When the children had had enough of gardening they went and played on Ben and Helen's trampoline.  We want them to love their time on the Project and sometimes just 10 - 15 minutes is enough for them.

4th Oct '11 : Our new 'community service' worker is so good. 

She has 190 hours to do as long as all goes well.  Here's what she did today.

This is the area I had her work on today.  CLICK ON PHOTOS

BEFORE

AFTER

Don't worry - the seed bank is coming up.  If we need to plant a few carex before summer we can.

The frontage of Ian and Ro's place.  I have weeded this religiously over the last 18 months and look at the stunning natives that have blossomed.  Nothing has been planted here . . .  'She' gave this a good old tidy up today.

28th Sep '11 : Cape ivy (Senecio angulatus) - stop it taking over Piha PLEASE

Cape Ivy, an invasive ghastly weed is slowly taking over Piha.  It's up Glenesk, Seaview Road etc but we're not letting it take over on the Beach Valley Road Project.  It's actually an easy plant to get rid of.  The roots are not deep, easy enough to pull out, and one plant goes forever so pull it out as one.

I got rid of it a couple of years ago on the bank below the Beyers on Beach Valley Road and its not returning AND the bank hasn't collapsed.

Now Richard and I are getting rid of it in front of the Beyers home in Beach Valley Road opposite the public toilets.

       Click for larger photos

Below left is a photo of the weeds we pulled including Cape ivy, huge amounts of bush asparagus (to be sprayed as it has very large tubula roots), agapantha etc etc etc.  Below right all under the taupalin ready for the weed bin.

Details on Cape ivy HERE

21 Sep '11 : What's this ladder doing here?

This bank, in the photos below, is very tricky.  It has a lot of tacoma and cape ivy  in it,  terrible weeds, and its a very sandy bank that needs very careful handling. Talita and Ant have tried a few times without success so we got the 'big guns' onto it last year to give us some good advice.  Here are the results.

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS BELOW AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THEM IN A FULL WINDOW TO SEE BIG

Left: This photo was taken on 20th Sep before we started weeding.  If it wasn't weeded this month there would be a good chance we'd lose a lot of those natives that were quickly being outgrown by the weeds.

Left: Because the bank is so sandy and potentially unstable we use ladders to get up and down.  When we pull the weeds out we give them a good shake as in that soil will be seeds from last year and we'd like them to stay there and grow.

Left: The three of us working here today were thrilled to see that most, if not all, last years plantings are absolutely  thriving.   The bank is still quite wet, the competing weeds have gone and we did some 'infill planting' to boost it along.  That's it for this season.  We'll leave it alone now until autumn.

7 Sep '11 : Corner of Beach Valley Road and Seaview Road Planting

All photos, with thick blue outlines,  can be clicked for larger photographs.

We started work on this area over a year ago now.  Just shows how long establishing natives can take.  You really need to be persistant!

From the moment this fence (some call it a handrail - yea right!) we were determined to plant it out / disguise it in any manner possible.  We begged council to not build it and then when they did to get rid of it. 

I even offered to help Kubi cut it down until, I understand, his JP status was under threat should be carry out the job.   That stopped him : damn.   Now it looks like it could ( ??? ) be removed, or at least its heigh reduced if Auckland Transport consider the planting makes the road side safe.  Obviously it was very dangerous prior to that fence going up - lets not go there!

We are continuing with our weeding and planting plan for this season although adjusting it a bit to 'barrier' the footpath (for want of another word).  Later on we'll have discussions with Auckland Transport regarding their requirements but in the mean time we have work to be done and plants to be put in as the planting season is nearly over.

Below: We are hugely lucky on our project as the first thing we, as a group, did with our partner, Waitakere City Council, was to formulate a plan.  This enables us to work ahead because we know where we are going.

Below are three photos of Toetoe planted last year knowing that we would be weeding this season.  The Toetoe have taken really well and will help stabalise that bank as we remove that ghastly kikuyu and gorse.

31st August : At last all the dots are joining.  We've worked on various sections of this bank and planted them then had to wait till those plants were well rooted before moving on.  It's a big bank and the last thing we wanted was erosion.

It's all coming together nicely now and by the end of this summer it'll all be growing nicely.

                    Click on each photo for a large image

Once all the weeds have been removed from the side of the road the RSA's clients will be able to park right off the road !

Carex raotest, flax, meulinbekia, hebe obtusata, astelia banksii and Dianella  will all grow very well on this bank and hold it together.

Time is all the plants on this bank need now.

Hebe obtusata are very much at home on this bank.  They're only half the size they'll end up.  There is astelia banksii and meulenbekia to help it all stay together.

Here is the most challenging area we're working with.  The plants here have to tolerate dry and 1/2 sun.  They're all doing well - fingers crossed.

It was a cold and windy day when the 'twins' came visiting Ju and I.

They often call in to see us and we love it.   On this particular day I took one look at their very warm tops and realised I had one pretty much the same so I went and put it on then told the twins that we'd have to be triplets now.

So we had to have a photo !

17th August :  It's all eco-sourced - click on photos for large image

Trailer: Lent to us by Piha's Jim Trubuhovich

Mulch: Sourced from a dangerous pohutukawa that had to be removed from Sylvan Glade.

Plants: Grown by us in our nursery from seeds sourced in Beach Valley Road

Cones: Given to us by Council Parks.

The mulch has been put on this bank  as we're getting a wee bit tired of weeding it.  Of course we'll lose the seed bank but only until the plants flower again.  This bank can dry out quite a bit in summer so the mulch will help retain moisture until plants are well rooted.

 16 August:  "Give a plant room to grow and watch"

Some of the beautiful smaller natives you get if you weed  well and often !

Click on these thumbnails for larger photographs.

These photos were all taken in the same place on 16th Aug.  It's an area I have been religiously weeding knowing that one day these beautiful natives would show there heads and here they are.

9 August: What to do about 'that' fence ???

Today I was invited to join Ken Cowan, Piha R&R Vice President, and Graham Cleghorn, Piha R&R Committee to try and come up with a solution to 'that fence'.

We met and I was given a brief on Auckland Transport's attitude regarding this walkway and the associated fence which no one asked for and most can't stand.  The best way forward, it seems, is to come up with an alternative.

Photo: Ken and Graham discussing one of our solutions with Mary & Dick Mead who happened to be passing.

My suggestion is firstly the pedestrian traffic coming down Seaview be encouraged to use the 'Milk Track' as the safest way down. 

Rayner Road > Sylvan Glade is a very popular walk to the beach but for those not heading to the beach then the Milk Track or if people really wish to come down to the intersection then Graham suggested a wooden 'board walk' type path in the direction of the yellow on the photo, left.  We walked down this bank and a path could be built with maybe just one or two steps at the bottom.  Steps are no good for prams or walking sticks so the fewer the better.

We all agreed on the following :  no concrete and an unobtrusive design in keeping with current 1/2 rounds in Piha.  If a hand rail had to be included then at least it wouldn't be higher than the road height - a visual plus.  If there was a need for a retainer fence, below the road level,  then a wooden one would be fine and we could plant it out to soften and disguise the whole thing.

We did come up with a 2nd site for a similar design a little further up Seaview Road and still exiting on Beach Valley Road.  

If none of this is possible then . . .  well I better not put my, and others, thoughts in print as its anarchy and we can't be seen to condone that can we?   Please email me your thoughts or alternative ideas HERE

02 August '11.  We can't take without contributing . . .

Today I put in an order for 70 plants from council for our project. 

But we can't keep asking council to purchase plants for us when there is a waiting list for community project like this.

Left:  Here Bobbie is potting out seedlings for planting in spring.  These seedlings are from seeds collected in Beach Valley Road last season and put in a seedling tray.

