The vascular flora of Te Wakatehaua (The Bluff) Island Ninety Mile Beach
- Author
- de Lange P
- Year
- 1996
- Journal / Source
- Auckland Botanical Society Journal
- Volume
- 51
- Number
- 2
- Pages
- 54-60
- Keywords
- Sonchus kirkii
- Summary
- During October 1990 and January 1996 I surveyed the vegetation of a series of low lying rocks located c. 8 km west of Te Kao. This geographic feature popularly known as "The Bluff" is the small outcrop referred to as Te Wakatehaua Island (The Bluff) on NZMS 260 N03 009238. Until 1995 Te Wakatehaua was used as a vantage point by tour buses working the Kaitaia Cape Reinga tourist route. As a result my initial survey found little of interest as the low turf communities of the island had been severely degraded by vehicle traffic and human trampling. Nevertheless I was surprised to find one plant of the native sow thistle (Sonchus kirkii) so when the opportunity arose to visit the island in January 1996 1 was keen to see how that plant and the turf communities had fared. The January visit revealed several changes most notably the lack of recent vehicle damage and a large yellow sign erected by the Muriwhenua Trust Board forbidding vehicle access camping and other long term activities without appropriate permission. This sign for the record also referred to Te Wakatehaua island as "Maunganui Bluff". This article describes the vegetation types of Te Wakatehaua Island and documents the flora based on notes made during both visits. Vouchers of some specimens collected from the island during these visits and also by V. W. Lindauer (1940 1942) R. C. Cooper (1970 1971) and G. A. Taylor (1990) have been lodged in the Auckland Museum Herbarium (AK).