Team effort on Tuhua – Tauranga’s treasure island

November 23, 2009

This has got to be the best office in the world!!!!

The sunrise view of South East Bay from my bunk

I’ve just spent a week with 14 other staff, four volunteers and two owners on Tuhua (Mayor) Island.  Whilst the view of the sunrise from my bunk each morning was a great way to start each day, it was certainly no holiday. 

Each day we loaded our gear and set off on a range of tasks all over the island, returning at the end of day to eat and fall into bed, exhausted but excited to have made a dent in the long list of jobs we had to complete.

Our hard work was rewarded by regular sightings of rare birds, plants, lizards and marine mammals.  Here are just a few of the locals that we saw.

We’ve been working in partnership with the owners (Tuhua Trust Board) for many years to restore the pest-free island and now we’re helping them to make it more accessible for people to enjoy.

I spent three days with our botanist and weed specialists spraying and searching for weeds all over the island, including one day of wading through a wetland, pushing through head-high walls of vegetation in search of the invasive royal fern.  

Spray unit loaded and off to spray weeds

The wetland we waded through

My last day was spent helping to fix the floor of the caretakers cottage and shifting firewood.

Eveyone’s skills and expertise were used around the island – upgrading buildings, tracks, water supply, removing massive fallen pohutukawa logs from where they had fallen on top of buildings, cleaning up the ammentity areas, killing weeds, patrolling the Marine Reserve, searching for springs in preparation for our orange-front parakeet transfer coming up in December and checking on the pateke (brown teal) and kiwi that have been released on the island.

Rope & chainsaw skills got put to the test

Dave checked out a cliffside kiwi nest

Chris and John fixed the floor

Tawara cleared the track

Dean & Alastair built a huge firewood pile

As inviting as the water looked, I only managed one swim – the cool water and 2m shark we saw swimming in the bay on our first evening were a little off-putting.  But when I did get wet, I took mask & snorkel with me and got to see some beautiful kelp beds, big angel fish and incredibly glossy obsidian.

Click here to find out how you could visit Tuhua – Tauranga’s piece of paradise.

Leave a Comment » | Bay of Plenty, Huts and campsites, Maori, Marine, Native animals, Native plants, Recreation, Volunteers, Weeds, Wetlands | Permalink
Posted by Katrina Knill

Sirocco gets a physical

November 20, 2009

A very important part of Sirocco’s current daily routine on Ulva Island was a health check to make sure he’s in top condition for his display.

His minder, Karin, checked his feathers for any signs of stress (stress shows up as ‘bars’ or breaks across a feather),

Feather check

Feather check

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

checked his beak and nostrils were clear,

Karin checks Sirocco

Say "ahhhhhh"

looked at his feet and ensured there were no cuts or abrasions,

Sirocco's feet are checked

This little piggie ...

checked his transmitter was nice and secure and not rubbing under his feathered armpits

Checking Sirocco's transmitter

Checking the transmitter location

and weighed him to ensure he’s maintaining or putting on weight – on Saturday he weighed in at 2.42kg, up from 2.24kg the previous week which is great progress as he’s a bit on the light side at the moment

Weighing Sirocco

Sirocco's daily weigh-in

and finally because Sirocco has a few mites he was given a dusting of Frontline – it’s not unusual for parrots to get mites and pesky critters,  they’re not difficult to treat but he didn’t seem too impressed by this type of attention

Sirocco receiving dust mite treatment

A 'not-terribly-impressed' kakapo

At the end of the routine he was rewarded with a special treat, this time it’s seedless green grapes and of course always more than one …

Sirocco receives a seedless green grape

The kind of attention Sirocco prefers

Being the laid-backed parrot he is, Sirocco took his daily physical all in his stride and carried on hanging out with Karin as she checked his pen.

Sirocco keeps a watchful eye from his favourite tree

Sirocco keeps a watchful eye from his favourite tree

Sirocco sticks close to Karin

Sirocco sticks close to Karin

1 Comment | Native animals, Sirocco | Permalink
Posted by Donna Williams

Tramping nappies – a sign of the times?

November 19, 2009
Some of you may have come across this story from the Southland Times last week about imitation DOC signs being placed on the Routeburn Track in Southland.

I had a bit of a laugh, and (aside from its content), thought the sign followed our Outdoor Sign Manual rather well! But as well as being a bit of a joke, there is some seriousness to the matter. One of the fake signs directed people towards an “effluent station” up a steep bluff, and as DOC Wakatipu programme manager Richard Kennett pointed out, this could be dangerous for those visitors who don’t have a strong grasp of English, or also for those who don’t visit the outdoors very often.

One of the fake signs spotted on the Routeburn Track. Photo: Southland Times

DOC uses signage to provide visitors with all kinds of information: directions on how to get to places, on-site orientation, hazard, safety and regulatory messages, all of which are intended to help visitors enjoy the vast array of great DOC-managed areas around the country. 

