Alex Peacock said when her husband’s great- great-grandfather, Charles George Tripp, arrived in South Canterbury from England in 1855 with his friend John Barton Acland, the pair had acquired the land stretching from Orari Gorge, Mt Peel, to Mt Somers through the foothills.
When they dissolved their partnership a few years later, they divided the land with the toss of a coin.
Mr Tripp had got Orari Gorge and Mt Somers.
The bush was a one-hectare area of remnant podocarp forest situated next to the woolshed on the Orari Gorge Station, and was given its name when Mr Tripp announced anyone removing timber from the piece of land would be fined £100.
Mrs Peacock had begun clearing the weeds out of the area in 2019.
When she had set about weeding she had noted a lot of the weeds were "garden escapees".
The station’s homestead boasts a large garden and over the past 170 years many plants had spread into nearby bush.
"It’s an ongoing battle with weeds like wattle and sycamore. But likewise, the bush tries to spread into the garden, which means there’s a never-ending supply of native seedlings.
"It’s made me very aware of what plants are better not being in our garden."
She had been battling with weeds like cotoneaster, Himalayan honeysuckle, Darwins barberry, laurel, Portuguese laurel, plum, willow, sycamore, spindleberry, elderflower, hawthorn, and Chilean flame creeper.
"Anything with the world Himalayan in it tends to be a weed up here."
She was very thankful to Karen Miles who had worked with her most Monday mornings.
"Together we have done a total of over 500 hours since then.
"It’s been a huge investment in time and money, but if we did nothing, we would eventually lose this bit of forest. There were no younger canopy trees growing up to replace the large trees when they eventually fall down."
The bush was one of 28 Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) on the station, but it had special significance due to the presence of numerous large podocarp trees.
While the bush was preserved by Mr Tripp, it had still had various uses over the years.
It is the home of three discarded long drops, a mule graveyard and pile of bones, and a patch of "floury" potatoes which had been a challenge to keep on top of.
She had seen rifleman birds near her as she weeded.
"They’re tiny little things with a call I can’t really hear."
Long-tailed bats have recently been detected in the bush, as part of an Orari River Protection Group project, monitoring bats along the Orari River.
She had learnt a lot over the years. Clearing blackberry had created spaces for weeds to grow, which then required regular maintenance until seedlings were big enough to shade out the weeds.
"It has been a game-changer, poisoning trees while they are still standing."
It had been a family affair, with her son Charlie collecting seed and growing seedlings to plant back in the bush as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award.
"He has also built some steps for ease of access for groups looking around."
About 50 people had attended a recent open day allowing a peek at the progress made in the bush.
Any groups interested in visiting 100 Pound Bush should contact Alex Peacock, 021 659-796.
