the passengers went ashore to explore the land. Legend states that they needed to be back at the waka before daylight. Many did not make it, including Te Ruataniwha, and he was instead transformed into the mountain of Ben Ohau. Flora and fauna Himalayan tahr are widespread in the Ben Ohau Range. The population of tahr on all South Island conservation land is estimated to have peaked at 35,000, and a DOC contractor managed to cull more than 1,000 tahr in the Ben Ohau Range alone over two days in July 2019. Tahr graze native tussocks and plants, especially in the Ben Ohau range. A DOC ecologist has said that tussocks around the Ben Ohau range that were once as high as have been reduced to ankle height by grazing tahr. Chamois and red deer are also found in the mountains surrounding Lake Ōhau including the Maitland Valley and the Temple Valley. Other introduced species that are commonly seen around Lake Ōhau are the ubiquitous rabbits. The beech forests around Lake Ōhau contain nationally and internationally significant mistletoe populations of scarlet mistletoe (Peraxilla colensoi), red mistletoe (Peraxilla tetrapetala) and yellow mistletoe (Alepis flavida). All three of these species are ranked as 'Declining'. These parasitic plants flower in November/December. The Ōhau Conservation Trust is working to promote awareness of, and protect, the unique habitats and biodiversity of the Lake Ōhau area. The tussock slopes of Ben Ohau Range host a myriad of wildlife including moths, butterflies, lizards, grasshoppers, spiders and beetles. Bush birds likely to be spotted in the forests include tomtit/ miromiro, fantail/pīwakawaka, bellbird/korimako, rifleman/ tītitipounamu and morepork/ruru koukou. Further up the Hopkins Valley are New Zealand falcon/ kārearea, kea and rock wren/pīwauwau. The beech forests near Lake Ōhau are a mixture of mountain and silver beech. Wilding Pines (Pinus Cortorta, Pinus sylvestris) are problematic on the foreshore of Lake Ōhau. Pinus contorta grow “probably five to 10 times faster” in the Mackenzie Country (and Lake Ōhau) than in their native North America. They can establish themselves at altitudes of up to 2000 meters. Where they have becomes established and converted tussock grasslands to wilding pine forests, 25% to 30% less water reaches streams and lakes. The pines outcompete native trees and tussock land. Shelter plantings were established for protection against harsh winds in places such as the Lake Ōhau Lodge in the 1950s. Wilding pines that spread from these