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Photo of the week: Aotea/Great Barrier Island

Department of Conservation — 19/02/2014

Today’s photo shows one of the last great wilderness areas of the Auckland region — Aotea/Great Barrier Island.

Right now there’s a proposal afoot to declare a conservation park on the island and you’ve got less than a fortnight left to let us know what you think about the idea.

The proposal is for the 15,000 hectares of public conservation land on Aotea/Great Barrier Island, currently stewardship land, to be designated a new conservation park.

The legal effect of this change would be greater protection for the island’s flora and fauna, while still allowing for recreation opportunities.

More information about the proposed Aotea/Great Barrier Island conservation park, including an online submission form

This photo was taken by Alexander Kluge | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

In Auckland, Islands Aotea, Conservation Park, Great Barrier Island

Christmas camping highlights

Elizabeth Marenzi — 13/01/2014

This year, my family left behind the craziness of Christmas and went camping. Very few New Zealanders were holidaying at this time, so the roads, attractions and campsites were quiet. The weather was also wonderful—packing up only after we’d packed up and moved on.

Today, I thought I’d share with you three of the special DOC managed places (your places) that I visited:

Rangitoto Island

To celebrate my birthday, and our first day in Auckland, we took a harbour cruise and briefly visited pest-free Rangitoto Island.

It was a balmy Auckland morning and the island was so summery and serene—such a contrast to the city I’d just left behind.

While the kid’s played around the shore and climbed pohutukawa trees, I nostalgically imagined what summer would’ve been like staying in one of the remaining baches nestled into the bush.

Unfortunately you can’t stay on the island now—as much as I would’ve loved to. But you can camp on neighbouring Motutapu Island, and I’m sure as eggs going to do that.

This was my first visit to an island in the Hauraki Gulf and it’s easy to see why it’s rated as the number one attraction for Auckland on Trip Advisor.

Waitomo Walkway

Feeling smug that the weather was finer here than at home, we worked off Christmas lunch on the Waitomo Walkway. At just over 3 km—starting at Waitomo Village and ending at the Ruakuri Scenic Reserve—it was a manageable length for the kids.

The karst landscape (a fancy-pants way of referring to the limestone features—arches, tunnels, caves etc) was magical, and quite Tolkienish.

The boys enjoyed climbing and launching themselves off stiles and rocky outcrops, while my four-year-old daughter delighted in the wildflowers and the sheer number of downy white seed heads she found for dandelion wishes.

With all the climbing, launching, and wish making, it took us longer than expected to complete the walk one-way (at least double the 1 hr 15 mins time suggested on the DOC sign).

In order to make our dinner reservation at Huhu Cafe (yum!) I sent hubbie running back to camp for the car, while we played Octopus Tag in the large, empty picnic area by the Ruakuri car park.

Note: Hubbie prides himself on doing everything in significantly less time than what’s stated on DOC signs. Missing the deadline on this one is no reflection on his manliness (read: craziness/stubbornness). The blame must fall entirely on the rest of us layabouts.

Ruakuri Caves & Bush Scenic Reserve

While a number of our extended family were suffering from a post Christmas tummy bug in Wellington (food poisoning perhaps?) we enjoyed Boxing Day at Ruakuri Caves and Bush Scenic Reserve.

With beautiful native bush, limestone outcrops, caves, tunnels, gorges and cantilevered walkways high above rushing water, this site definitely deserves its recent international award.

Once again it took us much longer than the 30-45 mins suggested to complete the loop walk. It would’ve been achievable if we’d steadily walked but, given the number of marvels we had to stop at, admire, and photograph, it was never going to happen.

And, while the budget wouldn’t stretch to a guided caving experience in Waitomo (we’d blown it all at Huhu for Christmas dinner!), we went back to Ruakuri at nightfall for a wonderful show of glow worms. They’re right near the beginning of the track, so you don’t have to walk far.

I love glow worms. Love them. I like to think of them as nature’s fairy lights rather than the larvae (maggots) of the fungus gnat, which is actually what they are.

