The Gully

Mangaiti Gully is situated in the north eastern suburb of Rototuna in Hamilton, New Zealand


Map created by Kerry Jones, DOC, Hamilton. Double click to enlarge




Narrow gully floor
Land form: *Colluvium, rhyolitic sands(volcanic), silt and gravel + organic, poorly drained, flat.
(*Colluvium is sediment that has moved downhill to the bottom of the slope without the help of running water in streams. Gravity, in the form of soil creep, and sheet wash during rain storms are the predominant agents.)
Historically the poorly drained gully floor and their associated backswamps were dominated by Kahikatea, pukatea, swamp marie, cabbage tree and pokaka. The understorey and ground cover species included mapou, fuchsia, lancewood, pate, Coprosma rotundifolia, Cyathea cunninghamii, Astelia grandis, kiekie and supplejack.

The Terrace *scarps and gully sides
*scarps, a steep slope in land form.
The Landform: Hinuera formation, rhyolitic (volcanic)sand and gravel, well drained, steep
Historical the scarps and steep gully side slopes were covered with forest dominated by totara, matai and kowhai. Kanuka and kamahi were also present, and mahoe occurred in more poorly drained sites. The understorey included shrubs of mapou, mingimingi, and Rhabdothamnus solandri , and the ground was covered in a variety of ferns such as Blechnum chambersii, Doodia media, and Polystichum richardii. Slopes too steep for forest had herbaceous or shrubby vegetation including Machaerina sinclairii wharariki, rangiora, koromiko, and heketara.

For more information on gully restoration refer to HCC publication http://gullyguide.co.nz/files/Gully_Guide_Mar07.pdf