I'm thinking that Council could introduce a 'trading scheme' for community projects.  Something like:  After 3 or 4 years then they will provide/match the number of plants that project itself produces . . . ???

left:  Click on this thumbnail for a larger photo.

In the nursery at the moment

In the front we have over 100  Giant umbrella sedge (Cyperus ustelatus).   These are particularly good for stream side planting and are beautiful to look at. Again these are from seeds collected in Beach Valley Road.

The back three seedling trays have Hebe obtusata, Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum)  and NZ Iris (Libertia grandiflora) - all from seed collected on Beach Valley Road. 

01 August '11.  Native tree provides soap.    I bumped into John Lees today who showed me how to use the leaves off the native tree, below right, on Beach Valley Road as a soap.  He told me that back in time these leaves were regularly used as soap  :  see the lather, below left, he made with the leaves and water out of a road side puddle.    Sorry, not a great photo.

and Paul helps out: What a surprise and joy to drive up Beach Valley Road today and see that Paul had pulled out all that ghastly Cape Ivy off the bank in front of his place.

This completes the weeding on the bank where the RSA customers park.  The idea is that the cars can park as close as possible to the bank to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety in our neighbourhood.

Thanks Paul!   

 Click on the photo, left, and you will see we have trimmed the lower branches of the pittosporum to enable cars to park closer to the bank and off the road.  

30th July '11.  It's not all just hard work.

click on the thumbnail left to see members of the Beach Valley Road Project having lunch, again, at Elsa and David's home in Beach Valley Road, Piha.

Elsa and David live in Fiji so are unable to participate in our working bees so when they are in Piha they host a lunch for us all.

Left: David and Julia enjoying oysters

left:  One of our twins in Beach Valley Road.

All the children are welcome at Dave and Elsa's and we encourage them to come out, even just for 10 minutes, to our working bees.  If we don't include and encourage our kiddies they won't pick up our work when we're gone.

27nd July '11.  Weeding, agapantha, bushy asparagus and more old rubbish: 

Today Richard and I started by weeding the banks in front of #5 & 7.  The planting we did here a year or so ago would have to be some of the most successful.  The Hebe obtusata planted here is a great example of 'right plant in the right place' as well as the astelia etc etc.  But more importantly the seed bank here has kicked off really well.  We need to ensure some high growing plants come up so that when the board walk goes in there is no need for a 'safety fence' - yuk!

Below: #5 and #7 Beach Valley Road.

Left:  We came across bushy asparagus !  That'll have to be dug out

Left: more rubbish just left in our environment.  Old gas bottle, plastic bags full of rubbish etc etc. 

22nd July '11.  Taking the bull by the horns:   Richard and I sat and discussed the precarious position of the bank in the photo below.  With one of these massive succulents in flower it was only a matter of time, probably summer, that it would die and then the bank really would be in trouble.  I've had a huge problem getting anything to grow near them, to stabalise the bank, because there is no sun and certainly no water that gets in around these succulents.

So we decided to bite the bullet and cut the succulents right down now and then with sun and water being able to access the area we would do a massive plant.

Left: If you click on this image you will see a much larger photo showing the very worrying and precarious situation on this bank.

The plan was to cut those two ghastly plants right down to their base and then plant away.

Left: Again click to see a large photo after the succulents have been cut right down - thanks Richard.

Previously Hebe macrocarpa have grown well just to the right of this area so we planted some of them.  We also put in 4 cabbage trees, good for stabalising, and plenty of Rengarenta lilly which have also successfully grown here.

We then added some Coastal flax (Phormium cookianum), Pohuehue (Meuhlenbeckia complexa), Tarangarara (Gahnia lacera) Astelia banksii, NZ Iris (Libertia grandiflora) Knobbly clubrush ( Ficinia nodosa ) and a little Oioi (Apodasmia similis).

We didn't plant any carex as Carex raotest is self seeding prolifically in that area.  I will mention that a number of plants we put in were grown, from seed or cuttings, from our own nursery.

Of course its no problem deciding what to plant because if we're aren't sure then we just refer to our planting plan put together at the beginning of the project.  I have checked it today, 23rd, and the rain last night did get to the area and there was sun shining on the plants so I had a big sigh of relief. 

July 2011 Random Photos:

Below: Plants that have been growing in the nursery this year.  On the left they haven't even been potted out . . .  straight into the good earth!

Sheryl, Dave and the twins

Jeanette and friend relaxing and enjoying life

  #13 BVR before weed.  Click for big photo

 #13 BVR after weed & plant.  Click for big photo

Left:  This cacti 'thing' has flowered so is about to die.  Problem as we need to stop half the bank going with it.  Richard and I have weeded and planted cabbage tree, hebe and rengarenga there in an attempt to get some roots down.

# 13/15 bank.  Some carex raotext are growing naturally here, at last, but we're working hard to stabalise this bank.  Hebe are growing well along with knobbly clubrush but they won't do it on their own - eek.

 #13, 15 & 17 after a huge tidy up 20th July  Plenty of natives growing of their own free will.

 #35 after a winter weed : ready for spring now

Two of many ferns that have come up this winter.  This photo is cropped and blown up heaps.  Not sure you would see these unless you looked hard or were manic like me  :-)   We are getting a lot of the much smaller ferns now there is little competition with weeds.  About time too!

Front of 17 & 19 that Richard and I decided to attack this month.  Some raotext are coming up on the right.  The cabbage trees, about 9, planted last year to stabalise the bank first are doing well. 

#7 & 9.  Those plants we planted are doing well and are multiplying fast  :-)  A very successful area.

#7 & 9. Similar as above showing how well this area is doing.  We're leaving the far left area as Talita and Ant may be putting in a new garage and access.

#7.  Another area doing particularly well.  All plants we put in have not only survived but have multiplied beautifully.

We might put a few taller plants in so roading doesn't have to put a 'rail' on the boardwalk there when its built !

#30  The first 'weed free' property in the Project and Ben has done a fabulous job with his natives here.    Looks natural - very nice.

An excellent example of 'the right plant in the right place'

Hebe obtusata or Waitakere coastal hebe.

I'll be taking some cutting off this fabulous speciman.

 April 24th 2011 BVR:

Some say that timing is everything.  Well it was for the Beach Valley Road Project this weekend.

Left: fresh coffee and hotcross buns after our hard work.

We did a huge weed and then planted heaps more natives in time for the rain.  I popped down this morning to take a peep and there is new growth already - overnight!

Being Easter Sunday it may have been the promise of Easter eggs hidden that brought such a great turn out but I think not.  To the following that turned up a huge thanks - 4 years and getting a turnout like this is nothing short of heart warming:

Marco & Simon, Ro & Ian, Ursula, Jenny & Peter, David, Peter, Leigh & the twins, Lockie, Paul, Jackson & Zara, Julia & me. 

Above: Simon, Marco, Julia, Lockie, Jeny, Peter, Ursula with Casper, David and Bobbie in the front all with Easter eggs saved for the end !

What natives did we plant? If you click on the photo below you will see we planted Carex virgata, Carex raotest, Dianella nigra, Gahnia setafolia, Muehlenbeckia complexa and Phornium cookiana

April 7th 2011 BVR:

It's that time of the year when any weeding done is worth gold.

Left: Pierre and Bobbie getting heaps of tradescantia off a south facing bank.

Any minute now heaps of ferns will sprout up - you watch !

March 24th 2011.  BVR:  Pedestrian and Vehicle Safety

Pedestrian safety is one of our 'aims' so after weeding the bank opposite the Piha RSA we asked Council if they could seal the road edge so cars would park closer to the bank.  This way Beach Valley Road can remain 'two way' when its busy and pedestrians will be a little safer.  They are also tidying up that whole area for us.   

