public |
| Designation | Private reserve |
| Website | hinewai |
Hinewai Reserve is a private nature reserve located on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. It is owned and managed by the Maurice White Native Forest Trust.
Description
[edit]The reserve began as a 109-hectare block of farmland purchased in September 1987. It has since expanded to approximately 1,426 ha (3,520 acres), and is now covered with a mix of gorse and regenerating native bush.[1][2]
The land was originally forested before human settlement, but much of the native vegetation was cleared following European colonisation. The area is now undergoing rapid reforestation, with gorse acting as a nurse crop for regenerating native species.[3]
The reserve features over 20 public walking tracks, including sections of the Banks Peninsula Track.
Management
[edit]Botanist Hugh Wilson manages the reserve on behalf of the Trust. He also hand-writes and illustrates the quarterly newsletter Pīpipi, which reports on the reserve’s progress and ecology.[4]
Events
[edit]In July 2011, approximately one-third of the reserve was burned in a large fire, likely caused by a lightning strike.[5] By 2017, native vegetation had regrown rapidly, aided by the role of gorse as a pioneer species.[6]
In December 2021, dramatic floods caused widespread landslips across the reserve, reshaping parts of the landscape.[7] Further recovery and growth of gorse and native shrubs was reported in 2024 and 2025.[8]
Gallery
[edit]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Cronshaw, Tim (22 February 2008). "Return of the Natives". The Press.
- ^ "Hinewai Reserve recovers". The Press. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Wilson, Hugh (1994). "Regeneration of native forest on Hinewai Reserve, Banks Peninsula". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 32 (3): 373–383. doi:10.1080/0028825x.1994.10410480.
- ^ "Pīpipi". Pīpipi. Maurice White Native Forest Trust. ISSN 1173-6674.
- ^ "Peninsula native bush reserve ablaze". The Press. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ "Following fire" (PDF). Hinewai Reserve. August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "News – Hinewai Reserve". Hinewai Reserve. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Hugh (November 2024). "Pipipi Newsletter - 60" (PDF). Hinewai Reserve Pīpipi Newsletter. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- Wilson, Hugh (2002). Hinewai: The Journal of a New Zealand Naturalist. ISBN 1-877251-20-8
