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Archives For 30/11/1999

Photo of the week: Akaroa Marine Reserve

Department of Conservation —  11/06/2014

Today’s photo of the week captures the beauty of Akaroa Harbour and its surrounds.

Akaroa Harbour. Photo: Daniel Pietzsch | CC BY-NC 2.0.

New Zealand’s newest marine reserve was formally opened in the south eastern corner of Akaroa Harbour last weekend, to coincide with World Oceans Day.

Akaroa Marine Reserve will benefit hundreds of species, including giant bull kelp, green and horse mussels, sea tulips, hydroids, sponges, sea squirts, sea anemones, cushion, snake and biscuit stars; fish like blue cod, butterfish, blue moki, leatherjacket and white pointer sharks; birds like penguins and shags and marine mammals like fur seals and Hector’s dolphins.

“Akaroa is an iconic harbour and is hugely popular for its recreation, scenery and heritage. The reserve will enhance Akaroa’s growing nature-based tourism and will be an economic as well as an environmental asset for the Banks Peninsula community,” says Selwyn MP and Environment Minister Amy Adams.

Photo by Daniel Pietzsch | CC BY-NC 2.0

In Canterbury, Photo of the week
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Protecting penguins at Banks Peninsula

Department of Conservation —  19/05/2014

By Wayne Beggs, Biodiversity Ranger in Akaroa.

The yellow-eyed penguin work happening at Banks Peninsula in Canterbury is a real team effort!

Juvenile yellow-eyed-penguin at Banks Peninsula.

Juvenile yellow-eyed-penguin at Banks Peninsula

We’re fortunate to have some passionate farmers, Mark Armstrong and Francis Helps, who love the local wildlife and who have been the driving force behind protecting the penguins on Banks Peninsula. They had grown up with penguins and were used to seeing them around and they became very concerned when numbers started to seriously decline in the nineties.

Ranger Wayne Beggs and local vet Susan Shannon micro-chipping penguins.

Ranger Wayne Beggs and local vet Susan Shannon micro-chipping penguins

Mark and Francis didn’t muck around and bought their own predator traps to try and control the ferrets, stoats and feral cats that were decimating the local little blue and yellow-eyed penguin colonies.

Mark and Francis soon realised that they needed some help and sought support from the local DOC rangers. DOC ranger Robin Burleigh stepped in and added additional trap lines as well as assisting with monitoring the penguins.

In more recent years Environment Canterbury and the Christchurch City Council have contributed to the trapping and monitoring effort and penguins number have boomed.

Pōhatu is now home to the largest mainland little blue penguin colony (over 1200 pairs last count) in New Zealand and yellow-eyed penguin numbers are starting to creep back up.

A young yellow-eyed penguin in the bushes at Banks Peninsula.

A young yellow-eyed penguin

A local vet, Susan Shannon, has volunteered her time to help with nest searching, mico-chipping penguin fledglings and providing emergency care for injured or sick penguins.

There are also two passionate volunteers, Thomas and Kristina, who really love penguins and put a lot of time and effort into caring for under weight, sick and injured penguins.

It’s thanks to the fantastic effort of all these people and organisations that the penguins on Banks Peninsula have a bright future.

In Canterbury, Native animals , , , , ,
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Nina Valley ‘Ecoblitz’

Department of Conservation —  15/05/2014

By Sarah Ensor, Partnerships Ranger in Rangiora

Last month 176 senior students from 23 secondary schools worked alongside 57 scientists/taxonomists, 24 university students, 26 teachers and 16 helpers to discover and document species in the Nina Valley, Lewis Pass.

The Nina Valley Ecoblitz team. Photo: Sonny Whitelaw.

Most of the team on the last day

The idea for an ‘Ecoblitz’ in the Nina Valley started almost 18 months ago with Tim Kelly, a teacher at Hurunui College. Tim approached some like-minded people and a group was formed. This group comprised representatives from Hurunui College, Lincoln University, DOC, Hurunui District Council and specialist volunteers.

Over $33,000 of sponsorship was raised to cover all the costs of the event and this meant that the event was accessible to all students, regardless of their financial circumstances.

Students conducting plant identification. Photo: Steve Attwood.

Students conducting plant identification

The weekend offered students 119 field activities and workshops, each lead by an expert scientist. Participants worked side-by-side to discover and document native species of Nina Valley in a methodological and educational manner.

