Visitor Guide - Native wildlife

Birds

The range of habitats in Wairarapa Moana supports many wading, shore, wetland and forest birds. Kawau/black shags can often be seen posing with wings outstretched to dry. A flock of kotuku- ngutupapa/royal spoonbills and other wading birds might be seen feeding on the lake shore mudflats.  When the water level is low, they may be joined by the kuaka/bar-tailed godwit, which are Arctic migrants.

Rare and secretive wetland birds may be heard rather than seen. A population of endangered matuku/Australasian bittern ‘boom’ a territorial call during their breeding season.

Threatened taranui/Caspian terns and karoro/ black-backed gulls nest in the exposed sands of Ōnoke Spit.

Fish and shellfish

The waterbodies of Wairarapa Moana provide freshwater and estuarine habitats for fish. Tuna/ longfin eel are iconic to the area, having previously migrated in their thousands across Ōnoke Spit.

The lower tributaries of Lake Ōnoke provide spawning habitat for inanga/whitebait, while pātiki mohoao/black flounder inhabit the lake bed.

Käkahi Käkahi/freshwater mussels are found in some of the rivers and lakes around Wairarapa Moana. They prefer soft muds with gently flowing water. Kākahi have historically been a food source for Māori and the shells were used as cutting tools. Kākahi face an uncertain future as they are a species in decline. The health of the Wairarapa Moana population is being monitored.

Plants

When lake levels on the eastern shore are low, a large expanse of tiny prostrate plants (a turf field) is visible. This vegetation supports a seasonal influx of migratory birds. The lake and lagoon sedgelands play an important role in helping to improve water quality and to provide a buffer from flood waters. They also provide more secure habitat for birds to nest.

Don’t discount the value of the scruffy looking Buchanan’s and curly sedges at the water’s edge at Lake Domain Reserve. While they are more common in gardens, they are unusual inhabitants of this locality.

Ōnoke Spit is one of the national strongholds for hinarepe/sand tussock. Also tenaciously holding on are the mat daisy (Raoulia species) and pinatoro (Pimelea species), in which survives a Notoreas moth species endemic to this area and the endangered katipo spider.

For more information on Wairarapa Moana biodiversity see the biodiversity section of this website.

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