Sunshine, sand, and stories – researching lakes of the Manawatū-Whanganui region Webpage
- Author
- McFarlane, K.
- Journal / Source
- Lakes380
- Publisher / Organisation
- Cawthron Institute
- Summary
- After weeks of rain and wind leading up to the trip, the Lakes380 team were extremely fortunate to enjoy calm sunny days throughout their stay in the Manawatū-Whanganui area. Travelling from the Wairarapa, Lower Hutt, and Nelson, the field team met at the edge of Pukepuke Lagoon along with several environment officers of Rangitāne o Manawatū. As we stood together in the sunshine, wondering why we hadn’t thought to bring sunscreen, Paul Horton and his team told us about Rangitāne o Manawatū’s efforts to scale up pest control and replanting around the lagoon to improve water quality and protect bird life. While Pukepuke Lagoon is now much smaller, shallower, and more prone to algal blooms than it once was, it still retains a diverse bird population including the elusive fern bird, spotless and marsh crakes, and even Australasian bitterns. Upon learning this, I could have happily gone bird watching, but we were very fortunate to have Paul – a veritable fount of local knowledge – with us for the rest of the afternoon. So, while the rest of the team paddled out to gather water and sediment samples, Charlotte Šunde and I sat down with Paul to learn more about Rangitāne o Manawatū’s historical and current relationship to lakes in the region, including Pukepuke Lagoon.