Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula Geopark, Aotearoa New Zealand

Our trial Ōhinetahi Geosite panels are on display. Set up for Saturday 23rd for Peter Coldicott's guided walking in the Banks Peninsula Walking Festival.

You'll have to be quick to see them, it's a one day event.

Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust

Bank's Peninsula is a real biodiversity hotspot in NZ and over 4500 species have been recorded on the peninsula on iNaturalist

What visual way to show our biodiversity endemic species!! A hotspot indeed, many thanks to those in the past and present that strive to preserve and protect our landscape and living environments.

Bank's Peninsula is a real biodiversity hotspot in NZ and over 4500 species have been recorded on the peninsula on iNaturalist

We've postponed today's event. After setting up, we've been blown off the the hill side. Please look out for our new date.

Behind the scenes we've been creating exercises to learn about our landscape.

This is an activity where you can erupt the volcano, be a volcanic hazard manager, and communicate the hazard.

Come to Victoria Park this Sunday to test it out.

What amazing maps and representations of our underwater geology.

All ready for Akaroa French Festival tomorrow. Find us in the heritage marquee, eastern corner.

We need your collective support to create a Geopark on Banks Peninsula!

To show your support please sign our petition and write a comment to tell us why you wish to see a Geopark on Banks Peninsula.

Sign the Petition We need your collective support to create a Geopark on Banks Peninsula!

The Peninsula, built by four stages of volcanism 12-5.8 million years ago, is as diverse in its biodiversity as it is in its geodiversity - that is our landscape, rocks, soils, water, climate. These are inherently related - without the geodiversity, the biodiversity would not exist in its present unique state. And a Geopark is a way that these connections can be brought to light.

The image is a schematic interpretation of the geologic inherited habitats of Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula coastal environment. Note, on this coastal platform only one half a scoria cone is exposed.

Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula Geopark at Akaroa French Festival October 7th

Come and hear more about the Geopark concept developing on Banks Peninsula. On display will be new interpretation panels developed for the Ōhinetahi and Panama Reserve Geosites. There is also a free guided walk, hosted by Dr Sam Hampton, exploring the geology of the shore platform of Childrens Bay and how this links to the development of the Akaroa Volcanic Complex.
For more information visit akaroafrenchfest.co.nz

Akaroa French Festival

Congratulations to Waitaki Whitestone Geopark and New Zealand National Commission (UNESCO) on gaining the recognition and designation of becoming Aotearoa's first Global Geopark

Celebrating Aotearoa’s first UNESCO Global Geopark. Our Chair and Commissioners reflect on their time visiting Aotearoa's first UNESCO Global Geopark.

Ka Huru Manu is an amazing resource and source for traditional Māori information

Kā Huru Manu is the Ngāi Tahu digital atlas that records over 1000 traditional Māori place names in Te Waipounamu 🗺️ 📍 Now on Kā Huru Manu you can discover six historical maps that were used as sources for the atlas - https://www.kahurumanu.co.nz/map-stories

Over the next five weeks, we will share the stories behind each of these maps.

First up is a map of place names for the southern bays of Te Pātaka-o-Rākaihautū (Banks Peninsula) based on information provided by Hoani Te Hau Pere and his father Hone Tututaua Pere. Both men were key advocates for the local Ngāi Tahu hapū of Ngāti Makō and Ngāti Irakehu.

In 1908 at Kaiapoi, Taare Parata obtained detailed descriptions of the Māori place names and their associated meanings for the bays between Akaroa Harbour and Wairewa from Hoani and his father. Taare Parata then shared this map with ethnologist Johannes Andersen at the Department of Lands and Survey.

In 1927 Andersen published the place names in his book 'Place Names of Banks Peninsula: A Topographical History'. This map was only recently rediscovered among Andersen's papers at the Auckland War Memorial Museum and has been an invaluable source for Kā Huru Manu.

To learn more about this map visit: https://kahurumanu.co.nz/map-stories/hoani-te-hau-pere-map

Yesterday our volcanologist, Sam Hampton, was invited to support the North Canterbury Kiwi Conservation Club in an exploration of Ōhinetahi. 39 tamariki / children and their whanau joined in as they made their way from the nearly rebuilt Governors Bay Jetty to Allandale Reserve viewing the Geoparks developing interpretation panels.

Let us know if your school or group would like a guided experience on the Peninsula.

A cool but clear day forecast for our event today at Mt Vernon 12-4pm. If you want to join our FREE guided walk at 2pm we suggest hiking boots or something with a good tread as the track maybe muddy.
Mt Vernon ParkLearning City Christchurch

Due to the predicted weather we have postponed our Learning Day event at Mt Vernon Park, Port Hills, to Sunday 21 May.
Learning City Christchurch Mt Vernon Park

Explore, Connect, Learn: Mt Vernon Park, Port Hills 14 May 12 - 4pm

Learning City Christchurch Mt Vernon Park

Come and explore the Mt Vernon Park on May 14th, 12-4pm. New learning activities are being developed for this event.