A HUGE  'Thanks'  to our new partner Auckland Council for working with us.

click on on thumbnail above and left  for a  larger photos

.

March 22nd 2011.  BVR Presentation to Doc,  Auckland Council, Landcare Research etc

This morning I made a presentation to the above group about the Beach Valley Road Project under the headings: How were we formed;  Any probmes we encountered as a group and solutions we found for these problems.

We were invited as a Winner of the 2010 Weedbusters Award for private land along with the winner for public land, Motutapu Island Trust.

It was nice to see the Piha Ratepayers and Residents Assn President, Graeme Webber, in the audience and particularly nice when, after my presentation, he came up and thanked me for my work on the Project  :-)

March 4th 2011 : Give a plant room to grow and watch - click for bigger photos

All we have ever done on this bank is weed.  We trusted there was a seed bank  and there was.

We could never plant as well as nature does . . . . 

Pedestrian and Vehicle safety in Beach Valley Road

We have weeded right back to the bank here, opposite the RSA, and asked Council Roading if they will seal in this edge so cars can park further off the road  . . . makes if safer for everyone

Water tanks:  concrete or plastic, they're all ugly.

We've planted Meulinbekia here and within a year you won't see the tank AND the butterflies will love it.

February 7th '11

Beach Valley Road is resealed

January '11 Create the right habitat and natives will grow.

Native Spinach growing on the side of the ugly concreted side of Moana Stream, Piha

30/1/11   The Working Bee on the 23rd, although it went ahead, was held again on 30th.  We got a huge amount of weeding done, continuing from where we left off last week.  Great that some of the littlies joined us for a while.

ALL PHOTOS enlarge when clicked

Before we started weeding

Same spot but after

Before we started

Weeding done

Those that were left at the end

All the seeds can grow now

Below Left:  The twins & Co learning how to love their environment.  Mike doing his annual excursion with his brother !

Below:  Peter and David getting the thistles and gorse out and Pierre attacking the gorse.

3/1/11 The Working Bee that was postponed. The overnight rain was huge and heaps of the North Island flooded.  I had just send out a postponed email when Dan turned up with two student rangers, Eve and Gilbert, and said  "Come on" so we did  and got heaps done . . . .    postponed working bee still on for 30th !

Top from left: Before we started today. Other photos:  In among the weeds were hebe, spinach, libertia, carex and meuhlinbekia that we'd planted in early spring.    We found them all and they're thriving. 

We had also planted some toe toe on the banks to establish before we start some serious weeding.  We found them all and they're doing really well too.

Photos below of two of the toe toe

8/1/11 First working bee for 2011

Click on the photo left and see a part of our neat Community that came out to weed, again, the bank in front of # 23 & 25 Beach Valley Road.  This is the bank we have not planted a thing on : just weeding and letting the seed bank populate the bank, and its working

I grabbed the opportunity of having Chris in Piha of walking him up and down the street : left Chris is looking at the native spinach which is growing on the side of Moana Stream.

It's always so good grabbing an opportunity to chat with Chris and I think the Council has made a huge mistake splitting up the way their staff work . . . .

9th Jan '11 It's not the first time Elsa and Dave have invited us to lunch.

After a wee misunderstanding, was lunch Sat or Sun, we had a lovely few hours with Dave and Elsa at their home . . . not everyone can always make it . . .   thanks heaps

06/12/10 The Milk Track (click on photo for a large image)

Today Council started work putting in some proper drainage down the Milk Track, grading the surface and then putting on an upgraded 'barefoot' surface on the Milk Track for us.

Huge thanks, again, to Waitakere City Council (Grant Jennings) for 'getting the job done' for us and all of Piha to enjoy. . . . 

20/11/10 Ugly Water Tanks:

What do you do when you have a huge black water tank sitting on the front of your property?

Wrap it with rope or wire or something flexible and plant meuhlenbekia and let it smother it.  Great for the butterflies too.

 20/11/10 Community Seat, Weedbusters Award and BBQ

Left Back Row: Mike, Peter, David, Leigh & Cheryl

Middle Row: Bobbie, Lee, Erana and Millie

Front Row: Ju, Simon, Isabella with our '2010 Private Land Weedbusters Award, Marco and Chris.

All photos with BLUE borders can be clicked for larger images.

Below: Marco tries out the new seat; Lockie, Chris, Chrissy, Simon, Isabella, Lee, Bobbie, Marco and Dan; Chrissy tries out the new seat.

Below: Marco, Lee and Dan:  Marco, Lee and Simon: Lockie, Chris, Isabella and Marco 

Below:  Before and after . . . . .  getting there

Below: Marco and Dan on the Barbie and lunch is served.

Below: Divine dessert and Chris, David with his and the twins Mum Leigh.

Below: Ju and Chris 'cheers' and right:  I took the opportunity to take Chris to Ant and Talita's home to show him the amazing work they are doing on their private property.  They have a huge fight with tacoma, wandering jew and lots more.

17/11/10 Council starting work on the Milk Track and some random photos

Today I had the pleasure of walking up and down the Milk Track with a Auckland Council Ranger who photographed the Milk Track to get costings to have proper drainage put in, graded and a decent and safe surface for pedestrians, bikers and Mum's and Dad's with prams.

This is part of our BVR Project  'pedestrian safety' and should be done by Christmas.  Thanks to Ben who put his paint brush down to come out and chat to the Ranger to ensure we were getting it right.

We can thank Grant Jennings for this . . . .  :-)

Left: The natives Peter and Jennie planted are now flowering. Middle: Manuka or Kanuak (can never remember) in flower and right: NZ spinach growing naturally amoungst the knobbly clubrush in front of Roger's place.

3/11/10 Some photos taken of great work happening on BVR Project

Talita and Ant have done a huge amount of work getting rid of the tacoma and other weeds on this bank.  This is their 3rd attempt, I think, and this time it will work.  Lower on this bank native spinach is growing beautifully so we may put some more in to steady the sand.

Just down the road and opposite some great work is also happening.  Good bamboo is dead bamboo, a good pine tree is a dead one and the same with agapantha!

And right next door we have two Beach Valley Road property owners doing similar great work.

It's a hard alog  and you have to be persistance.  That's exactly what we are.

The front of Ian and Ro's.

NONE of this was planted.  It's just been a matter of controlling the weeds.

Look at that native spinach!  It will help keep the moisture in over a long hot dry summer.

Below: Dave and Elsa's frontage.  The weeds we're leaving here will help keep the moisture in over the summer.  In the mean time all plants, except one Toetoe, are doing very well.  The weeds, thrown to the bottom, are helping to kill the bottom ones while we concentrate on the top and middle areas first to ensure it is stable.

Below: Down on the corner of Beach Valley Road and Seaview Road we've done some planting and its all going well.

From left:  Carex raotest and hebe, Toetoe (Cortaderia fulvida) and Libertia grandiflora. 2nd Row: NZ spinach (Tetragonia implexicoma).  It will do very well here in full sun and is, in my opinion, one of Piha's best natural weed suppresants.  Then Meuhlinbekia (Pohuehue) - fabulous on banks.  Then more Carex raotext (orange dune sedge) with Hebe obtusata which has naturally seeded here. 

Left:  Mountain flax (Phormium cookianum).  Smaller than the one we are used to in Piha and beautiful yellowish flowers.

6/9/10 Planting Day on BVR Project

Below left: Ju, Ro and Ian on the corner of Beach Valley Road and Seaview Road cleaning up after planting about 30 plants. Right: We're finally getting somewhere with this bank, opposite the Milk Track.

23/09/10 Beach Valley Road Project : how do those ferns get there?

Ferns, usually come from a disturbed background.

