kiwisforthesummer2014: July 21, 2014 The Greening of Waipara

Swale to help with storm water management and quality at Pegasus

We started our COLD and breezy day up the East Coast headed for Waipara and the wine country. Along the way we stopped to see the green development of Pegasus before we stopped for our morning tea break. Here, we saw some of the roadside plantings were natives mixed in with exotics. As with any green development, people tend to take small steps before taking a leap. Once in Waipara we toured two of the many wineries that are participating in the Greening Waipara project – Pegasus and Waipara Hills. At Pegasus we not only saw how much the native plants have grown in the last several years since being planted, but also got to see the native New Zealand eel. At Waipara Hills we walked their native gardens and had a great wine tasting session learning about how the grapes are grown and wines are made.

Heading down the path through the Greening Waipara native plant garden at Pegasus winery.

Learning about wine in Waipara.

Next we were off to our accommodation for the night, the Waipara Sleeper Cars, for lunch before our afternoon activities. After lunch we met up with our ecologist buddy Dr. Colin Meurk so he could give us some additional information about the Greening Waipara Project and the native plants in the Torlesse and Waipara Springs wineries. Here, we observed wineries that incorporated natives into biodiversity trails and plantings of “green dots” to bring back native wildlife and spread seeds throughout the Waipara distruct. Many of the biodiversity trails also serve to educate visitors as they sip their glasses of wine. In the late afternoon we met up with Darryl Harris, a fourth generation New Zealand farmer that has been the community leader in the Greening Waipara Project. He continues to lead the effort of planting natives, even when the funding has dwindled. He explained that his original interest was using native plants to bring predatory insects into and around his grape vines so he did not have to use as much pesticides (saving him money). Now, he feels it is a “win-win” for farmer to restore habitat, but he would really love to see the New Zealand wood pigeon come back to the area.

In the warmth of summer, they are a delightful idea says Meryl ; )

Exploring the Greening Waipara garden with Colin at the Torlesse winery.

Daryl and Sis watch Bear bring home the sheep to us.

Now, Daryl, among other things, is a sheep farmer and we wanted to see how his new New Zealand sheep herding dog, Bear, did his thing. It was fascinating to watch Bear herd the sheep right back to us. After the demonstration, we went to Darryl’s home for gourmet dinner - consisting of a lamb and beef roast, Tuscan chicken, and an assortment of vegetables that were to die for! Marie is an excellent cook and it was topped off with a tasty bit of “pavlova.” Then came the main event– the lip synch contest – which was judged by Colin, Marie, Daryl, and Kate (their daughter). Erin and Connor won the bragging rights for the year (here is a group performance for your enjoyment), but Daryl’s impromptu Meatloaf song, replete with “motorcycle”, capped off the evening (oh yeah, and so did Coco Chenelle’s six adorable puppies and Bob, Kate’s pet sheep!).