Valley Seasonal Diary

Fledglings are increasingly seen or heard.

Cicadas (kihikihi), butterflies (pepe), damselflies (kihitara) and dragonflies (kapokapowai) are common.

Look out for the deep red rewarewa flowers, unusual because they grow straight out of the branch!

Ngaio flowers are white with purple dots and about 1 cm in diameter. Look for them along the valley floor.

Rich orange pigeonwood (porokaiwhiri) fruit hanging in large clusters.

Fledglings are gradually seen and heard more and more.

At night, especially between January and March, little spotted kiwi (kiwi-pukupuku) can be heard calling in the valley.

Cicadas (kihikihi), butterflies (pepe), damselflies (kihitara) and dragonflies (kapokapowai) are still easily found.

Konini, the purple fruit of the kotukutuku or fuchsia, are a favourite food of many native birds and were also used by early settlers to make jam.

Small white kanuka flowers are visible. This tree was extensively used in Maori medicine.

High in the canopy northern rata flowers can be seen. Close up you would see sprays of scarlet stamens growing from the tips of the branches.

Carex flowers can be seen in the wetlands.

Fledglings continue to be heard and if you look carefully enough you might see skinks basking in the sun!

Common skinks (Mokopapa) give birth to litters of about four young. Usually in January or February. At only 25 mm in length they are very hard to see.

The reddish purple berries of the ngaio are ripening. The fruit has a thin outer skin, a fleshy middle and a stony central part that contains the seed. In warm summers this tree may flower a second time before July.

Autumn sees...

Adult birds are moulting, as it is the end of the breeding season. At this time they are usually quiet and shy, but feathers are often found.

Small birds, such as the silvereye (tauhou), feed on the fleshy part of the karaka. Kereru eat the seeds whole!

Migratory birds begin moving north, the shining cuckoo (pipiwharauroa) and the long-tailed cuckoo (koekoea) to eastern Australia and Micronesia.

The deep purple fruit of the tawa provides food for kereru at this time of year.

Karaka berries are clearly visible. Dark green ripening to orange, these beautiful berries contain a highly poisonous seed.

Masses of very small, purple mahoe fruit are seen growing directly on the branches, of the female trees.

Female tree weta are laying their eggs in April/May, when autumn rains soften the soil. They take about two months to hatch.

The flowers of the swamp maire look like a white version of a pohutukawa flower. Swamp maire as the name suggests grows in the wet soil of the Valley floor.

Ti koura or cabbage tree fruit can be seen in high quantities. They are small whitish berries containing a number of angular seeds.

Fungi with wonderful names - inkcaps, puffballs, bracket, basket and earth star - are visible in the dim, damp places of the valley.

Three species of native cormorants or shags commonly roost in two specific trees on the edge of the lower dam. Their numbers peak during April and May. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to see them, as they fly in or out of the valley for the day.

The shags feed mainly on fish caught in the harbour. Look for the little shag and the little black shag. Both are called kawaupaka.

Kaka males forage on hinau fruit which is too hard for females to crack open after March.

Strawberry dogwood, a favourite of the tui is fruiting. At times, ten or more birds can be seen in a tree squabbling over the fruit!

Deciduous native trees, such as, kowhai and kotukutuku, lose their leaves with the first frosts.

The first buds can be seen on the stems of kohekohe and vine rata are flowering.

Winter sees...

The shortest day - 9 hours from dawn to dusk.

Typical winter days - the average temperature is 8 degrees C. (Maximum mean - 11.3 degrees C, minimum mean - 6 degrees C).

Whiteheads (popokatea), become more vocal. During the winter they often gather together in large flocks.

Supplejack (kareao) fruit can be seen on the ground. They can also be seen in the canopy when you look from a distance.

Hinau fruit ripen. Hinau fruit are an important food for kaka, during their moult, March to August.

Kohekohe produces flowers and fruit at the same time. The flowers are small and white with five waxy petals. The fruit is thick and leathery, but as it dries it splits to reveal three or more scarlet covered seeds.

Pre-breeding season activities increase, especially for forest birds.

Brown teal lay eggs in a bowl of grass under dense vegetation, usually between June and October.

The beautiful fleshy bell shaped flowers of the fuchsia (kotukutuku) can be found on some of the tracks. They range in colour from green to violet as they mature. Look for the thick sticky blue pollen on the flowers you find.

Heavy clusters of deep green fruit can be seen on the marble-leaved putaputaweta.

An important source of nectar for tui and bellbirds (korimako) during July and August are five finger (puahou) and kohekohe flowers.

Courtship feeding beginning for some birds in preparation for the breeding season.

When the weather conditions are right, clouds of yellow pine pollen can be seen wafting over the valley.

Spring sees...

Unsettled weather - spring deluges and gales. Northerlies occurring most frequently between October and January.

Saturated soils, slips and floods in parts of New Zealand.

Nesting begins for many species of birds. They can become very secretive as they look for a suitable site, start collecting material for nests and lay their first eggs.

Shining cuckoos return in late September and the first ducklings are often seen.

Some cicadas (kihikihi) spend several years underground as a nymph before hatching. In the spring the cast-off skins of newly emerging nymphs can be seen clinging to the trunks of trees.

Bumblebees (pi rorohu) begin emerging from hibernation and begin looking for suitable colony sites.

Almost no trees bear fruit in the months from September to November.

Nectar from trees, such as five-finger becomes a critical food for tui and bellbirds (korimako).

Native clematis can be seen flowering on the western slopes of the Valley. It looks like patches of snow!

Bush lawyer is a climbing plant and uses other plants as a ladder. Look for its flowers as you walk along the Lake Road, or the Swamp Track.

In favourable conditions clouds of pine pollen can still be seen.

Rangiora, or 'bushman's friend' as it is often known, are flowering. Look for bunches of tiny off-white flowers.

The breeding season is well underway for most species.

Welcome swallows (warou) can be seen feeding above the lakes.

The shining cuckoo (pipiwharauroa), return in late September and October to parasitise the nests of the grey warbler (riroriro). This means they do not rear their own young but lay their eggs in the nest of another bird.

The long-tailed cuckoo (koekoea) returns in October to parasitise the nests of the whitehead (popokatea).

Kowhai are flowering. First the bright yellow flowers appear, then the leaves follow after it has finished flowering.

Flax grows best in damp places and at this time of year they can be seen flowering. Look for tui, bellbirds (korimako) and silvereyes (tauhou) feeding on the nectar.

Mahoe produces male and female flowers on different trees. They can be found in small bunches on the stems and below the leaves.

The breeding season continues - early season chicks might be seen and heard. Adults can be seen gathering food for their young, including second clutch chicks still on the nest.

New Zealand's largest winged insect, the pale green and cream puriri moth (pepetuna) can occasionally be found.

New Zealand scaup lay eggs in dense cover close to water, from late October to December.

The strong heady scent of native jasmine can be smelt all along the valley floor and if you look very carefully green hooded orchids can be seen flowering.

The dark crimson flowers of the pohutukawa or New Zealand Christmas tree begin to appear. It is said the earlier they flower the longer summer will be.

Beautiful clusters of pale cream hinau flowers are also visible.

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