If you're walking through bush you'll often see them growing very healthily around fallen trees, for example.  We learnt this at the 'Nature in your Neighbourhood'  course run in Piha in 2009.

So when we're weeding we finish off by brushing a little roughly over the area with our hands or even zig zag over the banks with a fine steel rake.  That's what we've done here, below left, and you can see the results.

Below: left  Ferns growing naturally and right: one of the best weeds suppressants in Piha, native spinach Tetragonia implexicoma.  It'll grow over and beat most anything put in front of it.

The bank in front of #23 & 25 has yet to have some 'real' attention from us.  In the mean time though I have been keeping little areas clear of weeds just to see if there is a 'seed bank' there or not.  Well, after two years and nearly giving up, some tiny native carex raotest have finally shown their faces. Yay!

2/09/10 Weeding Day.  Today we weeded the northern roadside - about 2 - 3 feet in concentrating on wandering jew, grass and clover.  This will give the dozens of natives seedlings already growing room to grow. I couldn't resist publishing a photo of it 3 years ago before we started and what it look slike today.

2007:  The Children's Garden

12/9/10 Same spot as above but with lots of love and attention.  The plants are now all self seeding

While we're weeding away we chat and laugh and catch up on what's happened since we lat saw each other.  It's great for the environment but its just as good for a sense of 'community' and a neat and healthy way to spend a Sunday morning.

Everyone has busy lives or are tired on a Sunday morning so we restrict our 'working bees'   to 2 hours.  That works well for us all and we get heaps done.

We can then take off to the Cafe, at midday, for a very yummy lunch and several coffees..

2/09/10 What happens when you leave nature to itself?

This is the lower part of the bank that we have only weeded and left nature to do its own thing.

We have heaps of ferns and carex coming up out of the seed bank just sitting there waiting for someone to get rid of the weeds.

Another view of the bank that we weed, weed and weed again and then leave it to itself.

This has been a very successful approach here.  It's taken a couple of years but nature is now providing us with a beautiful array of natives.

20/8/10  This is what he's doing

- extending the retaining wall opposite the RSA up to the driveway . . .

10th July '10 Half way there

Above the yellow line, left, the weeds have mostly gone and been replaced with fabulous Piha natives.

Now the lower half is ready and should be planted within the next month or so.

July '10.  Piha's Milk Track.

We had a meeting with WCC to see if they could do something about the drainage on the Milk Track, that joins Seaview Road and Beach Valley Road,  so its easier for pushchairs, bikes and people to get up and down. It's going to happen.

Thanks again WCC !

5th July '10.  Drain fixed immediately.

When most of the kikuyu and wandering jew was moved from the Corner of the Milk Track and Beach Valley Road it exposed a very dangerous, broken pipe.

I mentioned this to Grant Jennings when he came out and he had it fixed immediately.  It's amazing what happens when you're working in partnership with your Council.  Thanks, again, WCC.

On 4th July 2010 Beach Valley Road's ARC friend Mary Stewart gave birth to Bree Sarah Evelyn Evitt, 4.165kg or 9lb2oz left:

I'm sure everyone will join me in wishing Bree a wonderful life and we look forward to her joining us at a working bee within, shall we say, 12 month.  (((smile)))

We now have Anne Brow as our ARC friend.

4/7/10  5 o'clock on a Sunday

This is Fahren and Bobbie  wet, filthy and exhausted on a Sunday afternoon after working on our Beach Valley Project.

I weed and Fahren stashes the weeds in a tarpaulin.  We're a great team together.

2/7/10 WCC get our weeds taken away. . .  Having a weed bin all the time just turned out a little expensive.  Using tarpaulins is much better for lots of reasons.  1. We can have 4 or 5 at varying intervals up and down the road so we don't have to wheelbarrow the weeds so far  2.  Half the tarpaulin covers the other so the weeds rot and then when we need, 0800 dumpme come and pick them up. 3.  It's cheaper !!!  They do a great job, as you can see in these photos, making sure not a piece of wandering jew or whatever is left behind.  They're fun guys too.  Mind you most people are if you're nice to them and make them a hot cuppa

30th June '10 More Planting on Beach Valley Road: 

Look what we found (left): on the bank opposite Piha's RSA

Underneath all those weeds and bottles and rubbish is a stone wall!  Does anyone remember this and the last time it was seen?

Click on the photos below to see bigger photos (opposite Piha RSA)

Left: The corner of the Milk Track and Beach Valley Road. A small amount of planting has been done to keep the earth from the path. Easy access has been left for prams etc.

Left: The plants have been ordered and delivered for this bank under the controversial handrail (fence!).  Tiotoi need sun so my woofer and I planted them quickly rather than risk loosing them.  This photo shows where we put 3 of them.  Low enough so when they grow they won't (further!) obscure vision to the road.

Below from left: Hebe obtusata planted last year doing very nicely dropping its seeds everywhere.  The other two were planted about 10 days ago and they're very happy too; see the new growth already?

Left: Circled in red are little Hebe macrocarpa seedlings that have come off the mother plant, above it, and are taking off nicely now the weeds have been removed.

The carex raotest, around them in that beautiful green, were planted last year and we should see some seedlings off them soon as well.

Photo taken 30/6/10

26th June '10 Planting Day on Beach Valley Road.  The photo below left was taken at 10am this morning.  The one on the right at 5pm.  

We had a planting working bee between 10 and 12 directly opposite the RSA and then Bobbie and her latest worker continued from 2 to 5. 

Click on these photos to see a larger image of what was achieved today.

Natives Planted:  Astelia banksii,  Cortaderia splendens (toitoi),  Hebe obtusata prostrate, Carex raotest, Libertia ixioides and there is some gahnia in there too.

18th June '10 Beach Valley Road Project, Piha : Pedestrian Safety

Here it is - the speed hump done and the bollards done so we can safely cross the road and walk up and down to/from Piha Beach.

Don't worry - the 'top' of the bollard at the end of the speed hump is being removed for an 'entry' point - LOL

We'll be doing a 'weeding bee'  here at some stage . . .

Dangerous pohutukawa branch: Last summer Ju and I were walking down here to Piha Beach with some friends (yes, we have a few) .  One friend, not a local, walked straight into this pohutukawa branch (with yellow circle around it in photo) , and nearly passed out, bled profusely and suffered quite bad shock - we took her to Piha SLSC where the Ranger, Susie, attended her.  It was pretty nasty.

I later found out our friend was not the first to do this so brought it to the attention of WCC.  They have sent someone out to take a peep and I see now it has reflective tape all over it.  I think they may be going to remove it - its not a huge branch.

16th June '10 Beach Valley Road Project, Piha : Pedestrian Walkway

Here it comes - the continuation of the pedestrian walkup up Beach Valley Road and around to meet the Milk Track.

It's on our BVR Pedestrian Safety list and along with the additional speed humps its all happening.  Well not quite all.  We have to wait until spring time for the walkway in front of #7 & 9.

Heaven knows how long we have to wait to be able to walk safely past the RSA ???

June '10 A wander down Beach Valley Road through the camera click on photos for large images

A: Zone K The front of Jo & Mike's where Dan has been planting a stunning array of kowhai, psudopani lesonii, corokia cotoneater, astelia banksii, toetoe, gahnia and hebe. As this all matures it'll look natural and beautiful.  We're having a wee problem here though with a native, out of its natural zone, called Coastal Morning Glory (Impomoea cairica) which is behaving like a colonising, invasive nuisance.  It will be dealt to.

B: Zone I: The planting done last year is doing very well now.  We planted carex virgata, rengarenga lily, astelia banksii, hebe obtusata, dianella nigra and flax.

 A  B  

C & D: Zone G  We have planting nothing, zero, here.  It is all natural and just flourishing with little or no weeds to compete with.  The Koikoi (Blechnum Novae-zelandiae) is quite stunning on these two pohutukawa. 

  C  D 

F: Zone D.  The front of Roger's place where Billy-May and I dug out the half dead aggies last year and planted rengarenga lilly, hebe obtusata, knobbly clubrush and astelia banksii.  It's all doing well and very soon, my latest 'friend' and I are going to dig out the upper aggies (ringed in blue) and some libertia, orange sedge (raotest) and astelia.

G: Zone F/G. In front of Greg's # 33 is one of the earlier areas we planted.  The libertia and hebe have really taken off here so much so they have flowered and we now have 2nd generation growing!  The orange sedge or raotest, just comes up all over the place just like the knobbly club rush.  It's just a matter of controlling the . . . .  forget the name, damn.

H: Zone F.  The Children's Garden directly opposite Sylvan Glade. Not only are the plantings here the happiest of all (of course, they're the children's) but most have multiplied and surrounded by ferns naturally coming up as we've created the right habitat for them.

 F  G  H 

I, J & K: Zone F/G.  Again proving what Ferkinator (Chris Ferkins WCC) says is true.  We have changed the habitat here so 50% of what we see has naturally grown.  In particular the ferns and raotest.

I   J  K

L, M & N.  Zone D/E.  The northern side of the walkway beside Moana Stream or some call it 'Bobbie's Way'.  This is where all the revolting vine was removed last year and I jammed the lower parts with orange sedge (raotest) which wasn't on the plan but quickly added to stop or minimize sand erosion during summer - it worked!  The top half was packed with cabbage trees to stabalise the bank and that worked too.  Amazing how things work with the Ferkinator on the team!  On Geof's (NZ Native Concepts & Piha CoastCare) advice I have recently cut the meuhlinbekia right back and inplanted with heaps of astelia banksii, libertia, knobbly club rush, hebe obtusata, more cabbage trees, some renga renga, one or two gahnia just to see how they go, and coprosma repens.  The yellowed areas have to be weeded but not until that bank is more stable and the blue circle is yet another pohutukawa I have found nearly dead but may live.

L  M  N

Below: In June 2010 and right 2008

  O     before

10th June '10 Beach Valley Road Pedestrian Safety

Our third 'wish' for Beach Valley Road was pedestrian safety.

Left: One of two new speed humps being installed outside #32 Beach Valley Road - the road leading to Piha Beach.

This was on our 'wish list' in discussions with WCC,our partner in this project, and we thank you heaps.

Our aims: Eradication of weeds, replace with natives, pedestrian and vehicle safety. 

6th June '10 Welcome to Owen plus 'It's On', 'It's Off' and 'It's On Again'!

The Beach Valley Road Project welcomes Owen Sharpe.

Owen has been overseas for five years and today joined us for planting in front of #20 Beach Valley Road.

It was great to see Owen catch up with old friends walking past as we planted away. 

Below: the bank in front of #20 before we started our planting (click for bigger images)

Below: the same bank after planting toi toi, ghania setifolia, carex roatest, astelia banksii and carex virgata, hebe obtusata, meuhlenbekia and corokia cotoneaster.

Left: David, Marco and Owen.

I sure know how to get the guys working! This bank is smothered with kikuyu so 'the boys' dug through it so we could plant. 

In these 'holes' we planted meuhlnbekia and hebe.

We won't remove the kikuyu until the plants have rooted properly.

Below: on this part of the bank we've put astelia banksii, hebe and carex raotest.  Again we'll weed as the plants take hold.

A different view after we planted some 100+ natives.  It's going to look fabulous when the plants grow : fabulous Waitakere eco-sourced natives.

That dark brown in the front is the mulch Bevan, below, cleared from the drain in front of #28.  Great recycling.

5th June '10 New Member Joins up

Left: Meet Bevan of #28 BVR.

Bevan was out today clearing out this gutter which, again, was blocked.  I asked Bevan to dump that fabulous mulch on the garden in front of #7&9 as its good stuff.

Great to have you on board Bevan - most households in Beach Valley Road have joined the project - its wonderful!

23rd May 2010 Time to attack that second bank . . .

Below: The photos tell the story - so precious and a future caretaker of our environment.

Given that WCC have other 'Community Projects' we can, where possible, use plants from our own environment rather than WCC buying them so they have enough funding for 'new' projects..

Left:  Mark (Anne's fiance) Jemma (my cousin) and Anne Brow from ARC with a barrow full of little Cabbage Trees that were growing further down our road where we didn't particularly want them - you don't get more 'eco-sourced' than that!

Cabbage Tree roots are deep and strong and particularly good for keeping banks stable and/or preventing erosion hence our planting them on this bank before giving the top a really good weed.

Left: Fahren attacks the wandering jew while Mark plants the 'BVR eco-sourced baby Cabbage trees'.

Last year we plants a few 5 finger, flax and cabbage tree on this bank to start the stabalisation.

Below left: Maritza getting those weeds onto the tarpaulin and Fahren weeding with Jackson, Maritza's son.

Below: Weeding then most of the gang (some had left) and the end result.

From left: Julia, Jackson, Bobbie, Anne, Stephanie, Jemma, Paul and Fahren

22nd May 2010: #22 have started . . . .  great!

 21st May 2010: ANZ Volunteers  help Beach Valley Road Project

This photo, left, has been modified heaps just so you can see it.  That is how bad the weather was today.  Did it stop the ANZ volunteers?  No.

These photos have all been modified so they can be seen.  It was shocking weather so not the best for taking photos while trying to stop my camera getting wet.  Click on them to make bigger photos:

1. At Piha Cafe before weeding.  2. Waiting for safety cones to go in place and contemplating the work.  3.  Getting down and dirty.  4. Rolling the wandering jew like a carpet.  5. and ........ onto the tarpaulin .... roll, push .....   6. Two tarpaulins of wandering jew. Phew !  7. ANZ Bank volunteers wet but happy.  8. Back to the cafe for a nice warm lunch.

Hey: ANZ, thanks so much . . .

1.   2.

 3.   4.   5. 

  6.  7.

   8.

20th May 2010: Fahren and I taking a break from getting rid of the weeds in fronty of #33 Beach Valley Road.

The natives here, especially the Hebe, are very very healthy.

17th May 2010: Weeding, weeding and more weeding:

left: Meet Fahren, our new friend helping to weed on our project.

The wandering jew on this side of Beach Valley Road, in front of Ursula's home, is horrendous and flourishing so I thought this a good place for Fahren and I to start.

Fahren cannot believe I love weeding so much because he can't imagine a more boring thing to do.  He loves rugby, plays wing and is our next Jonah or Rokocoko.

below from left: most of the weeds gone in front of that power box, then further down on the side of the path and finally the huge tarpaulin full of weeds and a very proud Fahren with bottles he found.  Doubt if he'll ever throw bottles on the roadside!

14th May 2010: Weed storage:  The BVR Project no longer has a 'weed bin' as they're horrendously expensive so we've moved onto tarpaulins.  

WCC gave me the go ahead to purchased 5 tarpaulins for our project . . .  one for each end of BVR, one for the middle and 2 spare for specific, on request, areas.  Just ask and I'll get one to you.

Below: These are the ones I purchased and I thought we could use them like this:

Lay out so you can put weeds on the middle of one half.

When you have finished for the day pull one half right over the second half and using the twine I have already attached tie using a bow so its easy to undo and add more.

10th May 2010:  No seed bank so we'll plant . . .

On our last weeding day, 18th April, Marco mentioned that there appeared to be no seed bank where we'd weeded 3 times before.  So today I looked up our 'plan' to see what was best to plant in shade under a balcony (of trees) then grabbed a tray of rengarenga, from the nursery, and planted them. 

