My first few days working on Maukahuka, I felt out of kilter. I walked confidently into the bush and found everything was a little bit off īnaka shrub was particularly spiky, and it had a penchant for eyes.

I have been dreaming of working on this island for years, driven by the chance to contribute to the Maukahuka Auckland Island Restoration programme — an ambitious effort to remove feral pigs, feral cats, and mice from this wild subantarctic island, so that the multitude of endemic flora and fauna can once again thrive. Now I’m finally here.