Nicols Creek Glow-worms

Glow-worm display spectacular

One evening recently a group of boy scouts visiting Nicols Creek was privileged to see the 17m high waterfall illuminated misty white by the light of myriads of glow-worms occupying the surrounding walls.

Nicols Creek is a shady bush streamlet that formerly entered the water of Leith just above Woodhaugh, Dunedin.

The water is very pure and is piped at the lower end and connected to the Dunedin water supply.

A short way into the valley the streamlet drops over four large waterfalls. The first is pretty and quite spectacular – a sheer drop over a high moss-green wall of rock surrounded by native forest.

After dark there is a spectacular and beautiful display of glow-worms on the walls of the first gorge. Glow-worms also occur in fewer numbers within sight of the falls. (The large numbers present during our recent visit was unusual).

Last century, this waterfall was one of New Zealand’s better-known scenic attractions. Today it is virtually forgotten. This is a good thing in some ways because it has enabled the native vegetation to revert to almost its former condition.

The light in the glow-worm Arachnocampa luminosa, is produced in the tail of a legless fly larva. The larva lives inside a flexible tube to which are suspended 20 to 40 threads strung with sticky globules that resemble a string of beads. These are “fishing lines”. Small flying insects such as gnats, attracted to the glow-worm’s light, bump into the hanging threads and get caught.

When it feels the tug, the glow-worm glides along its tube to the relevant line and quickly draws it in. It eats the insect rapidly.

Glow-worm eggs are small and spherical. The larva emits a bright light immediately after it hatches from the egg. It finds a place to build a tubular nest, then lets down sticky fishing lines. After about nine months when it is 30mm long, it changes into a pupa. The pupal period lasts from 12 to 13 days. All stages except the egg can glow.

– Nature file, Otago Museum, Anthony Harris, 16/5/1994. Newspaper cutting.

Camp: Armstrong, Dunback

Friday 15/9/1995 – 17/9/1995. Camp Armstrong. Dunback. Combined meals. Camp mothers: Molly and Bev.
13-17/3/1994. Weekend Camp at Camp Armstrong .
Arrived at camp before lunch on Friday. 12 people..
Sorted out accommodation, had lunch and ready to go by 1.00 p.m..
The afternoon tramp was through Mr John Prebble’s property to the Caves. Very good tramp in ideal conditions of about 3 hours..
On Saturday we left Camp at 9.00 a.m. for Allan Rutherford’s property, up past the old Woolshed and then on up the valley, crossing the creek several times, quite swollen with the overnight heavy rain. Had lunch and returned to the woolshed by a different route and missing the problem of fording the creeks which had posed a problem on the way up. Arrived back at Camp at 3.30 p.m. Social hour and tea. A bit cool but good tramping conditions.
Sunday’s trip started 9.00 a.m. and was from Mr L Still’s property up to the Microwave Station which entailed continuous climbing for about 1.5 hours. Had morning tea and returned to camp for lunch. Cleaned up toilets, showers, rooms &c and left Camp about 1.30 p.m. for home. Beautiful day after light frost. – (Unsigned written report.)
13-17/3/1994
Friday 27 – Sunday 29/3/1992. Camp Armstrong, Dunback. Combined meals. Get own breakfast. 14 attended.

Haast, Fox Glacier, Greymouth, Hanmer

11/5/1993. West Coast Bus Tour. Leader: Bob H.

Thirty-five members of the Taieri Recreational Tramping Club recently completed a most enjoyable and very successful ten day bus tour around the South Island.

Two nights were spent at Haast, three at the Fox Glacier, two at Greymouth and two at Hanmer Springs. Day walks into various places included trips to Lake Ellery, Gillespies Beach, Lake Matheson, The Punekaiki Rocks and concluded with a walk up Mount Isobel at Hanmer Springs.

All members agreed the trip was very well organised and were keen to do another trip some time in the future. Taieri Herald article

Leith Saddle Boardwalk – Jack Merrilees

Jack carrying timber
Jack carrying timber

Left: Taieri Recreational Tramping Club member Jack Merrilees with some material for the track.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs Conservation Corps based with the DOC filed Centre in Dunedin has been making steady progress on the boardwalk to the Leith Saddle. When completed this boardwalk will be about 1.6km in length and pass through unique forest featuring miro, rimu and the mountain cedar.

The logistics of carrying the timber up the ridge to the work site is a major obstacle to speedy progress. Recently however this task has been made lighter through the voluntary efforts of some local tramping clubs.

The corps is especially indebted to the WEA over 50s tramping club and the Taieri Recreational Tramping Group members who carried tonnes of timber up the boardwalk to the work site over two work days recently.

Thanks also to the generous contributions of two major Dunedin businesses, training funding  from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and expert help and materials from Department of Conservation Field Centre. Soon interpretation plaques will be in place, a contribution from a major sponsor. Some sponsorship is still needed to complete the boardwalk. Please contact David Blair, Department of Conservation, Dunedin. – Dunedin Star Midweek, Wed 7/4/1993