Location
1km east of Manapouri township and accessible via a sign-posted public road from the Manapouri-Hillside Road. The road ends at a car park and people are free to walk within the Home Creek area.
Visitors are welcome, and access is free.
The Trust's Home Creek wetland and stream reserve near Manapouri. This area is open to the public.
About the project
The Trust set about protecting 14ha of Home Creek and its riparian margins in 1997. Home Creek is a unique natural meandering stream originating in the internationally renowned Kepler Mire and draining to the Waiau Arm of Lake Manapouri. It is an important native fishery and habitat for brown trout. It provides a “small stream” angling experience.
The project's aims
In short the project is about securing an area of natural interest that can be used by the local and wider community.
- protection and management of this special stream and riparian habitat
- improving stream water quality
- enabling natural regeneration processes to re-establish and enhance aquatic ecosystem function
- establish the area as a general recreation facility and an integral part of the Manapouri village “green belt”
What’s been happening
At Home Creek we have been especially active in the following areas.
- fencing of stream and riparian margins
- removal of grazing animals
- re-vegetation of the area, by establishing pockets of native plants as seed sources
- support for a local community native planting initiative
- annual pest plant control work
- poisoning of crack willow
- building of a 1.6km circular walking and biking track around the lower part of the property
Access signage and fencing at the reserve have greatly improved the area.
These activities are now having positive physical impacts on the area. Visually the area has changed, particularly with the elimination of crack willow, the establishment of native vegetation and the growth of rank riparian vegetation, stream bank vegetation and in-stream macrophytes.
With information signage for the public, the reserve is now a great community resource.
Species to benefit
Native flora
Recovery of native vegetation sequences will take a very long time, aided by restoration plantings being undertaken now.
Birds
Waterfowl species (in small numbers), plus native bush birds from the neighbouring Fiordland National Park as native vegetation sequences regenerate.
Fish
Log-finned eel, non-migratory galaxiid species, upland bully and brown trout.
Benefits for water quality
Minimising nutrient/ sediment loads, through good riparian management, will help reduce the risk of nuisance algal growths, during dry summer/autumn periods in the Waiau Arm of Lake Manapouri.