January 20, 2023: Akaroa. When Hugh Wilson and Maurice White founded Hinewai Nature Park 35 years ago, they were called fools and dreamers. Today, they are local heroes, and Hinewai a treasure.
“As for shutting up a whole valley, heaven help us from fools and dreamers!”
A skeptic, 1987
Bare Banks Peninsula
Before the arrival of humans in the 1300s, the slopes of Banks Peninsula’s ancient volcanic caldera were covered in trees. Settlers cleared the land for timber and pasture. By 1900, less than 1% of the native hardwood forest was left.
Local farmers were having a tough time on the new pastureland. Their bane was gorse, a thorny weed. Gorse was introduced from Europe as a hedge, and unexpectedly flourished in New Zealand. Within a few decades, wild gorse was choking off pastures fueling wildfires. Farmers were constantly trying to eradicate this pest plant.
Fools and Dreamers
In 1987, Hugh, a botanist and Maurice, a local CPA, had a vision of restoring to native forest the gorse-infested pastureland near their home in Akaroa. Maurice formed a trust and would buy land, while Hugh would manage it. Hinewai Nature Park was born.
Hugh had an unorthodox approach to restoring the native forests and biodiversity. Rather than battling the gorse, he let it grow as a nurse canopy to shelter the native shade-tolerant saplings. Local farmers thought he was a total nut – and possibly dangerous. They were quite worried about the unmanaged gorse encroaching further on their pastures.
But Hugh’s approach worked beyond expectations. The gorse not only gave shelter, but also fixed nitrogen, which fed the saplings. Within ten years, the saplings grew above the gorse, and soon shaded and displaced most of it. With the success, more land was bought, and the park expanded. What was once marginal farmland is now a thriving 1250 hectare native forest, with 47 waterfalls.
There is a fantastic 30-minute documentary on Hugh and Hinewai called, appropriately enough, “Fools and Dreamers.” It is a title Hugh wears proudly.
Hinewai Hike
The Banks Peninsula was our first New Zealand road trip destination. Jean and I arrived at Hinewai in the morning to fantastic foggy views out over the park. As we trekked down and up through the vale, we found bird and wildlife, and an abundance of native lowers. The highlight was when we met Hugh, out doing a wildlife census with his summer interns. He still lives and works in the reserve, 35-years on.
After our hike, we cruised back down to Akaroa and the lagoon formed by the ancient caldera, and enjoyed dinner as we talked over our next road trip destination: the little blue penguin colony at Oamaru.
