A Summary

• Motutapu covers an area of 1510 hectares, the majority is in farmed pasture.
• The original forest has gone but there are small post- eruption native forest remnants including puriri, karaka, taraire, mangeao, kohekohe, and flax.
• Pohutukawa trees grow on the coastal fringe.
• There are now approximately 75 hectares of volunteer replanted native forest.
• The island is host to a number of unwanted plants including rhamnus (evergreen buckthorn), moth plant, woolly nightshade, apple of Sodom, pampas and smilex. These pests are being brought under control through the weed programme.
• Some exotic trees, planted by the early European settler farmers, such as Norfolk Island pine, macrocarpa, pinus radiata and poplars can be seen in the landscape.

Native vegetation

Originally Motutapu would have been covered with coastal lowland forest similar to that growing on Waiheke and other Hauraki Gulf islands. The Rangitoto eruption, 600 years ago, understandably had a major impact on this forest. It eventually recovered on the now volcanic ash covered island. Since the arrival of Europeans in 1840 the mixed broadleaf/podocarp forest has been cleared to the point where today the island is mostly in pasture grasses (rye grasses, clover and kikuyu) with only small remnants of the post eruption forest dotted across the island and around the coastal strip.

The forest remnants include pohutukawa, tawapou, kohekohe, taraire, mahoe, puriri, kowhai, mangeao and karaka. The coastal strip is made up predominantly of pohutukawa some of which are quite old and very beautiful. Most of the native vegetation that is growing naturally occurs in the coastal fringe (cliffs, cliff tops and dune areas).

The island is undergoing a major transformation with volunteers from the community planting a native forest. In the past 16 years approximately 75 hectares have been planted with over 400,000 native saplings raised in the Trust's island nursery by volunteers. The Home Bay Forest is the largest area of native trees, many now over seven metres high with dozens of native seedlings regenerating naturally under the rapidly growing canopy. The majority of trees planted are establishment phase species including manuka, kanuka, coprosma, ake ake, cabbage trees, flax, houpara (five finger), ngaio, karo, and mahoe. Some canopy species like puriri, pohutukawa, rewarewa and kowhai have also been used in the early phases of planting.

Now that the first phase plants are covering the land, canopy species are being planted in the sheltered habitat which has been created. These include tawapou, taraire, tawa, nikau, kauri, kahikatea, kohekohe, karaka, mangeao, tanekaha and wharangi.

Native ferns such as shaking brake and mamaku (black tree ferns) are introducing themselves into the native plantings.

Exotic vegetation

Motutapu has not escaped the introduction of imported plants. There are a number of large exotic trees planted by the early European settler farmers.  Norfolk Island pines can be seen in Home, Station and Emu Bays, a large line of poplars line the northern arm of Central Gully and there are a number of shelter belts of macrocarpa, cryptomeria, gum trees and pine trees scattered across the island.

Surrounding the Reid Homestead and alongside the stream in Home Bay there is an interesting array of exotic trees including Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs, Norfolk Island Hibiscus, walnuts, flame trees, and London planes.

The island is host to a large number of unwanted plants including rhamnus (evergreen buckthorn), moth plant, woolly nightshade, apple of Sodom, pampas and smilex. Some of these species - moth plant, rhamnus, apple of Sodom and woolly nightshade - pose a serious threat to the native plantings. There is a year round programme of weed control by volunteers and contractors to combat these plant pests.

Species which have been grounded as part of our volunteer planting activities: