72-426: Ōkārito Lagoon is a coastal lagoon on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island . It is located 130 kilometres (81 mi) south of Hokitika , and covers an area of about 3,240 hectares (12.5 sq mi), making it the largest unmodified coastal wetland in New Zealand. It preserves a sequence of vegetation types from mature rimu forest through mānuka scrub to brackish water that has been lost in much of
144-461: A brackish water ecosystem. During this stage Ōkārito's rimu forest is able to encroach around the edges of the now-lower lagoon, a pattern we can observe today. Ōkārito Lagoon has extensive meadows of eelgrass ( Zostera muelleri ), one of the few such estuaries remaining in New Zealand; most have been wiped out by pollution and sedimentation after forest clearance. Eelgrass is not a seaweed, but
216-457: A cord. J. H. Kerry-Nicholls and William Colenso both recorded a blue or black dye being obtained from the soot of burning kahikatea's resin or heart wood, called kāpara or māpara. This was described as then being used in tattooing. This resin was also used as chewing gum. The wood could be made into canoes, called waka , but Best recorded that because of the softness of the wood they were far inferior to those made from tōtara . The heartwood
288-459: A few metres on the bank of a creek. Over 70 bird species have been reported from Ōkārito Lagoon and the surrounding forest, including 40 species of shorebirds and migratory waders . Paradise shelducks , New Zealand scaup , black swans , and occasional grey ducks can be seen on the water. Black shags ( Phalacrocorax carbo ), little shags ( P. melanoleucos ), pied shags ( P. varius ), and spotted shags ( Stictocarbo punctatus ) all occur in
360-617: A flowering plant that is pollinated underwater. Eelgrass beds are highly productive, not only drawing nutrients up out of the mud but providing a rich habitat for invertebrates and a nursery for baby fishes. On the inland side of the lagoon are large stretches of saltmarsh and swampland, dominated by jointed wire rush or oioi ( Apodasmia similis ). This becomes a band of mānuka ( Leptospermum scoparium ), mingimingi ( Coprosma propinqua ), and flax ( Phormium tenax ) shrubland that transitions through kahikatea swamp forest into bush dominated by rimu and silver pine ( Manoao colensoi ). Ōkārito
432-501: A mature kahikatea can produce 800 kilograms (1,800 lb) of fruit, equivalent to 4.5 million seeds, in a year. The fruit contains a special fleshy structure called a receptacle which helps attract birds such as the kererū , tūī , and bellbird , who then eat the fruit and disperse the seed elsewhere. One 2008 study in the New Zealand Journal of Ecology found a mean retention time of kahikatea seeds in kererū of 44.5 minutes. It
504-468: A tree we had before seen, but only at a distance [...]. Thick woods of it were everywhere upon the banks, every tree as straight as a pine, and of immense size, and the higher we went the more numerous they were. Kahikatea was first described in 1832 by the French botanist Achille Richard in his Essai d'une Flore de la Nouvelle Zélande (Essay On The Flora of New Zealand) as Podocarpus dacrydioides . There
576-434: A wider base, and curved like a scythe . In adulthood the leaves change dramatically and are a brown-green colour and just 1–2 mm long, waxy, and grow overlapping one another tightly. As a conifer, kahikatea has no flowers and instead has cones . Male cones, which occur on different trees to female ones, are 1 cm long and rectangular. The pollen is a pale yellow colour and has a three-pored or trisaccate shape that
648-416: A window for reestablishing native sedges, treated willows can rapidly reestablish their populations in an area due to epicormic shoots . Exclusive use of glyphosate to control willow populations would require periodic herbicide application into perpetuity. The trees are also threatened by diminished seed availability and distribution due to a reduction in native bird species that dispersed the seeds, such as
720-685: Is endemic to the North , South , and Stewart Islands of New Zealand. It inhabits mostly lowland forests between 0 and 600m above sea level, though may in rare cases reach montane areas. It used to dominate a swamp forest type that now exists almost only on the South Westland region of the South Island. Kahikatea prefers flooded or alluvial soils with low levels of drainage, which in Westland occur from post glaciation events. Under optimal circumstances
