The Tanekaha Botanical Track (17/6/22)

The new Tanekaha Botanical Track aims to showcase the variety of forest trees you can see along the way with beautiful groves of nikau, tanekaha, and kanuka, as well as fine examples of puriri, rimu, totara, and rewarewa. The forest and its waterfalls are the dominant features of the walk but there some little treasures easily overlooked.

Hochstetter’s Frog. These little frogs are found throughout the streams of the area but are rarely seen. Small and cryptic in colour they do not call and are quite secretive, feeding on stream insects and other invertebrates. This amazing little frog can live up to 30 years.

Glow worms. Along the overhanging banks of the streams can be seen the sticky threads of the glow worms which they lower to trap small flying insects. Just like fishing they haul them up and have a feed. These larvae of a small flying insect have the added trick of bioluminescence (that’s the glow) which attracts insects to its fishing lines.

Koura. These small fresh water crayfish are common in the streams of the Tanekaha Tracks. Feeding on material that floats by in the water they are basically scavengers.