Otari-Wilton's Bush is a native botanic garden and forest reserve located in Wilton in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand. It is the only public botanic garden that is dedicated solely to the native plants of New Zealand.

Overview

Otari-Wilton's Bush is a public botanic garden dedicated solely to New Zealand native plants. It is the only garden of this type in New Zealand. The reserve includes of native forest, and of plant collections. The forest in the reserve contains some of the oldest trees in Wellington, including an 800-year-old

rimu ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The Māori name ''rimu'' comes from the Polynesian ...

. Otari–Wilton's Bush is classified as a 6Star rated garden by the

New Zealand Gardens Trust The Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (RNZIH) is a horticultural society in New Zealand. History According to its website, the RNZIH was founded in 1923. New Zealand's National Library holds minute books from the Institute dating back ...

. It is also one of the Founding Gardens of the Trust. Otari-Wilton’s Bush has also received an international

Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...

that recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces and around the world. Otari-Wilton's Bush is owned and managed by the

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...

Location and access

The gardens are located at 160 Wilton Road, approximately 5 km from the city centre. Public transport to the gardens is available via the No 14 Wilton bus route from the city centre. There are also car parks at the Wilton Road and Churchill Drive entrances. There is a path suitable for wheelchairs from Wilton Road to the Visitor Centre, and from there to the Cockayne Lookout via the Canopy Walkway. There is also an accessible path along the

Kaiwharawhara Stream The Kaiwharawhara Stream is a stream in the North Island of New Zealand - it flows through the northwestern part of New Zealand's capital, Wellington. Its headwaters lie within the suburb of Karori, and it passes through other suburbs and Otari-W ...

from the carpark off Churchill Drive to the Troup Picnic Lawn. Entry is free, and the gardens are open daily between sunrise and sunset.

History

The original forest in the area surrounding Otari-Wilton's Bush was a podocarp broadleaf forest. The area was known as a good place to catch birds, and this gives rise to the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

name: “Place of snares”. Large trees in the wider area were felled for timber when European settlers arrived in the region, and farms were established. In 1860, a far-sighted local farmer Job Wilton fenced off a area of original forest to protect it from stock. This became known as Wilton’s Bush. In 1906 the forest was designated as scenic reserve, and in 1918, the land was transferred to

for “recreation purposes and for the preservation of native flora”. By 1926, the site was known as the Otari Open-Air Native Plant Museum. The first director of the reserve was

Leonard Cockayne Leonard Cockayne (7 April 1855 – 8 July 1934) is regarded as New Zealand's greatest botanist and a founder of modern science in New Zealand. Biography He was born in Sheffield, England where he attended Wesley College. He travelled to Austra ...

. In the 1920s he worked together with J.G. MacKenzie, the director of Wellington Parks and Reserves, on plans for the open-air plant museum. The name was changed to Otari–Wilton’s Bush in 2000, recognising the influences of both Maori and Europeans.

Native botanic gardens

Otari Native Botanic Garden (6709107911)

Otari Native Botanic Garden (6706305329)

The native plant collections at Otari-Wilton's Bush contain about 1,200 species, including hybrids and cultivars representing plants from mainland New Zealand and off-shore islands. The plants on display have generally been raised from seeds or cuttings collected from their original environments. The four main objectives of the collection are: * Conservation: raise seedlings of threatened species, either to be kept in the gardens for conservation purposes, or for use in plant recovery programmes in the wild. * Research: enable scientific study of the plant collections for plant ecology, classification and economic potential. * Education: help visitors learn about plant names and characteristics, including providing labelling. * Recreation: enable visitors to observe New Zealand's unique flora and enjoy the Otari Wilton's Bush environment and facilities.

Collections

The plants are arranged in distinct collections, including an alpine garden, a fernery, hebe and flax cultivars, a large rock garden, grass and sedge species, and a coastal garden. A detailed and interactive online map of the gardens published by the Wellington City Council provides the location of each collection, and a list of the plants that can be found in that section of the gardens.