792-482: Is a coniferous tree reaching a height of 50–65 m (164–213 ft), making it the tallest New Zealand tree, with a trunk 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) through. It has a 600 year life span and gains maturity after between 250 and 450 years. Near the base of the tree, the roots are typically buttressed and grooved. Adult trees that grow in clusters develop interlocking root islands that may help prevents individual trees from falling during high winds. The wood itself
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#1733086023698864-440: Is also washed down from the mountains, forming a spit which partly blocks the lagoon off from the sea and raises the shoreline. Tides cannot penetrate as far, and a freshwater ecosystem forms, dominated by raupō around the water's edge. Sediment is deposited at the river's mouth as a delta. Over time, the arrival of sediment slows, the spit is breached and washed away, the water level lowers, and tides come further inland forming
936-503: Is an earlier record given in the 1825 issue of Mémoires du Muséum d'histoire naturelle as Podocarpus thujoides , but it lacks a description. It was superfluously named Dacrydium excelsum by Allan Cunningham in the 1838 issue of Annals of Natural History , and transferred to the genus Nageia by Otto Kuntze in 1891. It was given its current binomial name , Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, in 1969 by American botanist David de Laubenfels . Dacrycarpus means tear shaped fruit, and
1008-559: Is at Shantytown . Other towns and settlements include: The West Coast region is governed by the West Coast Regional Council. Currently, it is chaired by Peter Haddock. The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of the West Coast was estimated at NZ$ 2,373 million in the year to March 2022, 0.7% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $ 72,127 in the same period. The region had one of
1080-420: Is distinctive in the New Zealand flora and so can be identified easily. The fruit is highly modified with a yellow-orange fleshy receptacle that is 2.5–6.5 mm long. The purple-black seed is roughly spherical and 4–6 mm in diameter. Both the seed and the ovary are covered with a thin layer of wax. Kahikatea has a diploid chromosome count of 20. Several different glycosides have been isolated from
1152-534: Is found to be within a Darcydioid clade . This group of species that share a common ancestor also gave rise to the other Dacrycarpus species as well as those in the genus Dacrydium . They suggested it diverged from a common ancestor around 60 million years ago, in the early paleogene . This is represented in the cladogram below. Dacrycarpus dacrydioides — Kahikatea Dacrycarpus compactus Dacrycarpus imbricatus Falcatifolium taxoides Dacrydium balansae Dacrydium pectinatum Kahikatea
1224-874: Is in Greymouth. The region has been included in the "Top 10 Coastal Drives of the World" by Lonely Planet . The region has the only New Zealand nesting place of the kōtuku (white heron) , at the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve , visited by tours from the small farming township of Whataroa . This rare bird appears on the $ 2 coin. Over 80% of West Coast land is administered by the Department of Conservation, much of this being in National Parks. These include from north to south, parts of Kahurangi NP, Paparoa NP, parts of Arthurs Pass NP, Westland NP, parts of Aspiring NP plus
1296-678: Is not yet protected under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands , although several proposals have been made (the last in 2017). The lagoon has been made a mātaiti reserve with the support of local Makaawhio Māori, which allows for customary and recreational food gathering but not commercial harvesting. The area between Ōkārito Lagoon and the mountains is targeted by the $ 45 million Predator Free South Westland project, which aims to remove rats, stoats, and possums from 100,000 hectares. West Coast, New Zealand The West Coast ( Māori : Te Tai Poutini , lit. 'The Coast of Poutini,
1368-478: Is odourless and white. The majority of the trunk is branchless—in adults around three quarters—and has grey or dark grey coloured bark which falls off thickly in flakes. Young adults have no branches in a third to a half of the trunk and have a conic shape. In juveniles the leaves are 3–7 (reaching 4 mm in young adults) by 0.5–1 mm and a dark green to red colour that come to a marked point. They are narrow, arranged in almost opposite pairs spreading away from
1440-494: Is one of the few places on the West Coast where the transition of tall rain forest through scrub and rush to brackish water can still be easily observed. The transition zone can stretch quite a distance and contain saltmarsh ribbonwood ( Plagianthus divaricatus ), cabbage trees ( Cordyline australis ), and invasive gorse ( Ulex europaeus ), gradually incorporating kahihatea, southern rātā , and kōwhai ( Sophora microphylla ) as salinity declines; or it can take place over just
1512-479: Is only possible along a main channel. The channel forks into several streams and creeks that can be used to enter tall coastal kahikatea and rimu rainforest. Most of the lagoon is trackless and muddy and only accessible by boat. The lagoon is a dynamic system, driven by seismic activity along the main Alpine Fault . In an earthquake, the estuary floor settles and deepens, but sediment from landslides
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#17330860236981584-538: Is the least populous of New Zealand's sixteen regions. The West Coast is also the most sparsely populated region, with just 1.50 people per square kilometre (3.88 per square mile). West Coast Region had a population of 33,390 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 1,815 people (5.7%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 1,242 people (3.9%) since the 2013 census . There were 17,031 males, 16,245 females and 117 people of other genders in 14,793 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age
1656-546: Is the only region of New Zealand where coal mining is still widely practiced. The name Westland is used by some New Zealanders to refer to the whole of the West Coast, including Grey District , Buller District and Fiordland , and can also refer to the short-lived Westland Province of 1873–76. Fiordland is on the west coast, but is in the Southland Region rather than the West Coast Region. Inhabitants of
1728-729: The Canterbury Plains and in the Firth of Thames , they have been almost completely destroyed for settlement and agriculture. Scenic areas include the Haast Pass , Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers , Hokitika Gorge , Lake Brunner , the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki , the Oparara Arches and the Heaphy Track . The region has very high rainfall due to the prevailing northwesterly wind pattern and
1800-548: The Eastern great egret . This subspecies of great egret is quite common throughout Asia and Australia, but in New Zealand the white heron is extremely rare. When Queen Elizabeth II visited New Zealand in 1953–54, she was compared to the kōtuku – a compliment given to rare, distinguished visitors. The kōtuku is featured on the reverse side of a New Zealand $ 2 coin . There is only one breeding site for White Heron in New Zealand: within
1872-617: The New Zealand Threat Classification System , which gives it an estimated population of above 100,000. The Whangamarino Wetland , a swamp-fen-bog complex south of Auckland on the North Island, was identified as an area of priority restoration as an ecosystem; the wetland is connected to the Waikato Tainui iwi . The introduced grey willow and crack willow have thrived in the deforested areas where kahikatea
1944-581: The Taniwha ') is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island . It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council , and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini . It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller District , Grey District and Westland District . The principal towns are Westport , Greymouth and Hokitika . The region, one of the more remote areas of
2016-478: The Westland Province , until the abolition of the provincial system in 1876. The West Coast gold rush between 1864 and 1867 created numerous gold rush towns such as Ōkārito, which at one time was the largest town on the West Coast but quickly almost vanished as miners moved on. After that time, the population dwindled, but the main towns that still exist had become established. Following greenstone and gold,
2088-454: The kererū . Although some non-native birds, such as the common blackbird , are also prolific seed-spreaders, survival of the kahikatea seeds are further threatened by introduced mice and rats. He toa piki rākau kahikatea, he kai na te pakiaka The champion kahikatea climber is food for the roots In Māori mythology kahikatea is a child of Tāne , the god of forests and birds, and Hine-wao-riki. It served as an important source of wood for
2160-399: The 2019–2020 season, there were 150,000 milking cows on the West Coast, 3.0% of the country's total herd. The cows produced 50,700 tonnes of milk solids, worth $ 365 million at the national average farmgate price ($ 7.20 per kg). Other industries are the manufacturing and sales of greenstone jewellery, sphagnum moss gathering and stone-collection for garden landscaping. Monteith's brewery