Your holiday highlights

So, that’s three holiday highlights from me. I’d love to hear about your summer adventures in New Zealand’s great outdoors. I may be back at work now but I’m sure another chance to get away is just around the corner and I’d love some inspiration from you. Of course, Motutapu is always a good idea.

In Auckland, Camping, Islands, Recreation, Waikato, Walking/hiking/tramping caving, glow worms, Motutapu, Rangitoto, ruakuri, waitomo

Guardians of Maungauika/North Head

Department of Conservation — 05/12/2013

By Trish Irvine, Community Relations Ranger, Auckland

Eleven students from the ‘Gifted and Talented’ programme at James Cook High School in South Auckland recently came to a ‘Guardians of Maungauika Workshop’ hosted by Pou Tairangahau Nick Turoa and Partnerships Rangers from the Tamaki Makaurau Office.

Students being taught about the history of the area.

Students learn about the history of Maungauika

Following introductions and morning tea, Nick (a Historic Ranger in a previous life) led our group on a tour of the maunga including the Barracks building at North Head (a former defence fort, set up in the 1800s to defend Auckland from a feared Russian attack). The students all seemed to delight in exploring the myriad of caves, underground rooms and tunnels of the barracks and former pā.

Students in a long, dark tunnel underground.

In a long dark tunnel, a remnant of the military history of the mountain

As we clambered out of a long dark tunnel and down the steps to the coastal track, the sea spray from the high tide and abating storm licked our faces. As we raised our eyes, a pair of maki or orca coming around North Head suddenly emerged from the waves near us on the shore. We could not have timed it any better. We alerted a colleague up in the Field Base who advised that we should call 0800 SEE ORCA as soon as possible with sightings. Dedicated orca researcher—Ingrid Visser—loves to hear about them as early as possible in the hope of getting out on the water for her ongoing research.

A rare sighting of two young orca

Stories about the value of the sea for kaimoana and a coastal cave for waka transport were also shared as we continued our walk around the base of the maunga. This highlighted to these future leaders why we all need to treasure our marine environment and encouraged them to take action like beach clean-ups and preventing litter and waste getting into the sea.

At lunchtime we took part in an afternoon workshop with the group that was designed to help DOC learn more about what makes conservation tick for young people, how to better engage with youth in their communities and what support DOC could provide for their conservation efforts. In small groups the students shared their ideas and expressed some valuable insights.

Based on their own feelings, opinions and experiences, the group came up with a range of ideas that they believed would help to develop their peers’ interest in conservation—ranging from making conservation fun and ‘easier’ to do with groups of friends, to including incentives such as food, competitions, prizes, and music.

Students cleaning up the harakeke/flax bushes.

Conservation work is ‘easier’ with a group of friends

We are looking forward to meeting these students again and supporting their efforts to engage with conservation on a stronger footing and in particular, assisting their involvement in the restoration of a wetland habitat in the Wattle Farm Reserve near the school.

In Auckland, Historic Gifted and Talented, Guardians, James Cook High, Maungauika, North Head, Northland, School, South Auckland

Southern Kaipara kiwi are back

Department of Conservation — 27/08/2013

By Gina Williams, Kiwi Ranger, Whangarei.

Kiwi are back in Kaipara after a 50 year absence, and are ready to make their mark on the Mataia Restoration Project.

Pōwhiri at the homestead to welcome the new arrivals

Kevin and Gill Adshead

In 2005, Gill and Kevin Adshead set aside 400 hectares of their 1300 hectare farm in the south Kaipara Harbour area, north of Auckland, for ecological restoration purposes—the Mataia Restoration Project.

Planting, controlling pests, and fencing, were just some of the tasks volunteers helped the couple with, to get the land ready for the kiwi.

A vibrant Kaipara community, local iwi, schools, neighbours, Kiwis for Kiwi, the Department of Conservation, and local councils all showed up to help release the kiwi into their new home.

Gill explains that the goodwill of so many people will make the next phase—to increase the pest and predator controlled area into neighbouring properties—much easier; and with roaming dogs the number one threat to the project, community support is key.