Explore, Connect, Learn: Mt Vernon Park, Port Hills - Remake Learning Days The Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula Geopark team with Mount Vernon Park, Port Hills Trust and VolcanicKED invite you to explore the Vernon Park for an afternoon of activities and community connections. Discover lava flows, freshwater springs, plant life, landscape changes and life in the p...

Join our online AGM today at 2pm. Hear about our year and check out our new interpretation being developed for Panama Reserve.

https://canterbury.zoom.us/j/98897718053

Meeting ID: 988 9771 8053

Now open to the public - Join us on our NZGS PRE-CONFERENCE FIELD TRIPS (Tuesday 22nd Nov)

The National Park City and Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula Geopark
Price: $45 per person

This field trip, led by Dr Colin Meurk and Dr Sam Hampton, explores two interrelated projects to reimagine landscape and place. The concept of a National Park City has been promoted as a global strategy for greening cities and engaging people with nature and recently spurred action to have Ōtautahi Christchurch recognised as a National Park City. Underpinning these efforts is Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula Geopark, which weaves together stories of land-forming processes, flora and fauna, people, culture and communities, creating deeper understandings and sense of connection to place. The field trip will highlight and discuss the many facets of the City that fulfil criteria for NPC status – how these shape conservation, regeneration, community and historical legibility within an Aotearoa New Zealand context – for any city.
Full day field trip commencing at 8:30am and ending at approx. 5:30/6pm.

If you are keen to join, please contact Sam at [email protected]

In our recent post we talked about magma injecting into the existing volcanoes to form d***s. Magma reservoirs of the Lyttelton and Akaroa Volcanic Complexes would have been 5-10km below sea level. As magma rose, its pathway may follow the main conduit erupting at the central vent or be deflected into zones of weakness or stress forming d***s. A new research paper investigates these processes within the Akaroa Volcanic Complex, using Purple Peak and Panama Rock as key investigative sites. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022JB024305https://geology.illinois.edu/news/2022-08-22/how-do-volcanologists-manage-stress-publishing-how-it-controls-eruptions

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The beautiful patterns of the Ōhinetahi Caverns along the Governors Bay Foreshore Track formed by weathering along the edge of two volcanic d***s. These d***s formed when magma injected into the volcano 11 - 9.7 million years ago.

The track cuts through the d***s obliquely making them seem like solid rock layers, but they are only 3-4 metres thick.

This image is of a geological map draped over the landscape in GoogleEarth, with extensions of the d**e into the subsurface and harbour.

Do you do your bit when you are on our beaches?

This collection of plastics was only from 15 minutes of collection along South Shore / Brighton Beach.

Melted plastic, polystyrene, tennis ball, plastic wrap, shotgun shell, shotgun shell inner, pen end, syringe, bottle top, rubber O ring, ear plug, balloon end, roof screw cover, sealant gun, various plastic fragments, zip lock bag, tile spacer, brush bristles, plastic rope, and a whole heap of plastic manufacturing pellets “nurdles”.

Compared to five years ago this is getting worse. Most of these are everyday items which we can reduce our use of, dispose of correctly, and recycle properly.

The nurdles are the most distressing as they were throughout the hightide line for km’s along the beach, and aren’t “household” plastics. Recently these have been highlighted these in the estuary

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8929/1/1/5

https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/128944785/plastics-industry-blamed-for-nurdles-found-in-christchurch-estuary

This is an insightful story of the destructive treatment of the maunga of Tāmaki Makarau. What would Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula's story be?

The Side Eye: We destroyed mountains A comic about Tāmaki Makaurau's volcanoes and reckoning with the past.

The Geopark Trust is looking at delivering monthly guided walks around the Peninsula.

We would like to know what day of the week you would like these walks to be on and what locations you would like to learn more about.

Please let us know by replying in the comments or give us an email at [email protected]

The Geopark is proud to be a signatory of Te Kākahu Kahukura MOU, recloaking the western Port Hills in native vegetation. This is a collaboration between many amazing organisations and people, and is looking to how we leave this environment for future generations.

Take the time to click on the link and scroll your way through the interactive story - it's well worth your time

How Te Tiriti O Waitangi was signed at Horomaka In this interactive history, discover how Tiriti o Waitangi travelled south in May 1840 to be signed by chiefs across Te Wai Pounamou, including two at Horomaka.

The peninsula is home to many endemic species. What a biodiversity hotspot!!

🌀 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁-𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 🌀
After the recent weather event, our Banks Peninsula zone team has reprioritised funding to accelerate our bio-protection and biodiversity work.

Funding is available for:
🐣 Protecting biodiversity areas
🌱 Planting for soil conservation (preventing erosion)
🏞 Wetland protection
🌿 Restoring riparian areas

➡ Applications are open until 31 Jan 2022.

We’re available 21-22 Dec or after 5 Jan to discuss support options.
✉️ Email: [email protected] and [email protected].