Plant conservation

In April 2019, a report by Statistics New Zealand on the conservation status of indigenous land species identified species classified as threatened with or at risk of extinction. For vascular plants, a total of 1,253 species were identified (representing 46 percent of known species). Human settlement has caused many plants to disappear from New Zealand's forests, wetlands and coasts. Major losses are blamed on industries such as agriculture and forestry, and the introduction of animal pests and invasive weeds. The Native Botanic Gardens at Otari-Wilton's Bush include many New Zealand plants that are threatened in the wild. Some of these plants are raised and either kept at Otari-Wilton's Bush as a conservation measure, or returned to original habitats as part of plant conservation recovery programmes. One example of plant conservation work at Otari-Wilton's bush is the planting of seeds of New Zealand’s only fully parasitic flowering plant, '' Dactylanthus taylori (Te Pua o te Rēinga)'' that were translocated from Pureora forest in 2020. A wide range of organisations work in partnership with Otari-Wilton's Bush on plant conservation, including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Victoria University of Wellington, the Department of Conservation and The New Zealand Institute of Plant & Food Research Limited.

Forest reserve

The forest at Otari-Wilton's Bush covers around of the catchment area of the

, and includes original

podocarp Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pre ...

broadleaf forest, regenerating forest and scrub. Larger trees in the forest include podocarps such as matai, miro,

totara ''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and ...

and

. Examples of these large trees can be seen from the canopy walkway. The larger trees will often have perching plants (

epiphytes An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

) in higher branches. Climbing plants are also common throughout, including supplejack, New Zealand passionfruit, and several species of rata (''metrosideros''). On the upper slopes, the predominant trees are mahoe,

rewarewa ''Knightia excelsa'', commonly called rewarewa (from Māori), is an evergreen tree endemic to the low elevation and valley forests of New Zealand's North Island and Marlborough Sounds (41° S) and the type species for the genus ''Knightia''. ...

, tawa and

kohekohe Kohekohe (''Dysoxylum spectabile'') is a medium-sized tree in the Meliaceae family, native to New Zealand. It is found in lowland and coastal forests throughout most of the North Island and also occurs in the Marlborough Sounds in the north ...

, with some forest remnants of matai and rimu. In damp areas, there are pukatea that typically have large plank

buttress roots Buttress roots also known as plank roots are large, wide roots on all sides of a shallowly rooted tree. Typically, they are found in nutrient-poor tropical forest soils that may not be very deep. They prevent the tree from falling over (hence t ...

to support their growth. The high south-facing slopes in the reserve are covered in regenerating scrub that is dominated by introduced plants such as

gorse ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are n ...

and

Darwin's barberry ''Berberis darwinii'', Darwin’s barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the Family (biology), family Berberidaceae, native to southern Chile and Argentina and naturalized elsewhere. Regional vernacular names include ''michay'', ''calafate ...

, although native plants such as

rangiora Rangiora is the largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch, and is part of the Christchurch metropolitan area. With an estimated population of Rangiora is the 30th largest urba ...

and mahoe can also be found.

Visitor attractions

The Visitor Centre provides information about New Zealand's flora (and fauna), and Otari – Wilton's Bush. It is open 8am–4pm daily. In December 2021, the Visitor Centre was reopened after a two month closure for renovations, and was renamed: 'Tāne Whakapiripiri'. There are displays and information for visiting groups, and a small lecture room that is available for educational purposes. The Leonard Cockayne Centre is a seminar and function room located in a stand-alone building adjacent to the Leonard Cockayne memorial lawn.

Canopy walkway

A 75-metre-long canopy walkway, beginning at the Information Centre, links the two main garden areas. It is 18 metres above the ground and stream below.

