fbpx Biodiversity in Ō Tū Wharekai | LEARNZ

Biodiversity in Ō Tū Wharekai

«Previous
How to Find Organisms
Next»
Threats to Biodiversity
Listen: 

Ō Tū Wharekai is a highcountry wetland area in inland Canterbury. It is home to many rare native plants and animals.

Ō Tū Wharekai is important for wildlife. It is one of the three sites that make up the New Zealand Arawai Kākāriki wetland restoration programme. This project aims to:

  1. Protect wetlands.
  2. Increase our understanding of wetlands

The more we understand wetlands, the better we can look after them. Ō Tū Wharekai is part of the Hakatere Conservation Park. This park opened in October 2007. This area has lots of different habitats:

  • braided rivers
  • high country lakes
  • ephemeral tarns
  • streams
  • swamps
  • bogs.

Ō Tū Wharekai has been shaped by glaciers so has a variety of habitats. This means the area has a large variety of plants and animals.

Birds

There are over 30 bird species that use the lakes and wetlands. Ō Tū Wharekai includes the upper Rangitata River. This river is one of the most important breeding sites for the threatened wrybill/ngutu pare.

The Australian bittern/mātuku, and the Australian crested grebe/kāmana are also found at Ō Tū Wharekai. Other threatened birds include the Black fronted tern, Caspian tern, dotterel and black billed gull.

Threatened native fish include longfin eel/tuna and upland longjaw galaxias.

The area is also home to six threatened species of skink and one species of threatened gecko.

Ō Tū Wharekai is also home to tiny animals called zooplankton, that live in the water.

Plant life

Ō Tū Wharekai is an important site for kettle holes. These holes were carved out by glaciers and are not always full of water. Rare plants grow in these tarns. The swamps of Ō Tū Wharekai include a threatened sedge.

Ō Tū Wharekai also has a huge variety of plants living in the water, including freshwater algae.

There are many threatened plant species living in this area, some of which are found nowhere else. These wetlands also have some of the best examples of red tussock and pūkio wetlands in Canterbury.

You will need to look closely to find some of these plants and animals during your field trip to Ō Tū Wharekai.

Ready for a quiz? Try the "Biodiversity in Ō Tū Wharekai" interactive activity.

Audio Māori keywords: 


A wetland near you? As well as Ō Tū Wharekai, find a wetland near you from 40 wetlands you can visit throughout New Zealand.

Ō Tū Wharekai contains the Ashburton Lakes and is a wetland of national importance. Image: Shelley Hersey, LEARNZ.

Braided Rivers provide habitat for many plants and animals, including threatened birds. Image: Andrew Penny, LEARNZ.

The threatened wrybill/ngutu pare breeds on braided river flats in Ō Tū Wharekai. Image: Andrew Penny, LEARNZ.

This ephemeral tarn is dry for parts of the year and in early autumn is filled with flowering gentians. Image: Shelley Hersey, LEARNZ.

Ō Tū Wharekai is a stunning area which is also popular with tourists, hikers, hunters and fishers. Image: Shelley Hersey, LEARNZ.

«Previous
How to Find Organisms
Next»
Threats to Biodiversity