Caring for our Waterways - Catchment Care at Nowells Lakes Hawera Taranaki
Hawera, Taranaki

Monday 12 Dec to Friday 16th December;

Join CVNZ on an exciting conservation project on New Zealand’s North Island helping to enhance our beautiful rivers, lakes and wetlands. This project focuses on caring for the health of our waters, restoring some of our exceptional habitats and providing homes for threatened native plants and wildlife.

The team will continue the restoration of two beautiful freshwater lakes and wetlands at Nowell’s Lakes, so that water quality is improved and wetland habitats are provided for native birds and fish. The two lakes and wetland cover seven hectares and were created by ground-fed fresh water which has become trapped behind a coastal sand dune belt. In 2006 a walkway was built around the lakes so that schools and local communities could enjoy the area and learn and appreciate wetland environments. In the same year the walkway received the Taranaki Regional Council Environmental Award.

The Nowell’s Lakes project began in 2002 when the lake gully was retired from farming. The first planting was established in 2003 when 6,000 trees were planted. Since this time a further 8,000 native trees and grasses have been established, including cabbage trees, flax, pohutukawa, kowhai and totara. There are also specialist gardens which included swan and hebe plants that provide nectar for Monarch butterflies. 200 Pimelia Prostrata (NZ Daphne) have also been planted for the native Taranaki moth, which is the only plant the moth caterpillars feed on.

For more information phone 0800 56 76 86 or email info@conservationvolunteers.co.nz

This project is run as part of our Catchment Care programme which provides support for practical water-catchment care projects across New Zealand.