7 Questions you’ll ask us this summer…

It’s a HUGE understatement to say that the summer season is our busiest period. Many people are dusting off their seasonal gear and getting out-and-about exploring and engaging with nature.

During this period, we get A LOT of people tagging us in posts, messaging us on our social channels and picking up the phone to ask and tell us all sorts of things… Keep them coming in, we absolutely love hearing from you all!

To help you prepare well and to ultimately enhance your enjoyment when you’re out in nature, we basically read your minds and put together a series of answers to questions you may have for us this summer.

Enjoy!

1) I found this interesting bird/plant/reptile, what should I do with it and can you help me identify this?

This question, or a similar ones, gets asked of us on social media at least twice a week, but during the summer months that increases to about 10 per week on average! And that’s just through social media alone, nevermind the same enquires that come through the DOC call centre or directly to local office staff!

So what is the answer? Well, if you have any inkling it is a native, protected species and it doesn’t look distressed or injured, it’s best to call your local DOC office. Depending on the situation and circumstances, our local teams will be able to give you some advice to help ensure the native species is safe and protected. If you’re lucky enough, you might even have a local ranger pitch in, to provide some hands-on support. Your role in protecting our native species over summet is really important!

TOP TIP: Bookmark your local DOC office, or the local offices in the places you might visit, in your web browser OR screen shot them on your phone. That way, if you need to contact any of them directly you have their details at the ready! You can find a list of our local offices by name here

Something to keep in mind though is that our local DOC offices are only open during normal hours, some of them might even have different Christmas/ New Year break hours too! So, its best to call our 0800 DOC HOTline, if something like this happens outside of normal office hours. – Usually, our DOC HOTline staff will provide some advice over the phone, but if required they have the ability to contact a ranger on duty to attend to the species that you might need help with.

Oh, and if you were thinking you could keep it as a pet. You can’t. – Anyone wanting to hold protected wildlife must apply to DOC for a permit. All wildlife is protected unless it is specified in Schedules 1-5 of the Wildlife Act.

To report illegal activity, a conservation emergency or report sick, injured or dead wildlife Call the DOC emergency hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) find out more here.

Maybe you happen to be out on an adventure and come across an interesting species, you pull out your phone, take a photo, but don’t quite know what it is, so you think it would be best to ask DOC experts if they can identify it, right?!

Well, we don’t actually offer a species identification service, instead we suggest you use iNaturalist – you simply upload your photo findings to the platform and the community of scientists, naturalists and experts will be able to identify the species for you. They might even provide some weird funky facts as some bonus information.

2) This is frustrating! Why is the place I want to visit closed? What Should I do?

There could be several reasons why places are closed. Most of the time it’s weather-related issues making sites unsafe, but there are other reasons too.

About 65 sites remain closed after last summer’s weather events, with both major and minor damage in inaccesable areas of the Coromandel and Hawke’s Bay. We get it’s frustrating that some of these places are still closed, but the truth is that they are dangerous and pose a serious threat to your safety. Public safety is our top priority, and we want to make sure everybody enjoys their summer safely.

Top Tip: If you’re planning on visiting the Coromandel, be aware that Cathedral Cove Track is closed for the summer due to safety concerns with onging slips and rock fall. However, there’s still some great spots to visit close by, that offer a great experience too. Find out about alternatives to Cathedral Cove Track here

Before planning your trip, make sure you check in on the site page online or our alerts pages, before you go, to find out if there are any issues with the place you intend on visiting. If there are any issues, it’s easy enough to shift your plans before you head out.

Sometimes, there will be a delay in getting the alerts updated online, so if you’re unsure, it’s best to call the local DOC office and check with our staff there.

We can’t stress this enough.

Your safety is our priority.

So please, respect any site closures and encourage others to do so too.

3) I’m out at this amazing spot and I’ve found feathers/shells or other native/natural material, do I need to get permission to collect these and take them home with me?

Firstly, the most important this to do before collecting anything is to check whose land you want to collect it from and seek the landowner’s permission.

For land administered by us (Public Conservation Land) the rules applying to the taking or collecting of feathers, shells and other native/natural materials (don’t forget plants and minerals) vary, depending on whether the relevant land is a national park, a reserve, or a conservation area – which will involve differing considerations and requirements.

The safest thing to do is to seek permission from the relevant DOC office.

For feathers or other parts of the bodies of absolutely or partially protected wildlife (defined under the Wildlife Act), and their eggs, it is illegal anywhere in New Zealand to collect them without prior written approval from us.

All species of red coral and black coral are absolutely protected under the Wildlife Act.

For shells, no permission is needed unless they are taken from a category of land with a special status e.g. a national park.

Even though there are rules when it comes to taking native/ natural material, the main message here is that you don’t need to take something as a treasure memory of your experience at a special place. Instead, you can enjoy the experience for what it is and hopefully give someone else the opportunity to do that same too.

4) What do I do If I see a shark?

Sharks are ever present in our coastal waters, but with a combination of more people being out in the water over summer and some species of shark moving inshore to pup and feed, sightings have increased and will continue to increase over summer, so don’t be surprised if you see one!

Most sharks are no trouble at all, but you should still treat any shark over 1.8m long as potenitally dangerous.

If you see one in the water while you’re swimming, don’t panic, the commotion could make you appear injured or in difficulty (i.e. an easy meal), putting you at risk. Instead, calmly exit the water while letting others know of the potential danger.

Be sensible if you’re heading out on the water and exercise caution. Avoid swimming in the main channels, where there are a lot of birds diving, or berleying from kayaks and jet skis when fishing. Do not harass or grab a shark, even a small one, going about its business.  Sharks only have two forms of defence, to swim away or bite their tormentor. 