Signs come in all shapes and sizes. Photos: Nick Fisentzidis and Fiona Colquhoun

DOC signs are very easily spotted with their green and gold colourings and distinctive logo. So although they may seem like a harmless joke, the consequences of fake signs like the ones on the Routeburn may end up being more than just a laugh.

Fake sign, real issue: getting rid of waste.

From the ‘minimising your impact’ side of things, in the past rubbish was either burnt in hut fireplaces or buried in rubbish pits near huts. Thankfully these practices have been abandoned, and now visitors must follow the mantra ‘pack it in-pack it out’. 

And rather than using ‘tramping nappies’, check out the poo pots developed in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park for all your outdoor sanitary needs.

So next time you’re bashing around in the hills, take a moment to read the signs you come across, and if they mention anything about bodily functions in the backcountry, maybe take them with a grain of salt.

Which is a better way to get your point across? A fake sign or this… Photo: Sue Wilkins

2 Comments | National parks, Recreation, Southland | Permalink
Posted by Nick Fisentzidis

Come and enjoy conservation in Wairarapa

November 17, 2009
Wairarapa – famous for vineyards, good food and great weather!  It also is home to three forest parks, hundreds of kms of coast including Castlepoint and some amazing places to visit!
Aerial view of corner creek

Wairarapa - Lower North Island's conservation secret

One of my major tasks for 2008/09 was to develop a brochure for Wairarapa day visitors and families.

Over the years Wellington Conservancy has shifted the majority of its publications away from printed material.  Some feedback I received early in 2008 was that there was demand from visitors for printed guides to look around the large amount of recreation and visitor opportunities that DOC Wairarapa manages.  The boss agreed and my work began.

It was a great exercise as a new migrant to Wairarapa and to DOC.  I gathered destination information from various sources including long-time ranger Joe Hansen’s head and started to pull it together into a booklet.  Originally thinking it would be around 30 pages the final product has 72 pages and is full of useful stuff and beautiful photos (some shown here).

Hunting up Waiohine River

Hunting up Waiohine River

The normal stuff in a brochure are included like track and hut information but I decided to engage with our local iwi and got them to write a section on sites of importance on DOC land (and slightly beyond).  I love to read about stories about the local area as it gives me a different perspective so figured others would too.  I’m glad they’ve allowed us to capture this because conservation doesn’t stop with species and places and we must conserve our cultural history as well.

Other cool sections in the brochure includes a section on bird watching and other interesting fauna, botany and tonnes of awesome photos including our front cover shot of the Waiohine Valley with the suspension bridge taken by the designer Mikis van Geffen.

Cross Creek Rimutaka

Rimutaka Rail Trail ends in historic Cross Creek

You can have a look at our brochure on our website or contact a few different places to buy a printed copy for the bargin price of $3 (it’s the perfect size to fit in the glovebox of your car).  These include:

  • DOC Wellington Visitor’s Centre
  • Carterton Information Centre
  • Masterton Information Centre
  • DOC Wairarapa Area Office

Let me know what you think as I’m always looking to improve!

1 Comment | Historic, Huts and campsites, Marine, Native animals, Native plants, Recreation, Wellington, Wetlands | Permalink
Posted by Amanda Cosgrove

Pest success

November 11, 2009

Monitoring shows that continuous stoat trapping and occasional use of biodegradable 1080 poison has boosted the population of endangered mohua in the Landsborough Valley in South Westland NZ. Elsewhere this unique little bird is completely defenceless against rats and stoats. Rebecca Wilson from South Westland explains what’s happening in this remote location:

Leave a Comment » | Animal pests, Native animals, West Coast | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ian Gill

What does a ranger do all day on Hauturu?

November 10, 2009

Hauturu/Little Barrier Island diary #3

So what do us rangers do all day on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island?

One of the main attractions of a job like this is the variety of work. You are never doing the same thing for very long and there are always brand new events happening (both exciting and sometimes problematic).

Keeping the island pest free

The main duty we are put here to perform is to keep the island pest free. To undo all of the great work done in the past would be very sad indeed, so we are ever vigilant, and for the small amount of people who get to set foot on our fair shores there are strict quarantine measures.

Shane in the Hine Moana

Shane in the Hine Moana. Photo: Liz Whitwell, DOC.

We undertake regular patrols of the island, via sea, in our custom built run-about Hine Moana, as well as monitor many tracking tunnels around the island’s coastline.

Since the kiore/Pacific rat eradication, we have responded to many sightings by people visiting the island of “brown shapes” in the grass, or evidence of people that have landed around the coast. We have to put traps out to catch any nasties suspected of being there, and it takes about two weeks for us to, thus far, deem the island safe.

Dealing to the weeds

Another of the main jobs on the island is running a weed program. Liz is in charge of this. Species such as climbing asparagus, pampas grass and Mexican devil have become a pain in the neck out here and it is taking a large amount of resources to bring them under control. We attack these weeds from the ground with a team of around five for three months a year, from the air via helicopter (more about that later!), and on the cliffs via an abseil team. Weeds are the single biggest problem here on the island and they threaten the vast numbers of species that call the place home. If you have any of the above weeds in your garden, deal to them now!

