History of the Māpua wetlands
from pre European times to current
The Korepo wetland forest (now called Seaton Valley Swamp) was a 320 hectare kahikatea/pukatea forest that grew on the peaty soils that overlay Moutere gravels. It was one of the largest lowland forests in Tasman Bay until it was cleared by early Pakeha settlers.
Tane’s Ark in Aranui Park and the adjacent privately owner Mapua Wetland are two small areas with remnants of this original massive podocarp forest but there is potential for much larger areas to be restored in the future if land at Seaton Valley Road can be acquired by the community.
Further upstream in the Seaton Valley is a regenerating wetland now in a QE2 covenant.
from Bernard Wells History book “The Fruits of our Labour”
p4…
“Flax which grew in abundance in the swampy areas of the Moutere hills and especially at Mapua, was indispensable in the making of baskets, mats etc…
Eels were plentiful in the in the creeks and streams
p13…
Arthur Chaytor started a flax mill which was sited on the Old Mill Creek. In the early years, flax was prolific and covered much of what is now farmland and open paddocks Mapua. Chaytor used a bullock team to drag the flax from the swamp. “
p53…”at one time all the swamp land (at Mapua) was Kahikatea forest, and the hills were covered with Manuka”.