Riverlea's environment

Why is Riverlea so special from an environmental point of view?

Riverlea has the bush at Hammond Park, and the Mangaonua gully. (Hammond Park is to the north and west of Riverlea Road, and the Mangaonua gully and stream lie along the southern side of Riverlea Road and Mexted Place.)

Hammond Park

Tui feasting in a 200 year old kowhai
at the southern end of the Hammond boarwalk.

The bush at Hammond Park has more plant species - more than 145 - than any other bush remnant in Hamilton, and boasts a fantastic stand of swamp maire trees, which are very rare in the Waikato. It's also the best place in Hamilton to find the threatened long-tailed bat. Hamilton is the best reliable urban place in New Zealand to find these bats. As these bats are only found in New Zealand, that means Hammond is the best urban place in the world to find them!

The stream that runs through the bush at the Hudson Street dip contains native eels and fish, and is surrounded by glow worms. Take a night walk down there and be amazed!

Tui are regularly heard at Hammond, and kaka and kereru are occasionally spotted.

Hamilton City Council has identified four of what they call Significant Natural Areas in Hammond Park. These are areas of important indigenous vegetation.

At the brow of the northern end of Balfour crescent, overlooking the boardwalk and the river, lies an important pa site, Te Pa O Ruamutu.

Sometimes we call it Hammond Bush, and sometimes Hammond Park. Officially it's Hammond Park, because there is another Hammond Bush near Hamilton.


Mangaonua Gully and Stream

This gully and stream system runs into the Waikato River, and links together Hammond bush with other areas of native bush upstream. It is effectively a corridor through which long-tailed bats, at least, travel from one patch of bush to another. Bats like trees - they roost in the nooks and crannies, often under bark flaps, of old trees. Water is also very important to them, because they feed on insects, many of which have parts of their life cycle in or on water. Hamilton's interconnected gully and stream system is one of the reasons they thrive in our city.

The Mangaonua gully and stream also contains four Significant Natural Areas.

At the western end of the Mangaonua gully lies the Mangaonua Pa.