Waimate Island Favorites

Favorite thing: The wallaby of the Hunters Hills is the red-necked, Bennett's or brush wallaby. It is the largest of five species introduced into Canterbury in about 1874, when Michael Studholme released two does and a buck near the Te Waimate homestead. Originally introduced mainly for its fur and for sport, the wallaby is now regarded as a pest. Although often viewed with affection because of its appealing appearance, the wallaby causes severe damage to vegetation, cropping the grass and leaving the forest floor bare. By 1960 the wallaby population was estimated to be 500,000 to 1,000,000 spread over 1,000,000 hectares.