There are quite a few properties around Titirangi that are like this one on South Titirangi Road used to be: nothing to be seen but the remnants of perhaps a ponga, drowning in a sea of jasmine, convolvulus, ginger and asparagus. Luckily for the native trees and plants on her property, Moana and the Auckland Council have been keen to address the weed problem. After an initial visit in October where Richard, Anja and the team cut the vines and started on the ginger, the weeding team came back in November to consolidate a weeding foothold for her to keep working from.
Rain was forecast, and it started with a downpour, but Moana, Richard, John, Matt, Anja, Kate and myself kept going and the sun soon came out. The land is steep, and now that the bulky tops of the convolvulus and jasmine are cut and/or removed, the process of getting their roots out of the ground, or cut 'n' pasting roots too established to pull out, has begun. You can see land that’s mostly cleared at the top of the slope by the Puriri tree. Evidence of the team’s work further down are the overflowing weed bags, mostly full of vines.
The end of the property meets with a sea of ginger that extends from Tinopai Road properties, around the ridge of Kauri, and on to South Titirangi Road and beyond. Technically the land is part of an owned South Titirangi Road property, as it appears flat in a survey title, but the topography of the semi-cliffs (!) on the ground is a different story.
Ruairi Flynn and Auckland Council have made a massive start on this property. Next year the team is set to tackle it from the other end, working our way back.
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