Kapiti Island Earthcache.
Important Information
Much of the information here is taken from the Department of Conservation web site (http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/wellington-kapiti/kapiti/kapiti-island-nature- reserve/)
A DOC permit is required to visit the Island. As private boats are not permitted to land on the island, one of two approved boat operators can be booked to get to the island. Visit the DOC website for more details on booking. (http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and- recreation/places-to-visit/wellington-kapiti/kapiti/kapiti-island-nature-reserve/plan-and-prepare/arranging-a-visit-to-kapiti-island/).
It is also possible to stay overnight at the Northern end of the island, though the summit is in the centre of the island.
You will need to take
- Your own lunch and drinking water.
- Wear sturdy footwear (tramping boots).
- Warm clothing and a waterproof jacket.
A shelter and toilets are available on the Island.
Because the island is an important reserve and is pest free, pests such as mice must be kept away. Bags will be checked before departure for pests.
Kapiti Island Nature Reserve.
Kapiti is one of New Zealand's most valuable nature reserves, and it is the only large island sanctuary for birds between the Hauraki Gulf in the north and New Zealand's southern outlying islands.
Nature reserves are areas set aside for the protection of native plants and animals, where human influence is kept to a minimum. Every effort is made to minimise the adverse effects of any introduced plants or animals that have managed to establish on the island. Most people never get an opportunity to visit nature reserves because access to them is so difficult.
Kapiti is one of a few relatively accessible island nature reserves. It provides an opportunity for people to observe birds that are either very rare or absent from the mainland, and to see the recovery of vegetation after intensive modification during last century.
This Earthcache requires visitors to climb to the summit of the island via the Trig track and return down the Wilkinson track. It takes around three hours return and I would recommend the Trig track for the ascent as it is steeper, and the more gentle Wilkinson track for the return to make it easier on the knees. There is a lookout at the top of the island and on a good day one can see South to Mana Island and the Kaikoura ranges, West to the Marlborough Sounds and Mt Taranaki (Egmont) and East to Paraparaumu. On a very clear day Mt Ruapehu may be visible from the summit.
And now, for the Earthcache bit:
Twenty thousand years ago, at the height of the last glaciation when sea levels were significantly lower, a number of large rivers carried gravels and silt towards a series of plains that stretched from the East of the North Island across to the North of the South Island. There were glaciers in the Tararua ranges.
Looking from the summit of Kapiti Island out to the West, you would have seen large plains. Large meandering rivers carried the gravel and silt down towards a deep gorge in what is now the Cook Straight. Windblown dust (loess) was carried with the prevailing winds eastward. In a number of places in the Wellington area where road cuttings have been made, it is possible to see small valleys that have been filled with this loess.
To the East of Kapiti Island, the Waikanae River and other smaller streams are depositing alluvial gravels into the Rauoterangi channel. Slowly, the river mouths are getting closer to the Island. Earthquakes are also lifting the land to the East upwards.
Today, the waters East of the island are the meeting place for two major sea currents. It is here that the cold and clear Southland current meets the warm, turbid and more salty d'Urville current. The zone where these two meet swells north and south as one current dominates the other resulting in fascinating overlaps of marine plants and animals.
A major fault line runs to the west of the island. It carries on to the north-east, forming the Tararua Ranges.
Logging
To log this Earthcache, send the answers to the following questions to the owner.
1. Describe the landforms and cross sectional shape of the island as seen from the trig.
2. Can you explain why the island is shaped as it is described in question 1?
3. What is the number stamped into the plaque on the trig?
4. Also, optionally upload a photo of the view from the trig with your GPS unit and/or yourself (without giving away the answer to question 1), and post this to your log.