Riccarton House is a fully restored Victorian/Edwardian homestead
built in three stages between 1850 and 1900. Beside it is Deans
cottage, the oldest surviving building on the Canterbury plains.
The Deans family who lived here during the pioneering days strove
to protect the area of bush beside these buildings. Riccarton bush
is the last area of kahikatea floodplain forest in Canterbury. It
is home to magestic trees, full of birdsong and well worth a visit.
This small reserve is often home to young kiwi. Eggs are taken
from the wild and hatched at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.
When the chicks are old enough they are bought to Riccarton bush to
learn how to survive on thier own. After their "training period"
the kiwi are released back into the wild where the eggs were taken
from. An egg only has a 10% chance of survival in the wild due to
predators. Riccarton Bush is surrounded by a predator bush to keep
the kiwi safe. The Ranger here works with DOC to help protect our
special little birds. You will not see kiwi it Riccarton bush, as
they are nocturnal birds. You can see them at Willowbank (or even
better, go to Stewart Island and see them in the wild!)
Gates to the bush are locked at 8.30pm. The loop track through
the bush takes approx 15min to complete. There is a grove about
half way where you can sit and take in the surroundings. It is also
a good place to get GPS reception! Please keep to the paths
while you walk to the cache, as stepping off them will damage the
environment. There is no need to leave the path to find the
cache!!! Permission was granted prior to placing this cache and
the staff know that it exists. If a staff member approaches you
please be polite as they are only looking after the bush.
When placed the cache contained the usual log, pencil and
sharpener along with a few swaps. There are two peanut butter jars
hidden together, one contains the log and the other has extra
swaps. Reception was poor (+/- 10m) due to the bush canopy but you
shouldn't have too much trouble. Happy Hunting :)