Never grab a shark by the tail. Most sharks are very flexible and can easily bite a hand hanging onto their tail.

Some sharks and rays are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953, this includes Great Whites, Oceanic whitetip sharks, basking sharks, whale sharks, smalltooth santiger shark, spine-tailed devil ray and Oceanic manta ray. It s an offence to hunt, kill, disturb, or possess or trade in any part of these species. Anyone accidentally catching a protected shark or ray must release it immediately and report the circumstances to DOC.

It’s not illegal to accidentally catch a white shark but it must be released without causing it further harm, and it is a legal requirement to report the capture.

Please report details of sightings, captures or strandings to DOC sharks@doc.govt.nz or to 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).

Top Tip: If you are visiting the ocean you need to be a little bit vigilant and aware of what’s happening around you and swim where there are surf lifesaving patrols, and don’t swim or dive alone.

5) I have a drone, why can’t I fly it wherever I want?

Santa may be getting you a new drone for Christmas, and even though you might think it’s a harmless toy that you can take on your summer adventures, there are some risks and things you need to be aware of before you do so.

Firstly, to operate a drone on conservation land, both recreationally and commercially, you will need a permit.

Permits vary from place to place but in short they are there to help ensure that the drone operator uses their drone responsibly, making sure that they’re not disturbing wildlife, that they’re considerate of other people’s privacy, that they respect Māori cultural values by involving hapū and iwi, they follow Civil Aviation Authority rules and that they follow relevant polices and plans.

You can find all of our detailed guidance in drone operations on conservation land and how to attain a permit here

TOP TIP: If you know where you’re going and when you’re planning on using your drone, save yourself the heartbreak and apply for a permit well ahead of time. As you can imagine, over the summer period our permitting team gets really busy processing the influx of permit requests, so beat the rush and get your permit application in early to avoid missing out on that perfect drone shot!

6) Why can’t I bring my dog with me on PCL or National Parks?

Look, you may think your dog is the cutest, most harmless, fur baby in the world but to our native species even a chihuahua can look like monster.

That’s why you’re not allowed to take a pet (dog, cat or other) into conservation land without a permit from us – This includes national parks, wildlife areas and reserves.

Though pets simply love the great outdoors (most of them, anyway), it’s important to be conscious of the harm they could do to the ecology and wildlife around them – not to mention themselves too!

By keeping our pets out of protected spaces, we can make sure our endangered species thrive and that our pets are safe.

• Sight, sounds and smalls of pets can distresss wildlife, which may cause them to leave their homes and their young unprotected.

• Meat-eating pets may hunt, maim or kill threatened wildlife – even if they are well fed.

• Pets can be at risk of being hurt by traps or finding predator control poisons, which can be fatal.

It’s best to check pet-related regulations BEFORE you go. To do so, navigate to this page, select your activity, and tick the ‘dogs allowed’ box. Now you’re able to search all the pet-friendly areas that allows Monty and Charlie to come along with you too.

If you’ve already chosen your destination and you’re not sure whether it’s pet friendly or not, phone the nearest DOC visitor centre to the place you intend to visit.

7) I made a booking online but I need to modify/change it, how do I do it?

We get SO MANY questions around bookings for our Great Walks and our huts, campsites and lodges, but this one is the main question we get a lot! Especially over Summer!

If you’ve made a booking online that means that at some point in the past you have registered and created an account with us. You’ll need to log into your account, select your bookings, click on modify for the booking you wish to change and confirm. That’s basically it!

Here are the detailed step-by-step instructions to modify bookings on our Great Walks and our Huts, Campsites and Lodges.

To change date or number of people on your Huts and Campsites booking

• Log into your Account at https://bookings.doc.govt.nz/web/
• Select Your Account drop down in the green bar near top of page
• Select Your Bookings
• Click Modify against the booking you wish to change
• Change to date/s  or number of people you want
• Click OK
• Accept Terms and Conditions
• Go to Checkout

To change date or number of people on your Great Walks booking

• Log into your Account at https://bookings.doc.govt.nz/Saturn/
• Select Your Account drop down in the black bar near top of page
• Select Purchases
• All Bookings
• To change dates – Click Modify against the booking you wish to change and change to date/s you want. Dates must be consecutive.
• To change number of people – Click Modify Occupants and change click on X against those occupants you need to remove.
• Click OK
• Accept Terms and Conditions
• Go to Checkout

Terms and conditons apply when making changes to your booking, so make sure you read them first before you do so.

Note: If you’ve booked a Great Walk or hut, campsite, cabin or lodge we have a weather or similar event cancellation policy.

Where we advise bad weather or similar, that impacts, but does not close or limit access to the facilility, you may cancel you booking. However, standard cancellation fees will apply.

If we close a facility or cancel services due to reasons such as flooding, storms, geological activity, fire etc, a full refund of the fee for the unused facility will be given or a date transfer offered.

Find out more details here

TOP TIP: If you head over the the Bookings links above and scroll to the bottom of the page you’ll find a link to our bookings FAQ’s. There are some handy questions and answers that can provide a quick solution for you and your needs. If that doesn’t work, you can always click on the Contact Us link, fill in a form and send your questions in directly to one of our bookings support staff members.

If you are wanting to modify/ change a booking at a DOC facility that isn’t on our online bookings systems then you will need to contact the local visitor centre or the local DOC office and change your booking with the team there.

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Hopefully, these questions we’ve answered will help while you’re out-and-about enjoying your summer adventures. Keep tagging us in posts, keep messaging us and keep asking us all of your interesting questions.

If you see us on your adventures over Summer stop and say hi. Be mindful of wildlife, take your rubbish with you, be kind to one another and most importantly have a fun, safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year!