Forest trails and walking tracks

There are walks and trails within the forest and gardens to suit a range of ages and abilities. Good walking footwear and appropriate clothing for the weather conditions is recommended. * Circular Walk – a walk through gardens and forest. Some steps, and steep in places. 30 minutes return from the Information Centre. * Nature Trail – a self-guided walk through gardens and forest, with notes contained in a pamphlet that is available at the Information Centre. Some steps and steep in places. 30–40 minutes return from the Information Centre. * Blue Trail – forest trail through dense kohekohe forest. Features an 800-year-old rimu. The track is steep in places with some steps. One hour and thirty minutes return from the Information Centre. * Red Trail – forest trail through tawa-dominated forest. Challenging with some steps and steep in places. 1 hour return from the Information Centre. * Yellow Trail – a forest trail through the steep-sided Bledisloe Gorge. Challenging with some steps and steep in places. 1 hour return from the Information Centre. * Kaiwharawhara Trail – a gentle walk through regenerating forest along the Kaiwharawhara Stream from the Troup Picnic area to Ian Galloway Park. 30 minutes return from the Troup Picnic area. * Skyline Loop Track – access to the western hills Skyline Walkway; from the Flax Clearing via the Red or Yellow Trails, or via the Blue Trail. Challenging with some steps and steep in places. Two and a half hours return, from the Information Centre.

Fauna

Birds seen (and/or heard) at Otari – Wilton's Bush include

kererū The kererū (''Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae'') or New Zealand pigeon is a species of pigeon native to New Zealand. Johann Friedrich Gmelin described the bird in 1789 as a large, conspicuous pigeon up to in length and in weight, with a white br ...

tūī The tūī (''Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae'') is a boisterous medium-sized bird native to New Zealand. It is blue, green, and bronze colored with a distinctive white throat tuft. It is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand, and the only spe ...

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

( mi, kōtare),

fantail Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "f ...

( mi, pīwakawaka),

grey warbler The grey warbler (''Gerygone igata''), also known by its Māori name or outside New Zealand as the grey gerygone, is an insectivorous bird in the family Acanthizidae endemic to New Zealand. Its natural habitat is temperate forest A for ...

( mi, riroriro),

silvereye The silvereye or wax-eye (''Zosterops lateralis'') is a very small omnivorous passerine bird of the south-west Pacific. In Australia and New Zealand its common name is sometimes white-eye, but this name is more commonly used to refer to all membe ...

( mi, tauhou) and

morepork The morepork (''Ninox novaeseelandiae''), also called the ruru, is a small brown owl found in New Zealand, Norfolk Island and formerly Lord Howe Island. The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, including mopoke and boobook—many of t ...

( mi, ruru). The reserve holds interesting species of

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

es and

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

s. weta are also present.

Otari-Wilton's Bush Trust

The Otari-Wilton's Bush Trust was formed as a Registered Charitable Trust in 2001. The trust deed registered with the application describes the principal purpose of the trust as: "To educate the local and wider community in New Zealand flora, thereby fostering public awareness and appreciation of native plants and of the environmental importance of their protection, conservation and rehabilitation and promoting the unique botanic diversity of Otari-Wilton’s Bush". The trust is a member of the

New Zealand Plant Conservation Network The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN) is a non-governmental organisation devoted to the protection and restoration of New Zealand's indigenous plant life, including vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts and lichens. Descr ...

. One of the founding trustees was the renowned New Zealand botanist John Dawson. Although Otari-Wilton's Bush is owned and managed by the Wellington City Council, the Otari-Wilton's Bush Trust has a significant role in supporting the objectives of the gardens, via education programmes, marketing initiatives and hands on volunteering.

References

External links

Otari-Wilton's Bush
Official Wellington City Council website

Portal to Otari-Wilton's Bush interactive GIS maps and stories
Otari-Wilton's Bush Trust
website of the trust
Trail maps
for Wilton's Bush and surrounds
Wellington Walks: Otari-Wilton’s Bush and Skyline Walkway
{{Authority control Botanical gardens in New Zealand Tourist attractions in Wellington City Protected areas of the Wellington Region Parks in Wellington City