Conservation comment: Bushy Park rich with natural and human heritage features

MY LOVE of the outdoors was strongly influenced by the years we lived in Takaka, on the edge of Abel Tasman National Park.

As a family, we spent most weekends exploring local beaches, the bush, rivers and reserves. Golden Bay is an incredibly diverse landscape, from the marble mountain to tame eels next to the incredibly clear Pupu Springs to the coarse golden sand that inspired the area's name - this part of New Zealand is outstanding.

And so is our backyard, Whanganui. It may not have the same range of tourist-savvy postcard images - although the upper stretches of the river are enchanting and I have a soft spot for the rugged South Beach - but it has its own inspirational spots.

One local place getting more profile, thanks to Allan Anderson winning the national environment category in the Pride of New Zealand awards, is Bushy Park.

I remember visiting Bushy Park not long after we shifted to Whanganui (about 30 years ago now). I loved the mix of human heritage present with the historic homestead alongside the native bush. We went exploring through the undergrowth and I found an old bottle, dated 1904 - one of those ones with a glass marble in the neck, designed to keep carbonated drinks bubbly. It was created a bit of magic for me - that's where those memories come from.

A dear friend has just posted me another old glass bottle, this time with my childhood nickname, Pickle, imprinted on the side, along with the name of the city where we attended university together, Christchurch. Her children found it exploring on their farm out the back of Gisborne and she felt compelled to post it to me, for which I am most grateful.

I can't imagine the same satisfaction for a child of the future, uncovering a plastic bottle - it just doesn't have the same unique character. That's the problem, of course - we have too many of them. They are cheap and we don't value them. We consume because it's easy and accessible, instead of going to a slightest effort of refilling a longer-lasting vessel, which might be a future treasure.

Bushy Park has moved on over the years and is now a predator-free bird sanctuary. It is home to native birds you just do not stumble across - Bushy Park is a special place. And it's taken a lot of work, for which Allan Anderson has been deservedly recognised.

New Zealand's birdlife evolved without mammalian predators like cats, rats and stoats, so are hugely vulnerable to these animals. Getting these birds back means intensive pest control, quality fencing and ongoing monitoring - and we have a successful sanctuary just a few minutes drive out of town to show for these efforts.

Check out www.bushyparksanctuary.org.nz to hear recordings of birds in the bush on their new website and take the kids along to create your own family memories.

Nicola Young has worked in the government and private sectors in Australia and NZ and now works from home in Taranaki for a national charitable foundation. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.