2232-586: The September–mid-November season. The lagoon also contains longfin eels , flounder and yellow-eyed mullet . The mudflats are home to tunnelling crabs / papaka ( Helice crassa ), mudsnails / titiko ( Amphibola crenata ), and mudflat topshells ( Diloma subrostratum ). Flounder and shellfish populations are currently in good health. For many New Zealanders, Ōkārito is synonymous with the white heron ( Ardea alba modesta ), commonly referred to by its Māori name kōtuku , and known outside New Zealand as
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2304-623: The South Westland World Heritage Area. Each of these parks have flora and fauna common to all areas, as well as species, like kiwi, particular to those areas. Four roads run into the West Coast Region. The main road running the length of the region is State Highway 6 . It connects to the Tasman District in the north through the Buller Gorge , and to Otago in the south via Haast Pass . Two roads connect to Canterbury to
2376-569: The Taramakau River in 1864 by two Māori, Ihaia Tainui and Haimona Taukau. By the end of the year there were an estimated 1800 prospectors, many of them around the Hokitika area, which in 1866 was briefly the most populous settlement in New Zealand. The region was divided between Nelson Province and Canterbury Province from 1853: in 1873 the Canterbury portion of the region formed its own province,
2448-588: The West Coast are colloquially known as "Coasters". The region reaches from Kahurangi Point in the north to Awarua Point in the south, a distance of 600 km. It has an area of 23,246 km . To the west is the Tasman Sea (which like the Southern Ocean can be very rough, with four-metre swells common), and to the east are the Southern Alps . Much of the land is rugged, with a coastal plain where much of
2520-503: The alluvial plains that they favour are prone to upheaval and erosion and so trees may still become damaged. Forest remnants outside of South Westland face the threat of never returning to their natural states, as a result of their small size, threats from weed species, and grazing by livestock. Despite this, kahikatea has been classified as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and "Not Threatened" by
2592-415: The area was famous across New Zealand for its richness in pounamu greenstone. Kāi Tahu traded millions of modern New Zealand dollars ' worth of the stone across New Zealand , making Te Tai Poutini one of the wealthiest regions in the country. After the arrival of Europeans, the region became famed for its vast and mostly untapped gold reserves, which historically had not been highly valued. The region
2664-619: The authors identified as comparable to the number found on a Prumnopitys exigua in Bolivian cloud forest . Intraspecific competition between kahikatea trees was found in a 1999 study to be an important factor in their survival and overall success, affecting both the rates of growth and of mortality. Older trees have a particularly large advantage over resources compared to newer ones, and also have higher growth rates. Following flooding or other natural events, kahikatea has been found to require an open canopy in order to re-establish. Because of
2736-650: The building of waka and making of tools, of food in the form of its berries, and of dye. Its use for timber and its damp fertile habitat, ideal for dairy farming , have led to its decimation almost everywhere except South Westland . Kahikatea seeds have fleshy structures called receptacles attached to them, which encourage birds such as kererū and tūī to eat them and disperse the seeds. The water storage ability of these structures may also act to protect seeds from drying out. It supports many smaller plants in its own branches, which are called epiphytes ; 100 different species have been recorded on one tree alone. Kahikatea
2808-464: The burning of many forests by early Māori , there still remained large remnant forests which European settlers came upon in the 18th and 19th centuries. Prospects for use as timber were accelerated by the vast numbers of straight and tall trees, but because the wood is soft and odourless, it was made into pulp, barrels and boxes–butter boxes in particular were made mostly out of kahikatea. Kahikatea's usually flat habitat, with its damp and fertile soil,
2880-420: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 2,658 (9.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 15,825 (56.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 8,490 (30.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 32,700, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 1,956 people (7.0%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