So Marco, thanks for pointing it out . . .  I think there are a few seeds but not enough . . . lets watch these grow . . .

5th May 2010: WCC do more roading improvements on Beach Valley Road

Stop and chat to any road workers and they love it.

As soon as these two saw my camera they immediately started singing and playing the blues - well that's what they told me it was.

They are doing more roading improvements on Beach Valley Road . . .  thanks WCC and the 'Blues Singers'.

May 2010:  The first Tray out to be planted

The first tray of plants grown at Beach Valley Rd, from seed, head out to be planted.

Hebe and Rengarenga

18th April 2010:  Our first weeding day for 2010 . . .  Autumn is the best time to weed.  It's still warm but the rain, or light showers, are coming.  Except for a few cabbage trees all the carex and ferns on this bank have come straight from the natural seed bank already there.  All we do is weed so they have a chance. 

Left: Photo 18 months ago: A reminder of what is was like wo years ago smothered in wandering jew!  Do you remember how we rolled that wandering jew down like a thick carpet?

Now look below at where its at today and smile

Above: before today's work  Below: after

Left:  While four of us use ladders to weed the bank from below the others attacked them from above.  We use ladders to protect what is already growing there.

Left:  A job well done.  Now we just leave it to nature.

Left:  Isabella and Ruby.  Two years ago these two darlings, members of our project, would stay and work for about 10, maybe 15, minutes then were off to play somewhere.  Today they stayed and worked away with us for well over an hour . . . and they worked!  It's by nurturing these littlies that our work will continue well into the future . . .

Left: And the fruits of our labour : Not a dead body but a huge wrap of weeds . . .

April 2010: WCC reseal Beach Valley Road including fixing that really annoying road side where they have put a drain in (photo). 

Thanks WCC

April 2010  Many birds with one stone:

When it rains a lot of leaves and mulch is washed down to this fabulous drain WCC installed for us last year to stop the flooding.

Instead of WCC paying someone to come and clear it we do and reuse the mulch (first win).

It is full of goodness and seeds.

 So what do we do with it?

We take it to where we have planted endangered species (2nd win) , in this case a lancewood,  and put the mulch around them (win 3)

The lancewood will grow and hide the ugly water tank and we wait for the other seeds to come up (win 4)

CLICK ON PHOTOS for bigger images

March 2010:  ARC spray asparagus & climbing dock :

Below left: Richard and Erin spraying asparagus and climbing dock on Beach Valley Road. right: the spray has a blue colourant in it so you can see where the spray is.

March 2010:  NZ Native Spinach found on new sites in Beach Valley Road:

Below left. New native spinach found in front of #23 & 25 and right also found in front of #13

Feb 2010:  The planting of natives done through the winter of '09 is growing nicely.  Here are three photos taken recently.

Above: (click them) Left two: the front of Peter and David's places and right: Ben and Helen's frontage.  All looking very healthy.

Wandering down Beach Valley Road with my trusty camera in hand I noticed more and more native spinach growing - some in amoung weeds but its still growing.  As Chris would say 'create the habitat and natives will grow' and here is living proof. 

Below: (click them) Left  Native spinach growing in front of Ro and Ian's place and right: native spinach growing, among weeds, in front of the Wotherspoon's place.

12/09  Native plants bring native birds :   I stopped the car, very quietly, and in slow motion got out and photographed these two Kereru eating native Karaka in front of Ursula's near the 20k speed hump sign.

18/12/09  Another wee bonus about being in a partnership with WCC :

What a bonus having Treescape deliver all that fabulous mulch to put around the plants - at this time of the year it'll suppress those damned weeds and help keep the moisture in the ground.  So huge thanks to Helen, WCC Parks.

Photos: Click on any of them to make them bigger

1st Line:  The load of mulch with Ben barrowing it away.  Sheryl and Peter, or is it Dave busy barrowing it too.

2nd Line:  Sorry: these photos were taken at night.  Only time I could get up there !  Mike and Jo's frontage,  and the other two opposite.

3rd Line:  Ro & Ian:  this native spinach is growing in front of your place along with the native carex - all self seeded !!!  Lastly, but certainly not least, Ben and Helen's frontage.  What an amazing job Ben has done there.  Huge amount of work done and they'll probably be the first 'weed free' property on the project. 

3/10/09 It's just great what you can achieve working 'with' WCC.  We ask them, after we finish our work, if they could grade the sides of the road.  Not only did they grade but they swept it too . . . BUT thats not all.  That drain on the left of Beach Valley Road, just past the RSA, where the road is so narrow.  We asked "any chance of you fixing that drain - puleeeese".  Today they did . . . now that is a partnership!   photo on the right below.

06/10/09 WCC, some time ago, sprayed this area before planting.  By getting rid of the dead foliage we'll get some more native plants coming up (and weeds).  Photos before and after

10/09 Roadside Grading to finish cleanup

We've got rid of the weeds and planted.  I've asked WCC to grade the sides of the road in the photo left to visually widen it and they are going to.  :-)  Click for a bigger photo.

29/9/09  Stream side in front of Brockie's:  Photos below: 1st. In front of Brockie's at 11am.  2nd. Same place 3 hours later and last one Billy-May, my trusty help admiring our work.

20/9/09 The Beach Valley Road Project gets onto Pedestrian Safety . . . .

This is how Mums with their young children and prams have to get up from Piha Beach to Beach Valley Road - on the road dodging cars and cars dodging them.

But no longer . . . . today we decided to do something about it . . .

When different people or groups have common goals, as the Beach Valley Road Project & the Piha Safe Walking Group does, then why not help each other?  Both groups worked on 'pedestrian safety' today as that is a common goal.

Below: Allan La Roche removes flax behind the bollards to be planted elsewhere.  Dan & Ruby clear a safe walking followed by Gabrielle Lancaster of Piha Safe Walking Group with Pat La Roche, Piha CoastCare Trustee clearing out walkway. 

Hannah of the Beach Valley Road Project and Piha Safe Walkways Group with Ava in the pram and Ruby walking testing out the new safe walkway. 

Below: Pat putting more plants in opposite the new walkway,  Dan, Bobbie's nephew, weeding Moana Stream edge followed by David of the Beach Valley Road Project cleaning up dead Cape Cod Ivy.

Below; Holding up the traffic for 5 minutes while we load the trailer with the weeds.  Gabrielle, Dan, Hannah and children followed by clean up group an, Gabrielle, David, Bobbie (on her knees!!!) and Pat.  All off to Bobbie & Julia's place for hot chip butties and fresh coffee.  Oh, bring on the Cafe . . .

18/9/09 Milestone for Beach Valley Road Project - 1st plant from our nursary

Today the first plant from our nursery was planted.

This five finger was taken out of it's pot, healthy as, and planted on Marco and Simon's place.  Shall we name it?

More to come . . . .

17/8/09 Frontage of # 35 Beach Valley Road:  I had Billy-May working today so we decided to get into the Agapanthas, ladder fern and succulent 'thing' on this corner.

Below:10:45 then1pm. Then when Billy-May and I finished after only 4 hours.  

 Look what Billy-May found and she is very frightened of Wetas.

 I used to be but you can't be a gardener in the Waitakeres and be scared of Wetas.

9/8/09 Frontage of #23 & 25 Beach Valley Road:  Chris Ferkins, WCC, in one of many chats has suggested its not clever to move onto 'new areas' until you know you are able to keep maintenance up on what you have done already.  So today we went back to the first bank we started with in front of the #25 & 23 to give it a good weed.

Just a reminder.  This photo, left, was taken in May 2008 when it was a mass of wandering jew and other weeds. 

Below we see it today.  Heaps of Kiokio or Palm-Leaf Fern coming up naturally along with Asplenium oblongifolium or Huruhuru Whenau (Shining Spleenwort). 

