Bottle Lake Forest is a production forest and recreational park located in Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, approximately 10 km north-east of the city centre

Christchurch Central City

Christchurch Central City is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the four avenues and thus includes the densely built up central city, some less dense surrounding areas of residential, educational and industrial usage, and green...

. The visitor centre at the Forest's entry from Waitikiri Drive provides visitors with information about the different roles of Bottle Lake Forest. It also provides fresh water access, toilet facilities and parking.

Production forest

The forest consists of pinus radiata (pine) trees. It was planted in the early 1900s and covers 800 hectares of land, stretching from Burwood

Burwood, New Zealand

Burwood is a north-eastern suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. The suburb is mostly a residential area and is centred around Burwood Hospital, Travis Wetland Nature Heritage Park and Bottle Lake Forest...

 to Spencerville

Spencerville, New Zealand

Spencerville is a semi-rural town on the east coast of Canterbury, New Zealand north of Christchurch. The town backs on to Bottle Lake Forest and includes a large park and 80 hectare camping ground...

, and to Pegasus Bay

Pegasus Bay

Pegasus Bay is on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand.-Location:The bay has a sandy beach and runs from Banks Peninsula to the Waipara River mouth...

 on the east coast. Trees are felled and logged in a 30-year rotation by the Selwyn Plantation Board.

Forest and wildlife

Bottle Lake Forest also includes a number of native understory plants. Throughout the forest lies a carpet of indigenous moss

Moss

Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...

, lichens, and common ferns - such as bracken

Bracken

Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...

, pigfern, chain fern, and water fern. Nearer the coast marram grass

Marram grass

Ammophila is a genus consisting of two or three very similar species of grasses; common names for these grasses include Marram Grass, Bent Grass, and Beachgrass...

 and tree lupin

Lupinus arboreus

Lupinus arboreus is a species of lupine native to the western United States in California, where it is widely distributed among coastal scrub and sand dunes...

 grow http://ccc.govt.nz/Parks/NaturalAreas/bottlelake_wildlife.asp. During the autumn wood mulch and pine needles provide a habitat for several species of mushroom

Mushroom

A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...

.

Different species of bird can be found. Different stages of forest production provide different habitats, so bird life varies accordingly. There is currently a trapping programme to reduce numbers of cats, ferrets, and possums, as well as other pests, such as stoats, rabbits, feral cat

Feral cat

A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...

s, rats

RATS

RATS may refer to:* RATS , Regression Analysis of Time Series, a statistical package* Rough Auditing Tool for Security, a computer program...

, hares, and stray dogs.

Recreational Park

Bottle Lake Forest Park is also a popular free recreational park, with more than 400,000 visitors each year. Many tracks are provided throughout the forest right up to a coastal track with ocean views and beach access. The tracks connect with those at Spencer Park directly north of Bottle Lake Forest Park. The tracks consist of logging roads, which may be shared by all visitors, and dedicated tracks and trails for either hiking and walking, horse trekking or mountain biking

Mountain biking

Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...

. Directly at the visitor centre there is a BMX

BMX

Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...

 course as well as a trials setup.

The MTB track system is quite dense and provides diversity. Some of the tracks are oneway only to reduce the risk of collisions. The singletracks are typically narrow and seemed by trees of varying age. The track surfaces range from hard packed soil and gravel to loose sandy sections and may change due to the weather and usage. As Bottle Lake Forest is a production forest, it is not unusual that tracks get changed considerably or are closed during logging operations. Although the tracks do not feature serious ascents or descents, the narrow tracks, high speeds and curvy layout through tree plantations make it a popular and rather distinctive riding area. Racing series are held at the Park, too, with the "Twilight Series" being especially well-known.

External links

• Information on the forest from Christchurch City Council