2952-401: The colony from Whataroa . Māori occupation and seasonal harvesting in the area began over 600 years ago. Ōkārito was an important mahinga kai (food-gathering site) for Kāti Māhaki ki Makaawhio, a subtribe of Ngāi Tahu , who were collecting and working pounamu for trade. As part of the 1998 Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act , Ngāi Tahu were granted a nohoanga (seasonal gathering site) at
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3024-553: The consistency of these events in South Westland however, many forested areas don't progress beyond regaining kahikatea and rimu , as other species, such as kāmahi , need the environment to improve before they can return. This species plays host to the New Zealand endemic beetle Agapanthida pulchella . Prior to the arrival of humans in New Zealand around 75% of the country was covered in trees, and kahikatea dominated its own and once widespread kahikatea forest type. Even after
3096-551: The country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023. The region has a rich and important history. The land itself is ancient, stretching back to the Carboniferous period ; this is evident by the amount of carboniferous materials naturally found there, especially coal . First settled by Kāi Tahu in approximately 1200 AD,
3168-598: The country. Riccarton Bush is one notable example of forest remnant protection. The near 16-acre (6.47 ha) reserve was held in the Deans family for 70 years before it was gifted to Christchurch by them in 1914, and subsequently formally protected in the Riccarton Bush Bill. It is the only surviving kahikatea forest remnant in the entire Canterbury Plains , and contains trees up to 600 years old. Reservation of stands may not totally protect kahikatea, however, because
3240-424: The east, State Highway 7 through Lewis Pass to North Canterbury and State Highway 73 via Arthur's Pass to Christchurch . The Midland railway line is the only railway line into the region. It links to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass. The TranzAlpine train service runs return between Christchurch and Greymouth daily and freight lines extend to Ngākawau and Hokitika . Daily passenger flights operate into
3312-502: The lagoon and statutory acknowledgment of their rights over it. In the West Coast gold rush of the 1860s, Ōkārito rapidly grew to a population of several thousand, with 31 hotels, three banks, and a courthouse. The port was the third busiest on the West Coast after Hokitika and Greymouth, and had a wharf, customs house, and harbourmaster. At one point 500 prospective gold miners arrived in a single day. The harbourmaster directed ships over
3384-463: The lagoon, and perhaps the best place in the world to see this secretive bird is amongst the oioi rushes on the Ōkārito Wetland Walk – this vegetation is not as good a hiding place as their usual scrub habitat. Pairs can be heard making a call-and-response u-tick call. Australasian bitterns and marsh crakes also inhabit the wetlands but are far harder to spot. The juvenile fishes known as whitebait are common here, and so are whitebaiters during
3456-472: The lagoon. Caspian terns ( Hydroprogne caspia ) and white-fronted terns ( Sterna striata ) are present, and most of the gulls are black-billed gulls ( Chroicocephalus bulleri ), the world's most threatened gull species. As well as the common white-faced heron , one can see royal spoonbills and the famed white heron or kōtuku ( Ardea alba modesta ). Banded dotterels and variable oystercatchers breed on Ōkārito Beach. Fernbirds are present all around
3528-399: The land at Waitangiroto was compulsorily acquired by the New Zealand government and gazetted as a nature reserve. The New Zealand population of kōtuku is around 180. About 8–10 white herons are resident year-round at the Ōkārito Lagoon, and are most common seen between October and March. They can be observed relatively close up while kayaking on the lagoon, and regular birdwatching tours visit
3600-411: The leaves; the tricetin 3’,5’-di-O-/β-glucopyranoside and 3’-0-β-xylopyranoside have been found only in kahikatea. The receptacles and seeds have been found to contain anthocyanins , rare in gymnosperms , which it was suggested in one 1988 paper make the fruit as a whole more attractive to prospective animal dispersers. The banks were completely clothed with the finest timber my eyes ever beheld, of
3672-540: The location of the Southern Alps, which give rise to heavy orographic precipitation . The rain shadow effect is responsible for the relatively arid climate of the Canterbury Plains on the other side of the Southern Alps. The region is home to Ngāi Tahu , who value it for the greenstone (pounamu) found there in abundance. The region was only occasionally visited by Europeans until the discovery of gold near
