THE CORONATION RESERVE has its setbacks at times, usually simply mother nature doing her thing. 2012 to 2014 was a period when the centre area of the reserve suffered a great deal, from the drought of 2012 to the storms of 2014, but the reserve has a great ability to recover from these setbacks. During a storm in 2013, a slip in the centre of the track (Route 2) brought down a tree across the track. It was removed by council workers and the track reopened, however, the damage done to the already narrow and treacherous part of the track, means that the track is now more difficult to walk after rain, and it is not recommended that this route through the reserve is attempted in late autumn, winter or early spring.
I walked the track on Labour Day, 2014, from Russell Rod to Kauika Road, and was quite apprehensive about the condition of the centre section after the very wet winter in the north. However, there was only one section that I found difficult, where the pervious sip had brought down clay soil. The track was narrow, spongy and slippery. There was little solid growth on the bank to get a grip of for support, but this should be fine in the summer.
The recovery from the drought and storms was incredible. Whereas the flora on the sides of the banks above and below the track had been partially killed off by the drought, then the damaged foliage rotted away by the wet season (see photographs Route 2), it had recovered magnificently , and in October 2014 I took the following photographs...
NEW SIGN POSTS.
These new sign posts have been recently placed in the Coronation Reserve. While it is great to see the council upgrading the reserves, do these modern signs really fit in with bush reserves? Compare the old with the new in the photographs below, and see what you think.