Gray's Bush Scenic Reserve

Introduction

Gray's Bush Scenic Reserve is a small but highly significant remnant of the tall, kahikatea (podocarp) forest which once covered much of the Gisborne Plains. Forested areas are rare on the plains which have been extensively cleared and drained for pastoral farming and agriculture.

Gray's Bush Scenic Reserve is one of the most popular and accessible of DOC's reserves in the region. An estimated 10-12,000 people visit the reserve each year. There are a number of walking tracks at the reserve.

Features

Vegetation

Kahikatea

Gray's Bush Scenic Reserve is a small but highly significant remnant of the tall, kahikatea (podocarp) forest which once covered much of the Gisborne Plains. Forested areas are rare on the plains which have been extensively cleared and drained for pastoral farming and agriculture.

Gray's Bush is semi-coastal in character and has a dominant canopy of kahikatea, with significant presence of puriri. This kahikatea/puriri association is a nationally rare forest type and is the only surviving example on the Gisborne Plains.

The bush grows at the base of an alluvial fan that descends from the hills to the north-east and is on the edge of the flood plain of the Waipaoa River. The trees are supported by a slow-draining, clay loam soil that is typical of the Plains, and the area is less than 30 m above sea level.

The bush stands out as a dense and tall canopy of kahikatea that can be identified from some distance. The reserve is surrounded by agricultural land, primarily used for growing citrus, grapes and cereal crops.

The forest is well-preserved with some individual trees reaching heights of up to 40 metres. There are broadleaved trees such as pukatea, mahoe and tawa with occasional kohekohe and rare matai, growing alongside the more dominant kahikatea and puriri.

The undergrowth is relatively dense, with predominant species such as kawakawa, nikau and occasional small broadleaved shrubs, ferns and herbs. There are some areas with native grass (Oplismenus imbecillus) and also kiekie. This is found in the damper parts of the reserve.

The majority of the taller kahikatea in Gray's Bush are from 400-500 years old. 

Wildlife

The reserve is primarily recognised for its rare forest type, but also provides a nesting, resting and feeding habitat for a number of different bird species both native and introduced. Numerous bush and field birds frequent the reserve, including bellbird, fantail, goldfinch, harrier hawk, kingfisher, magpie, pheasant, pipit, redpoll, silver eye, skylark, sparrow, thrush, tui, grey warbler, shining cuckoo and blackbird.

There is some presence of kereru (native wood pigeon) and possible presence of the threatened North Island weka. Gray's Bush is also visited seasonally by the threatened North Island kaka.

History

The recreational and botanical significance of Gray's Bush was recognised as early as 1914 when the Commissioner of Crown Lands approached the then owner, Mr Charles Gray proposing a land exchange for the bush. As this stage the bush was part of Gray's Farm, Waiohika, which he had brought in 1877.

The proposal was eventually dropped and it was not until 1926, 8 years after Gray's death, that the bush was formally reserved (as Gray's Bush Domain), having been offered to the Crown for a reserve by the trustees of the Gray Estate.

The reserve was managed by various domain boards until 1979 when it was vested in the Department of Lands and Survey and reclassified as a scenic reserve. The reserve is currently managed by the Department of Conservation.

Management

Gray's Bush Scenic Reserve is one of the most popular and accessible of the Department of Conservation's reserves in the region. An estimated 10-12,000 people visit the reserve each year.

While the Department is keen to encourage public appreciation of the reserve, it also wants to protect its ecology. Consequently, tracked access to the reserve is currently limited to the southern end to allow the rest of the forest to grow undisturbed.

The ecology of the reserve is fragile, because it is such a small remnant and because the surrounding environment has been highly modified. In order to sustain the health of the forest, pest control programmes are carried out when needed along with various monitoring programmes. Possums are one of the main threats to the reserve and there are a number of plant pests that establish themselves there.

Plan and prepare

Please don't take any plants from the reserve or leave any rubbish.

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