So with beautiful natives like this coming up how do we weed without disturbing these young natives?  Ladders!  We put up three ladders and climbed them to weed while a couple of us weeded from the top.  It worked really well and, as usual, we could all have a good catchup and gossip session while working away  :-)

We talked today, Aug 09, about why we plant: Some of the reasons: We are impatient, we don't trust nature, we want it to look good now.  So we agreed that we will not 'plant' this bank.  We are leaving it to nature and the seed bank already there and use this bank as an example of patience and trust !?!?!? 

August 09: The frontage of  #26 Beach Valley Road has been an eye-sore  for a very long time.  But no longer. . . . work has started . . . Below from left: View from lower Beach Valley Road then view looking down at the site.  The photo on the right shows where work has started.  The planting plan for this area is just stunning. 

4/7/09  Planting to stabilise sandy bank near public toilets on way to Piha SLSC

A challenge for some but not for Kristy Hall who put our planting plan together.

This bank needed to be kept stable so a couple of months ago we planted some cabbage trees and hangehange before ridding the bank of that ghastly ivy. 

Click on the image and you will see:

• PINK: existing vegetation we 'rescued' when removing the ivy that was smothering them
• RED: cabbage trees planted for their deep stabalising roots. 
• BLUE: hangehange planted as they grow well in dry shade - has good roots for stabalising. 
• GREEN: carex raotest - grows well in sand and doesn't interfer with vehicles visuals
• YELLOW: knobby club rush - growing naturally in this sandy area and won't affect vehicle visuals.

7/7/09  The Piha SLSC has leant us David to help out with weeding on the Beach Valley Road Project.  David works in the morning on his own and I join him around lunch time. 

You can see here, 1st photo, that not only is the weed bin full but we'll fill the next one as soon as it arrives.  Andy said he didn't mind if we weeded the road frontage of their property so David has been weeding it and there are some beautiful natives coming up.  Today we did a huge weed and planted some more plants on the bank between the Mitchell's and Kings. 

1/7/09:  David (Community Work) and I got stuck into this bank today and are pretty wrapt with the outcome !  Click for bigger images and see the detail.  The hangehange and cabbage trees we planted some time ago to stabalise the bank are doing their job well.

30/6/09

Due to complaints to WCC these rocks protecting pedestrians had to be painted today.

YUK!

30/6/09

Ben advises that these rocks are on his own property and so he will remove the paint - go Ben !

26/6/09  It would be hard to miss the huge amount of work being done at the Ra end of Beach Valley Road.

Heaps of weeds gone and that ghastly bushy hedge that pushed pedestrians onto the road has gone.

Left and below:  Peter and his son Jason getting stuck into planting.  Great time to do it.

14/6/09  Lockie, the twins and my cousin Jemma about to tackle the mess on the corner of the Milk Track and Beach Valley Road.

This area is a 'vegetation reserve' and about to be given some love.

On the 14th June the twins came down to help us out before they went to Huntington.

So Lockie, the twins and my cousin Jemma who was staying the weekend (and I) got stuck in.

This is a vegetation reserve which we have some great plans for - . . . . you'll hear about it and like them - we hope.

11/6/09

Callum, Mary Stewart's, ARC, son who has joined us several times to help started school last week and is in the Piha Pod (house) and Summerland School 

11/6/09: David and his son Jason have gotten rid of that ghastly bushy weed in front of his home and there is more to come

Photos below from left: (click for larger photos)  Jason and Peter getting rid of the ghastly weed, Peter pointing out where the next 'attack' will be and, right, showing the width of the road - much safer for pedestrians on the dangerous corner

11/6/09  The front of # 7 Beach Valley Road ready for planting now 

17/5/09 Weeding Day for Beach Valley Road Project

From left: Jenny & Peter Dunlop, Brockie King, Bobbie Carroll, Marco Creemers, Ian and Ro Mitchell all of Beach Valley Road. (click for larger image)

Doing a couple of hours weeding prior to our winter plant.

Mid May: 

WCC have completed this work to stop the flooding opposite 54 Beach Valley Road.  Yay - we can walk down there without being splashed.  Thanks WCC

29 April 09: The Moana Lagoon was a shocking mess. One of the two 'tunnels' running under the road was totally blocked and the mess in the lagoon was ghastly.  So as part of our project we asked Council to clean it out and here it is:  It'll look wonderful soon once all the weeds have gone and been replaced by natives.  Hey!  Thanks WCC

Left: sucking out all the gunk in the stream and below the truck on Beach Valley Road where the channels cross under the road.

CLICK FOR LARGER PHOTOS

27 April 09:  You see our Pedestrian and Road Safety wish list here .  After meeting with Council Roading and going over the maintenance they scheduled it and now its happening ...........

Click on all the photos for bigger images of WCC doing maintenance for the Beach Valley Road Project

Below from Left:  This culvert constantly blocked and caused flooding so WCC has put in a proper culvert so it works properly.  Once completed we will plant around it.

Below from left: WCC workmen fixing the broken bollards and right, fixing or replacing all the reflectors on them.

Below from left: More WCC workmen clearing out the 'walkway' which was nearly impassable so we can walk to the beach safely.  We will be planting the bank, above the retaining fence. with natives.

19 April 09:  Maintenance Weeding Day that turned into a Planting Day :  As only a few turned up we decided to get some plants in and to save the weeding until a few more could join us 

Left and below:  On Beach Valley Road heading toward the Surf Club we have planted some Cabbage Trees and Hangehange to help stabalise this bank prior to ridding the top of the bank of that ghastly ivy weed.  We will plant the lower bank with low growing plants so the visual width of the road is maintained and its stays safer to pedestrians as well as cars.

Click on these photos for bigger images of the bank.

We then moved down to the streamside in front of Brockie's and did some booster planting with more oioi and hebe.  The plants we put in spring of '09 are doing very well.

As Chris Ferkins says: sometimes its just a matter of creating the right environment for plants to grow and that is what is happening on the part of the south bank.  Below are natives that I noticed have just sprung up where we have weeded.

After that we moved over the road, in front of Rogers and removed the top layer of dead agapanthas to plant some hebe, NZ Blueberry (Dianella Nigra), NZ Iris (Libertia grandiflora), rengarenga (Arthopodium cirratum), a couple more knobbly clubrush (ficinia nodosa).and a Muehlenbeckia complexa (wire vine)

I then had half an hour to clean up before The Fifth Season garden group, left, came to visit Ju's and my garden.

I took them for a walk up and down Beach Valley Road to show them our Project - they were very impressed both with our work and the partnership with WCC.  Left: a group photo in Black Sands Garden over lunch.

April 09:  Pedestrian Safety on the Northern side of Moana Stream photos can all be enlarged by clicking on them

Above from left: Beach Valley Rd smothered in ivy weed on the right and flax overlapping pedestrian and vehicle area.  Next heaps and heaps of trimming and on the right: the result - for now.

Below from left: Bobbie with the guys from 0800dumpme getting rid of it all then the truck chokka (they have to come back) and then a 'No Stopping' road sign found underneath all the ivy!!!

8/2/09 Marco and Simon are getting rid of the pampas on their property (click on image)

Marco and Simon are working hard to rid their property at #50 of pampas, gorse, ginger and other nasties.

If anyone else is doing this and I haven't photographed it please let me know.  I do like to get 'before' photos 

22/1/09:  Our friends Joe & Sam are helping us with our Project and I am really enjoying working with them.  They came yesterday and we worked together for 4 1/2 hours.  They are very open to learning about just about anything so we often stop and chat about how seeds got somewhere or whatever.

We chose to weed the bank in front of the Dunlops and Mitchells being very careful as there are some beautiful ferns etc coming up and we didn't want to disturb them.  We ended up exhasted but with 7 kowhai in my nursery to plant in the street once they're old enough.  I see kowhai sprout each year, on the road side, but they never survive. Did you know that the word 'kowhai' mean 'yellow' in Maori?  Tui and Keretu (Wood Pigeon) just adore them.  They get shaded out all the time.  This year they will !

These photos are thumbnails so click for bigger images. 

22/12/08

Here is our Beach Valley Road Nipper, Isabella, with Santa at the Piha SLSC's Nipper Xmas Party  :-)

Isabella got some knuckle bones and another Nipper got pick-up-sticks.  Both games were so popular when I was a tot.

13th December '08 - Meeting with WCC Roading & Community 'thanks' lunch: Moving into the next phase of our project, Pedestrian and Vehicle Safety, Hussam Abdul-Rassol of WCC roading, came out to walk Beach Valley Road with us to see first hand the improvements on our 'wish list'.  Hussam was very receptive and we are very appreciative of his time ......

You can see what we discussed here

Chris Ferkins, our WCC partner, has said several times  "It's as much about the people as it is about the environment".  If a good balance of the two is a measure of the projects success then this project has to be a success to date.

Following the 'roading meeting'  Elsa and David, who live in Fiji, invited the 'workers' of the Beach Valley Road Project to their Piha home for lunch to thank us all for the work we are doing ....... 

A very big THANK YOU from us all to David and Elsa for great food and such generous hospitality.

See our Pedestrian & Vehicle Safety wishlist here

2nd November '08 - Community Weeding Day: 

Photo below is the end result of what we did today followed by photos of how we got there  :-)

Below: Just the start  : mile-a-minute weed  :  Ursula with some of the glass and tin off the bank

Below:  Ian, Julia, Jenny, Ursula, Ro and Pat weeding.  I was but double as the photographer!

Below: Not the most flattering of photos but they're working hard. right: Marco, Perry and Ursula starting the clean up.

Perry - you made it so much easier bring out your truck.  You're magic! - thanks

Below: Pat & Ian wondering what this weed is.  Ian and Ro in front of their home and right: the weeds in the bin!

Below: Jenny, in red, and Ursula with bum up.  Right: that same Jenny all cleaned up heading back to town.

Right in the middle of our hard work a friend of Jenny's, the owner I think, of Pokka Liquid Health delivered us these two boxes of drinks to keep us going.

Now anyone that helps us along like that deserves a plug - if I told my friends I drank green tea they would think I was ready for commital - well I have to say I tried the peach & mango green teas and they were very yummy.  This is a free plug but I'm not one to tell porkies!

Thanks so much - hugely appreciated.

Below: Perry & Ursula, new to the Project, and Bobbie :  Perry dumping the weeds in the bin watched by Ursula.  Men are so handy sometimes!

Below: The hugely challenging bank between 13 & 17 Beach Valley Road.  Today we planted Rengarenga Lily , Kio Kio (Blechnum novae-zelandiae) Libertia grandiflora, New Zealand Iris, Turutu - Dianella nigra, Astelia Banksii and just to see if it'll grow one knobbly clubrush - not in the planting plan but I think it might grow there.  You can see descriptions and links to these plants right here in our planitng plan.  We think we have it mastered but only time and some nurturing will tell.

So why does traffic speed so badly here?  One reason, I believe, is you can see the 'hump' sign on the lamp post but the flax hides the 20 km sign.  I've wanted to get rid of the flax or raise the sign for years.  It'll happen very soon!  It's not rocket science really is it?

Below: As I was getting ready to go home I noticed these people showing the child the chickens in Ben and Helen's front garden.  They were also being very careful around the baby Nikau.  Right:  What are we going to do with the rubbish after we've planted around this pohutukawa?  Need to think about that ......

Below:  We planted some 5 finger, mountain flax, cabbage trees and hangehange to help stabalise the bank before putting in some low growing natives in autumn after we're sure the wandering jew has gone.  Also we decided to leave the non-native lilies, for now, for stability.  We're quite good at making these 2 minute decisions now.

There is nothing better after a hard day weeding than coming home, having a good shower and scrub, then having a totally unplanned dinner party with friends that just happened to pop in from the city.

30/10/08  Chrissy (WCC) and Rachel (Wai Care) came out to have a pow wow with me today.  Before we could get any work done Rachel did a 'demonstration' for me, then I had to follow then the three of us together.  Can anyone tell me what we're doing?

Rachel's reaction when I published the photos below:  "OOOOMMMMGGGG!!!! Just saw the photos!!!! aahahaahahaahaaa, you didn't!  Oh how hilarious! (and embarrassing - in the Wai Care logo too! eek!).  Well - it's about having fun too isn't it?! :-) "

That over Rachel went and got some sample water from our Beach Valley Road stream for some more testing.  Second photo below I am helping Rachel test the visibility of the water. and the third photo Rachel is doing some very interesting tests on the water.  Results to follow.   

Hey Dennis!  Thanks for doing the Council's work. 

Keeps Beach Valley Road looking so good!

22/10/08: Tomorrow Pat LaRoche, Yvonne Cleverly, Geoff Calvert and myself are off to Kumeu to become 'certified to spray an aray of poisons' thanks to WCC.  Everyone that answered my queston about very specifically spraying the asparagus and climbing dock in Beach Valley Road didn't have a problem with it.  So after tomorrow I can do it - I'll be 'certified'.  Dan is going to help too.

So: below is a thumbnail of the bank in Beach Valley Road where there is a lot of dock and asparagus growing.  The other two photos show the ghastly roots of asparagus (left) and dock.  I had to dig really hard to get these out and I probably left some in the ground - hence the decision to spray.  So although its really tempting please don't pull either of these weeds - we'll rid it with spray.

Left: Pat, Geoff and Yvonne learning to spray appropriately

23/10/08

Already baby Nikau are growing in front of Ben & Helen's home where Ben has removed all the ladder fern - it doesn't take long.

11/10/08  We asked for some flowers and we got them.

Look at this libertia's delicate flowers.  Down toward the end of Beach Valley Road they're flowering a little better - maybe more light?

  5/10/08 - Out goes a huge trailer load of Agapanthas!

5/10/08 The front of 13 & 17 Beach Valley Road in photos: then and now

19th July 08 Above from left: The mess before starting - notice you can't even see the retaining wall!. Next Marco and Bobbie planting cabbage tree, hebe and hangehange to stabalise the bank from behind.  Then cabbage tree reach for some space amongst the aggies.

Above : Before anything was touched !!!

5th October 08:Below:  With some semblance of stability weeds and aggies removed from bottom section and then planted.  We won't remove all the aggies until we are sure its stable enough.

5th October '08  Ben & Michael just can't stop and Mike joins the team! -  Below:  Michael supervising Ben getting boulder in correct place.  These boulders are creating a safe walkway for people coming down the milk track and Beach Valley Road.   Next: Ben having a beer watching Mike do the work and how it looked at the end of the day  :-)

Left: The 'Children's Garden' in the Beach Valley Road, Piha, Project.  Mary Stewart helped them plant it. We're hoping they will look after it and in years to come have great memories and be proud.

Click for larger image

September 08: Below thumbnails (click for bigger photo) 1. The last, for now, weedbin leaving the lower end of Beach Valley Road.  Time to get one up near Ben and Chris,  2. Here is a new one in front of Chris's.  It's full now and needs to be replaced and 3. It's a lot of hard work for Ben - getting rid of those Aggies.  He's been onto them for a few months now.  Into the weed bin they go.

Wow -  (Below)  I went for a stroll up Beach Valley Road today, just for once without my camera and had to rush back home for it.  Look at these photos - click for a larger image

Ben and Lockie - you're magic!