Te Ara Piko – The Meandering Path
Pauatahanui Inlet is the only large estuarine wetland left in the lower half of the North Island. The Inlet is recognised for its high ecological, aesthetic and recreational values, being classified as a site of Special Wildlife Interest by the Department of Conservation and recognised as an area of Significant Conservation value in the Regional Coastal Plan.
Project instigators, Plimmerton Rotary, in partnership with Porirua City Council, has been active in the development of the pathway, since 2005. Voluntary contribution of skills from Rotary members have been used to design, construct, and install small bridges, handrails and seats, undertake predator control by monitoring stoat trap along the pathway and provide funding .
A nursery for restoration planting nurtured thousands of specific plant species which were then planted out to mitigate construction effects.
The pathway runs through native salt marshes and wetland habitat and is pram and wheelchair friendly.