Carter Scenic Reserve walk
Carter Scenic Reserve is one of the few remaining remnants of patchwork landscape once typical of the Wairarapa - grass, wetland, shrub land, and forest. It is home to native birds, fish, lizards, and endangered plants.
There is the Kahikatea Walk, a 30 minute easy flat loop walk that takes you through a flooded forest remnant. Nearly half the distance of the 1.3km walk is over the board walk. The balance is a track through bush.
In 1896 Charles Rooking Carter made provision in his will for the protection of part of his estate and it was gazetted as a reserve in 1921.
This area of swamp and semiswamp forest on two old terraces of the Ruamahanga River represents a patchwork landscape that was once typical of the Wairarapa - grass, wetland, shrubland, and forest.
Because Carter Reserve offers such a variety of habitat types, it has become a haven for some of the plants and animals that became extinct or reduced to low numbers through land clearance in the Wairarapa Plains during the 1880s and 1900s. They include Brown Mud Fish and Coprosma pedicellata, a small leafed plant that grows in areas that are very wet in the winter and very dry in summer.
The Department of Conservation is working hard to turn the tide, eradicating weeds and re-populating the area with endangered species. An ambitious programme put in place over recent years is now showing encouraging results.
Tree Lucerne planted in weed infested areas in 1982, now provide food and perching positions for birds which in turn deposit large amounts of native tree seeds in the area. The trees also shade the area and suppress further growth of weed species as well as providing protection for young native tree seedlings
Hardy native trees such as Tarata Lemonwood, Totara and a variety of Pittosporum have been planted among the tree Lucerne. Rare tree species that once thrived at Carter and the surrounding area are being propagated and have been re-introduced to the area and planted amongst these regenerating forests..