9 June 2007

Cutty Grass Track

page 4

There are two species of bush lawyer with similar leaves, distinguished visually by thorn colour. Rubus cissoides has yellowish thorns; R. schmidelioides has reddish thorns. This is the first, as far as I can tell, and the more common up this way. Later we spot another species still.

Another small Pittosporum tenuifolium at the edge of the track. Note again the Quintinia leaves comprising the majority of the litter.

I think these are Gahnia, the "cutty grass" that gives the track its name. Good photos for comparison/identification are not easy to come by for grasses and sedges and monocots generally in New Zealand.

The trackside vegetation is lush, and somewhat taller as we move inland.

Here is a kiekie that has in the past climbed a punga that has in turn collapsed. The kiekie is in the process of resuming vertical growth.

The track is easy going, though still a touch greasy.

Damn. I'm still not confident, minus the flowers, of distinguishing between pate and five finger. I think this is the pate, Schefflera digitata.

A sickle spleenwort, Asplenium polyodon, Peretao, or Petako, though I've never heard the Maori name used for this fern.

Hello. This is where we had lunch not long ago. Miles to go before I eat, today, so we keep going.

Almost park-like, isn't it.

Damn. I always open my mouth too soon. Along the next part, it gets distinctly muddy, and is interesting for the efforts someone has made to provide dry passage using fallen kanuka trunks.

We keep going. This is the kind of surface, a combination of gritty clay and leaf litter, that I trust the next six months will bring to the newly re-formed Anawhata Rd end of the track.

Another blechnum. At one time I was confidently describing these as Crown fern, but now I'm not so certain.

More track repairs

A tawari in bud. The flowers were among the most highly regarded among Maori, who often used them, I am told, for decoration or personal adornment. I'll pop back along here from time to time. Though young tawari are fairly common, mature blossoming trees are less so.

We keep moving. Come to think of it, passing that lunch-spot back there has started my tummy stirring.

Suddenly, Alice moves off to the side down what seems to be an old track. Certainly overgrown.

I decide to explore for a few metres to get the feel of it.