Peat Landscapes
The peat soils of the Waikato region were formed in the swamps created by the Waikato river which once meandered across this relict floodplain. Most of these peatlands have now been drained to make them suitable for farming. In summmer families drive to the blueberry fields that grow on the peat soils to indulge in pick-your-own blueberries – about $8 a container. Children run about gleefully filling their mouths more than their punnets, while the adults dutifully fill ice cream containers with berries due for the freezer.
Germinating maize. Collins Road, Hamilton.
Peat mounds from drainage ditches. Ohaupo, Waikato.
View east across a peat landscape. Jary Road, Ohaupo, Waikato.