What’s next?

So that’s about all from paradise for now. We’ll be bringing you updates every so often to keep you in the loop of what’s happening on Treasure Island. In the meantime, have a think about your own back yard and go out and have a look.

Leave a Comment » | Animal pests, Auckland, Hauturu/Little Barrier Island diary, Weeds | Permalink
Posted by Shane McInnes

Haast tokoeka egg

November 6, 2009

With only 300 Haast tokoeka kiwi left in the wild this is a species that needs a special helping hand. DOC’s kiwi rangers monitor nests in the remote Haast Tokoeka Kiwi Sanctuary and when the eggs are ready they are flown to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve  and hatched thanks to BNZ Operation Nest Egg. It’s a huge effort involving a large number of people such as the NZ Conservation Trust, businesses, organisations and Iwi all doing what they can to help out.

Once hatched the young chicks go to a temporary island where they fend for themselves in an enviroment that is free from predators. In about a year they are big enough to give a stoat a good kicking and they go back home to increase the sanctuary’s breeding potential.

If you ever happen to be in Christchurch set aside a bit of time to visit the kiwi facility at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve  - its great.

Leave a Comment » | Native animals, West Coast | Permalink
Posted by Ian Gill

Who lives on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island?

November 6, 2009

Hauturu/Little Barrier Island diary #2

The residents

When we think of residents we generally think of people, whether it be all the people in the country, the world or Aunty Myrtle and everyone at the retirement home up the road. Hauturu/Little Barrier Island is extremely different in that even over a century a go, people had the foresight to set aside a home for flora and fauna and nothing else.

So what makes this island special? The answer to this would take many pages.  So I’ll give you the watered down but no less special version. Hauturu supports a huge variety of plants, invertebrates, birds and reptiles not to mention both of the country’s endemic bat species.

Plants

Kokako on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island

Kokako. Photo: Liz Whitwell, DOC.

Plant communities range from lowland and coastal pohutukawa, through kauri and beech forest and on up into the clouds where the southern rata and quintinia forests, and of course, where the wild things are! Little Barrier’s species also show signs of island gigantism. The nikau and kawakawa show this the best with their huge leaves and berries compared to the mainland.

Birds

Hauturu is most well known for its bird species. The hihi, or stitchbird, clung to the life boat for dear life and has survived on this island and this island alone despite the efforts of Austrian naturalist Andreas Reicheck, who went and shot 150 of the birds because they were going extinct and the museums of the world would need specimens. Hihi have since been relocated to other islands and even the mainland, but need to be managed.

Other species that call Hauturu home are tieke/saddleback, kiwi, kaka, kokako, kakariki, rifleman, tomtit, grey warbler, whitehead, and robin, as well as the growing numbers of Cook’s, grey-faced and black petrels.

Reptiles

The island also supports a large number of reptiles, around 14 species in fact! From the small, fast moving shore and copper skinks to the nearly one kilo monster that pre-dates the dinosaur, the tuatara. The extremely rare chevron skink still has a toe hold, as does the Duvaucel’s gecko.

Insects

Wetapunga/giant weta on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island

Wetapunga/giant weta. Photo: Liz Whitwell, DOC.

Insects are often neglected and aren’t really referred to as cute and the cuddly like the kiwi or kakapo. Ever tried to cuddle a kakapo? There’s nothing cute about his “love” bites! The wetapunga, or giant weta is the heaviest insect around… anywhere! Where does it live? You guessed it, on Little Barrier. There are a few species of giant weta but we have the biggest and the best.

We have loads of other insects out here and some are only found here. Without these little critters the island would not exist as they are the building blocks of the ecosystem.

So, now you’re roughly up-to-date with what the island’s about and who its residents are we will move on…

The guests

Once again, when you think of guests you think of people coming to visit you. This time you are exactly right! The island has various people coming to visit. Some come to see the residents and are welcomed, like volunteers and researchers, others are not welcomed.

Welcome sign on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island!

Welcome sign on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island! Photo: Liz Whitwell, DOC.

The island is a Nature Reserve, which basically means if you haven’t got a permit you can’t land. Unfortunately, just like the people from the Inland Revenue Department showing up at your door, some people aren’t welcome. These are the people that bring pests to the island in the form of rats, mice, plant seeds or pathogens which could put the whole island ecosystem in jeopardy.

Two of the guests stay on the island year round, and I’m one of them. My name is Shane McInnes and together with Liz Whitwell we are tasked by the Department of Conservation in making sure the island stays the way it is. We also maintain the infrastructure, as well as facilitating researchers and volunteers that come out and stay. Rangers on the island undertake the role for three years or so, giving the island’s management fresh ideas.

What’s next?

The purpose of this diary is to give you an insight into what the rangers do and what’s going on here on Hauturu… Find out more about that in the next Hauturu/Little Barrier Island diary blog post!

1 Comment | Auckland, Hauturu/Little Barrier Island diary, Native animals, Native plants | Permalink
Posted by Shane McInnes

« Previous Entries