Totara Reserves special planting

A PLANTING with a difference took place recently at Pohangina Valley’s popular picnicking and camping spot, Totara Reserve Regional Park, with wine and totara trees the topics under discussion.

Owner-operators of Manawatu’s only vineyard, Pohangina Valley Estate, were joined by representatives from the Manawatu District and Horizons Regional Councils in planting one of the many totara trees that are set to add further aesthetic value to the park.

The planting represented a unique initiative between the vineyard and councils regarding the imminent launch of Totara Reserve - a Beaujolais-style red wine. For every bottle that is sold, the vineyard will donate $1 towards the totara planting programme at the park.

Fiona McMorran, of Pohangina Valley Estate, said Totara Reserve would be officially launched and available to the public from Tuesday, November 11, about a month after 1000 bottles were prepared by boutique winemaker, Chris Buring, of Martinborough.

“There has been quite a bit of interest in the wine, particularly as it’s part of a community initiative,” she said. “People’s attention has been drawn to the planting connection and many are willing to buy the wine even without tasting it.”

Ms McMorran said a reserve wine was often viewed as being special, unique and quite limited.

“We liked the thought of it being a reserve and always thought Totara Reserve a good name. And linking it with this place is special because many people have good memories of the reserve. We hope this helps the park and promotes the area.”

Horizons’ Biodiversity and Water Quality Manager, Alistair Beveridge, appreciated the vineyard’s offer and said the initiative afforded a clever tie-in to the reserve.

 

“The totara are part of a wider planting programme of native plants,” said Mr Beveridge. “There is plenty of room to fill and the plants will help the bush recover from storm damage as well as break up the camping area. They will provide more shelter and be aesthetically pleasing.”

He said the plants were from the Kaitoke Prison nursery, near Wanganui, with the seeds having been eco-sourced from areas such as Totara Reserve and the Manawatu Gorge.

“So it’s quite appropriate for us to be putting these plants back in here because they came from plants that were already growing in the park. That means they are more likely to be better adjusted to site conditions, such as wind, rain and snow.”

MDC Parks and Reserves Manager, Albert James, said the Totara Reserve link was a good idea and an excellent marketing ploy for both parties, as well as providing more trees for the area.

“From the park’s point of view it’s a win-win situation,” he said, “and with the wine bottle looking so good, I look forward to tasting the contents.”