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#17330860236983744-427: The making of tools, of dye, and of food from its berries. To collect the latter, Māori had to climb sometimes more than 100 ft (30 m) to reach them. 19th century British ethnographers Richard Taylor , Eldson Best , and William Colenso all recorded the fruit of kahikatea being eaten, and that it was given its own name: koroī. Best described berries being collected in a basket and then hoisted down using
3816-581: The next valuable mineral was coal. Discovered near the Buller River in the mid-1840s, mining began in earnest during the 1860s. By the 1880s coal had become the region's main industry, with mines throughout the northern half of the region, especially around Westport . Many of these continued in operation until the mid-20th century, and several survive. Timber has also long been a major industry, although in recent years there has been an uneasy balance between forestry for wood and forestry for conservation. Much of
3888-602: The north and the Waiho River in the south. Around the lagoon is a low moraine ridge left by a glacier 18,000 years ago as it retreated up what is now the Whataroa River . Several small waterways drain into the lagoon, and it is the outflow of Lake Mapourika and Lake Wahapo via the Ōkārito River . At the southern end of the lagoon is the small settlement of Ōkārito . The lagoon is tidal , with large stretches of mudflat being exposed at low tide, when reliable passage for canoes
3960-399: The population resides. It is divided into the three local government districts of (from north to south) Buller , Grey and Westland . The land is very scenic, with wild coastlines, mountains and a very high proportion of native bush , much of it native temperate rain forest . It is the only part of New Zealand where significant tracts of lowland forest remain: elsewhere, for instance on
4032-409: The protected Waitangiroto Nature Reserve, north of Ōkārito Lagoon. Kōtuku share the colony with royal spoonbills, known as kōtuku ngutupapa . From this colony, kōtuku disperse throughout New Zealand, but return to this spot to breed. The first European to see the colony was surveyor Gerhard Mueller , who was guided there by Kere Tūtoko in 1865. There were only four nesting pairs of kōtuku in 1941 when
4104-510: The region is public land administered by the Department of Conservation and the region has some of the best remaining stands of native forest, along with a wealth of rare wildlife. Ecotourism is now an important industry, and this goes hand in hand with the conservation efforts. The West Coast region covers 23,245.52 km (8,975.15 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 34,800 as of June 2024, 0.7% of New Zealand's population. It
4176-403: The region. Air New Zealand flies between Christchurch and Hokitika and Sounds Air between Wellington and Westport. Dacrycarpus dacrydioides Dacrycarpus dacrydioides , commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori ) and white pine , is a coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand . A podocarp , it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining heights of 60 m over a life span of 600 years. It
4248-546: The rest of the West Coast. The settlement of Ōkārito is at the southern end of the lagoon. The lagoon's name is from the Māori Ō , place of, and kārito , the young shoots of the bulrush or raupō ( Typha orientalis ), a valued food source. Another account has Ōkārito taking its name from a rangatira named Kārito, whose daughters Mapourika and Wahapako gave their names to nearby Lake Mapourika and Lake Wahapo . The lagoon's official name has been spelled with macrons over
4320-434: The site of Ōkārito's first cemetery. One resident recalled: …the annual racing carnival was held on the island, and we children climbed on the gravestones to watch the race as it circled the hill and thundered down the straight for home and the winning post… on the evening of the racing carnival, a race ball was held and everyone from near and far attended. Although it is New Zealand's largest unmodified wetland, Ōkārito Lagoon
4392-509: The specific epithet dacrydioides is after its similarity to species in the genus Dacrydium . Common names include kahikatea, from the Māori language , and white pine. Other Māori names recorded by 19th century ethnographers include: katea, kaikatea, koroī, kōaka, kahika, and the name kāī (for the young tree). A 2022 study in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution , found a phylogeny , or evolutionary tree, in which kahikatea
