Meetings & Field Trips

The Auckland Botanical Society holds regular meetings and field trips throughout the year. Meetings are usually held on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:30 pm, and field trips on the third Saturday of the month, starting at 10 am. 

Meeting Venue: Unitec, School of Natural Sciences, 139 Carrington Road, Mount Albert, Auckland-Gate 4, Building 115, Room 1028  (Annual Lucy Cranwell lecture is held at the Auckland Museum)

Evening Meeting: Wednesday 3rd April


 


Field Trip: Saturday 16th March

The Landing Business Park,

Auckland Airport, Mangere - 

Montgomerie Road Reserve, and Oruarangi Creek headwaters


Leader: Mike Wilcox.:

Contact: mike.wilcox at xtra.co.nz


Meeting place and time: 10.00am

Public carpark near MPI entrance at northern end of Maurice Wilson Avenue.

Transport: By Bus 38 from Onehunga or Mangere Bridge – get off at last stop in Airpark Drive (in front of DHL building) and walk round to Landing Drive and then to end of Maurice Wilson Ave. 

By Car, from Ascot Road, go south along Richard Pearse Drive, then into Airpark Drive, then west into Landing Drive, then north into Maurice Wilson Ave, to end. Percy’s Café: Open 7 am -2.30 pm. 

First turn to left off Maurice Wilson Avenue.


Background and Programme:

This part of Auckland is an up-market precinct of commercial buildings, with good public space

for biodiversity and recreation. The land is owned by Auckland Airport, with 150 ha for

buildings and 30 ha for parkland. Frontages and streets are professionally landscaped – we will

inspect and record the plants used on bunds, especially along Maurice Wilson Avenue and

Landing Drive.


There are stormwater ponds with wetland vegetation and wayside plants. The various small creeks are headwaters of the Oruarangi Creek. Dating back 50 years or more, to when the area was farmland, are riparian native forest areas which we will explore and record.


The tide is sufficiently out all morning so we will be able explore the Oruarangi Creek and its tributary the Waitomokoia Creek to check out mangrove and salt marsh flora (wet feet). Montgomerie Road Reserve is an adjoining Auckland Council reserve.


We hope to have with us James Angus (Auckland Airport Commercial Manager) and Gavin Wallace, Horticultural Manager, The Plant People.