Waiwhakareke Site Description
Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park covers 60ha on the north west edge of Hamilton City adjacent to Hamilton Zoo and Wintec Avalon Campus. Roads bordering the park are Baverstock Rd, Rotokauri Rd and Brymer Rd. The park is characteristic of the Hamilton Basin with ‘Hamilton’ hills with low terraces, peatlands and the peat lake (Horseshoe Lake). The site also contains soils common to the Hamilton area. This site provided one of the last opportunities for a large open space project within the city. Horseshoe Lake was formed when the Waikato River changed its course around 14,000 years ago damming valleys entering the Waikato Basin, causing streams to pond. A wetland swamp was formed from these poorly drained conditions. Peat began forming in these areas spreading outwards blocking the mouths of valleys creating bogs and forming the peat lake. Four man-made drains feed Horseshoe Lake while only one drain leaves the lake. All five drains vary in size and depth. Stock have the ability to access all drains at least in part. Before plantings all drains had banks of pasture, with only the outflow drain having a short line of exotic trees on one bank. The drains contain pasture grasses, water weeds or silt bottoms in the water. Vegetation types once common in the Waikato are being recreated in the park. The five vegetation types are kauri/tanekaha forest, rimu/tawa forest, kahikatea-pukatea forest, manuka swamp, Sporodanthus bog and lake vegetation. The goal is for all these vegetation types to become self sustaining, with self colonisation of other native species. It is hoped the increase in native vegetation will attract wildlife to the area such as the Tui. |