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#17330860236984464-422: The strongest growing regional economies of New Zealand in 2022, though from a rather small base. Industries include mining for coal and alluvial gold , forestry and wood processing, fishing (including whitebaiting ), tourism and farming. Dairy farming has grown strongly – the local dairy co-operative Westland Milk Products remained independent when most others merged to form Fonterra in 2001. In
4536-400: The treacherous bar with flags and signals. Flax and timber were exported from the wharf in the late 19th and early 20th century. Part of the wharf and its shed survive today; the shed was heavily reconstructed in 1960 using parts of the original wharf and shed, and now functions as an information centre. A large island in the lagoon was once the venue for sports days and horse racing, and also
4608-469: The vowels since 2010, although it is still commonly seen written as "Okarito". The lagoon is 3,240 hectares (8,000 acres) in area, mostly quite shallow. It is the largest sandbar -built estuarine wetland in the West Coast region – and the largest such unmodified wetland in all New Zealand – and is roughly in the middle of a series of wetlands that extends for 40 km, between the Wanganui River in
4680-558: Was 48.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 5,448 people (16.3%) aged under 15 years, 4,518 (13.5%) aged 15 to 29, 15,861 (47.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 7,563 (22.7%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 89.7% European ( Pākehā ); 13.5% Māori ; 1.6% Pasifika ; 4.0% Asian ; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 4.3% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
4752-459: Was also a prime location for dairy farming. Together this led to the felling of much of the remaining forests in the North and South Islands during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today they are confined mostly to the South Westland region of the South Island, though small remnants still exist in some places. Conservation efforts have focused on protecting and fencing kahikatea forests around
4824-427: Was first described botanically by the French botanist Achille Richard in 1832 as Podocarpus dacrydioides , and was given its current binomial name Dacrycarpus dacrydioides in 1969 by the American botanist David de Laubenfels . Analysis of DNA has confirmed its evolutionary relationship with other species in the genera Dacrycarpus and Dacrydium . In Māori culture , it is an important source of timber for
4896-410: Was previously dominant. The willows are fast-growing and have obstructed streams, displaced native vegetation, and contributed to a loss in native biodiversity. Kahikatea are considered a light-demanding species that struggles to progress beyond the sapling stage in areas with high willow density. Although the herbicide glyphosate has been successful in thinning mature grey willow canopies and providing
4968-556: Was spoken by 98.0%, Māori language by 2.3%, Samoan by 0.2% and other languages by 5.6%. No language could be spoken by 1.5% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.2, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 29.8% Christian , 0.6% Hindu , 0.2% Islam , 0.3% Māori religious beliefs , 0.4% Buddhist , 0.7% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.8%, and 9.0% of people did not answer
5040-467: Was subsequently settled by thousands of Irish Catholics after the Irish Famine , who constitute the majority of the population, alongside the indigenous Kāi Tahu and those who come from admixing between the two populations. The region was also heavily sought after by nuclear weapons states in the 1950s for its abundant resources of uranium , which many West Coasters found objectionable. The West Coast
5112-577: Was suggested in a 1989 study that the high water content of the receptacle may also help protect the seeds, which are vulnerable to drying out, from dry conditions. It may also serve as a storage vessel for water. The bluish seeds have very strong UV reflectance, which is visible to some species of birds. Kahikatea can support a vast number of non-parasitic plants that live in its branches, called epiphytes . One 2002 study identified between 90 and 100 species occurring on one mature tree. This included 49 vascular plants and over 50 non-vascular plants , which
5184-487: Was that 12,819 (45.9%) people were employed full-time, 4,101 (14.7%) were part-time, and 687 (2.5%) were unemployed. There are only four towns with a population over 1,000: Greymouth , Westport , Hokitika and Runanga . These four towns, plus Reefton (population 980), are recognised as urban areas by Statistics New Zealand. During the gold rush days, Hokitika had a population of more than 25,000 with more than 100 pubs . A recreation of an early New Zealand settlement
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