Catchpool is known as the most popular entrance to the Remutaka Forest Park and no wonder, it is stunning. From the forested gully to the crystal clean stream, the site has plenty of parking, picnic areas, day walks, overnight tramps, bookable huts, gas BBQ’s and a campground. There is even kiwi in the park!

‍

Despite the area’s obvious beauty, there are areas of land that the Department of Conservation are keen to speed restoration up, with deer and hares the main culprit limiting natural regeneration. It’s a 45 minute drive from Wellington CBD, but worth every minute driving into paradise.

Together with CVNZ we will plant around 6,000 native rākau (trees, shrubs and grasses) in Catchpool Valley. This mahi will take place near the catchpool carpark during 2025. The site has excellent access and is walking distance to toilets and shelters, and we will be hosting many events in the coming season.

‍

Beyond this, we will follow up our planting days with regular plant maintenance activities (weeding and releasing). We will also check plant growth and survival. We hope to start monitoring local biodiversity to see if our restoration efforts are having an impact. We hope to do bird counts, species monitoring and bio blitzes.