Gorse: NZ's Worst Nightmare

Today's work was quite different from what we have been doing the past few days. Instead of planting treelets around the site office, we geared up, grabbed thick gloves and tools, and headed down the road to another area of site in need of some care. 1 minute drive. A jump over a wooden fence. A careful step over an electric fence. And we were at the site of today's work: gorse removal. Beside a small stream and covering the field we were standing in was plant upon plant of the invasive gorse.

Native to Europe, settlers brought gorse here to New Zealand, never knowing how big of an impact it would have on the country's ecosystem. Originally used as hedging for their gardens to keep out predators, gorse was planted in small proportions, only what was needed. But New Zealand's nutrient rich soil and temperate climate caused the gorse plant to spread like wildfire. Gorse now eats up the country side of the west coast of the south island, displacing other native plants and habitats. That's why we were working today to rid the Punakaiki Coastal Restoration Site of this harmful invasive species.

From afar, the plant looks like a large bush with tiny yellow flowers. However, as one comes closer, you will find a plant covered in enormous thorns. The tiny flowers suddenly become not so appealing anymore. We spent the entire morning clipping and sawing the trunks of these gorse plants. It was the most labor intensive work that we have done thus far, but it was nice to do another different job for CVNZ and the restoration site. What made the day even better was that today there was no rain, just pure sunshine. Perfect for the day I decide to wear the most layers and winter clothing. After shedding layer after layer, and even after taking smoko, by noon we were drained. The enthusiasm level was still pretty high but the energy level was dwindling. Lucky for us, the site crew gave us the rest of the day off with a fantastic afternoon of site-seeing planned for us.

After a fantastic lunch made on the "toastie maker," also known as a sandwich maker for us, Sam loaded us into the CVNZ van and drove us an hour down the coast to visit the fur seal colony. It was breath taking. It was like we were experiencing New Zealand on our first day all over again, since this was the first time we experienced NZ in the sun. After hiking up the trail to see the seals, and "Awww!"ing over the baby ones, the sight of them lounging on the rocks in the sun made us all long for a nap, so we headed home, more than content with the work we accomplished for the restoration site.