Gill and Kevin say the reaction to the birds and the participation of schools and local iwi was wonderful.

Ella Hood and kiwi at the Mataia release.

Ella Hood with a kiwi at the Mataia release

With radio transmitters attached to their legs the kiwi can be monitored. The restoration area is easy terrain to work with and half the birds signals can be detected from the deck of the farm house.

Ultimately the couple plan to release a total of 40 birds at Mataia over the next few years.

Pete Graham changes the transmitter on a bird under the watchful eye of a child.

Pete Graham changes the transmitter on a bird under a watchful eye

Visit the Nature Space website to read diary updates on the kiwi, access the latest newsletters and track the travels of the kiwi.

In Auckland, Kiwi, Native animals, Volunteers kaipara, kiwi, kiwi release, Kiwis for kiwi, Mataia, Mataia Restoration Project

Cats on Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island—A short history

Department of Conservation — 02/07/2013

Following on from his tale of returning to Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island 33 years after the last cat was removed (Conservation Blog, 24 June 2013), Dick Veitch recalls the history of cats on Little Barrier…

No one knows exactly how or when cats got to Little Barrier. Andreas Reischeck noted cats were “very numerous” on his visits to the island between 1880 and 1885.

The resident rangers killed cats, but taking out 10 to 40 cats a year didn’t so much as dent their population. Cats made a massive dent in the bird population though. By the 1960s, the Little Barrier snipe was extinct, and the saddleback and banded rail had disappeared from the island. Cats were the prime suspect in these loses, and in the decline of the tuatara, and lizard and seabird species on the island.

Banded rail, Little Barrier Island

The Wildlife Service (now part of DOC) started Operation Kill the Cats in 1968. The next 10 years saw a reduction in numbers, but no eradication. The lessening cat numbers allowed black and Cook’s petrels to recover a bit, but it was still easy to count 40 freshly cat-eaten Cook’s petrels on a single walk to Hauturu’s summit in March or April at that time.

Black petrel eaten by a cat on Little Barrier Island, 1976

In 1976 the operation stepped up a gear. Wildlife Service and Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park staff agreed on a joint approach—the Park would build huts and cut tracks and the Service would kill the cats. The plan called for three new huts and 70 km of tracks. Park Ranger, Dave Smith, and Assistant Chief Ranger, George Holmes, supervised the hut building and got three-quarters of the tracks cut by 1977. The Wildlife Service finished off the tracks and began getting rid of the cats in 1978.

The island rangers and Dave’s successor Alex Dobbins and their families were the stars of the operation. They managed the comings and goings of cat trappers and boats, and got people out to the huts. The ranger’s house was frequently invaded, particularly for important TV events such as rugby matches!

Little Barrier Island bunkhouse and Ranger’s Flat

Cat hunting was done by two teams. Team 1, managed by Richard Anderson, was mainly people from Northland. I managed Team 2. Various government unemployment schemes, a line up of willing volunteers, Wildlife Service trainees and even the occasional paid person provided all the muscle for the job. All up 139 people were involved.

The plan was to do a bit of poisoning and a lot of trapping in the first year, then bring in dog teams – we all know how dogs love to hunt cats. The dogs did well in training on the mainland but did not even hint at scenting a cat on the island. Day after day we walked those tracks without the slightest sign of action. The dog team was quickly disbanded! We now know there were still at least 23 cats on the island. Who knows why the dogs couldn’t smell them.

Cat in a trap

So the trapping and poisoning continued. We walked the tracks and mapped the locations of cat signs. Slowly the mapped information showed each cat being trapped or poisoned, until the last cat was trapped on 23 June 1980.

Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island lies 80 km north of Auckland city on the outer edge of the Hauraki Gulf. You need a permit to visit this thickly forested island that is home to over 350 native species of plants. It’s an incredible place to view wildlife.

Learn more about visiting Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island

In Animal pests, Auckland, Islands cats, conservation, island pest eradication, Little Barrier Island, pest eradication, snipe, trapping

Archives For 30/11/1999

Photo of the week: Aotea/Great Barrier Island