819 Mount Cass Road, Waipara-Teviotdale, Hurunui
Tiromoana Bush is the eco-project run alongside the Kate Valley Landfill to offset the impact of the landfill.
Owned now by Transwaste Canterbury, the 1000 hectare Tiromonana block in the Kate Valley was formerly as a sheep and beef farm. Transwaste have made huge efforts to employ international best practice at the 37 hectare dump site, including the use of a liner to siphon off and treat leachate, and a gas management system. The landfill also has it's own man made dam for fresh water.
Returning a portion of the remainder of the land (410 hectares) to pre-human occupation status is the goal of the Tiromoana Bush project. This is a 300 year goal, but the initial stages got underway in 2006, beginning with the exclusion of farm animals, introduction of pest control and the beginnings of planting of native species. A wetland has been created, as a contributor to the growing ecosystem and to encourage native birdlife.
The round trip track off Mount Cass Road is about three hours long. It is not really a bush walk, it is partially on private farmland, goes through some pine plantations, and the bush area. The name 'Tiromoana' essentially means 'look at the ocean', so a platform has been created for that purpose, looking out towards Motunau. There are no shortage of views along the way, even all the way south to Banks Peninsula, which apparrantly can appear like the island that Captain Cook thought it was when he mapped the coastline in 1769. The track winds down to a remote little beach where the Kate Stream meets Pegasus Bay, and inevitably back up to your carpark. Not an outing for pets due to the status of the regenerating bush, and the sheep on farmland.
A big win is that the space has already won QEII national trust covenant status, meaning it is permanently protected and clever boost is the involvement of educational groups from schools and universities, assisted by a Field Trip listing on Learnz.
Image Credit: Transwaste Canterbury
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