Eripatus. Photo: Bryce McQuillan.

Some excellent professional photographers covered the event and photographed species for ID

The term ‘Ecoblitz’ was coined to reflect the detailed research into the ecology of the forest, shrub, grasslands and waterways around the Boyle River/Nina Valley. 17 sites in these different habitats sites were selected, based on surveys conducted previously by Lincoln University, and thus provided a baseline on which to compare data and repeat in future years.

Lincoln University is collating all the data which will be sent to students, this includes researching an unidentified sample that may even be a new species!

Students at the campsite. Photo: Steve Attwood.

Students at the campsite

You can find out more information about the event on the Nina Valley Ecoblitz website.

In Canterbury, Native animals, Native plants , , , , , ,
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The man who shot Mount Sibbald

Department of Conservation —  20/03/2014

Today, Sydney-based photographer Tim Donnelly tells us the story behind the epic image he gifted us for our Wildside New Zealand promotion…

Tim Donnelly.

Tim Donnelly

I listen to the rushing sounds of water while staring at the majestic Mount Sibbald, contemplating what brought me to this incredible landscape.

The answer: It was the result of a plan by a great friend to surprise me for my birthday.

With complete secrecy, he had organised to take me to Lake Tekapo for a photography escape. All I knew was I had to surrender my passport and be prepared for no sleep and plenty of adventure.

You can imagine my surprise when I not only arrive at Christchurch International Airport, but also see two mates standing at the baggage claim. What a start!

I hadn’t visited the South Island of New Zealand before, so my expectations were high—and this great land did not disappoint.

On the shore of Lake Tekapo. Photo: Tim Donnelly | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

On the shore of Lake Tekapo, near the famous Church of the Good Shepherd. Captured this shot the first evening we got there

Over the next few days we covered as much terrain as possible between Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook.

On the second to last day, we jumped into the 4WD and proceeded along the east side of Lake Tekapo.

On the way to Lake Tekapo. Photo: Tim Donnelly | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

A stunning scene of stunning light and landscape

Mumford & Sons played as the soundtrack as we witnessed breathtaking scene after breathtaking scene.

We eventually crossed the Macauley River and continued north, but unfortunately the weather closed in, not allowing us to go any further.

Sunset at the north end of Lake Tekapo. Photo: Tim Donnelly | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Sunset at the north end of Lake Tekapo

We turned around and crossed back through the river, where we decided to stop and have a break. The pause in our exploration resulted in a composition frenzy. The sun broke through the clouds and it lit Mount Sibbald beautifully—highlighting every contour and crevice.

With great excitement, I extended my tripod against the banks of the gorge. I placed the rushing water in the foreground of my frame, the mountains in the background, configured my filters, and waited for the sun to do its best. The composition was complete so I released the shutter…

Looking back up the North East Gorge Stream towards Mount Sibbald. Photo: Tim Donnelly | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Epic: Looking back up the North East Gorge Stream towards Mount Sibbald

I am honoured that the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai would choose my photo to represent their efforts and I hope you will see more of my imagery in the future. Thank you again for your stunning country and all its beauty. Get out there and experience it—unleash the Wildside!

Wildside poster
Wildcard postcard
Wildcard postcard

Check out more of Tim’s work on flickr, 500px, Google+

Join the Wildside on Facebook and Twitter

In Canterbury, Recreation , , , , ,
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Wildside: From pixels to paper

Elizabeth Marenzi —  18/03/2014

If you cast your mind back to August last year, you might remember my blog post asking you to ‘Join me on the Wildside‘ a new social media community run by DOC on Facebook and Twitter.

Today, I’m proud to be one of over 9,000 people who ‘like’ Wildside and aspire to the ‘Aotearoa New Zealand. Live it. Love it. Look after it. Together.’ vision.

Of course, we’d love to have more people join us, which is why we’ve created these beautiful postcards and posters to raise its profile in the ‘real’ i.e. offline world.

Wildside poster.

As a member of DOC’s web team I see a lot of beautiful images every day, but when I saw that photo on flickr—showing North East Gorge Stream, looking towards Mount Sibbald—I knew it was the one for our Wildside project. Alana McCrossin, the amazing DOC designer who drew the short straw to work with me on the project, agreed.

I contacted the Sydney based photographer, Tim Donnelly, to ask if he’d let us use his image for the cause, and he kindly agreed—sacrificing his own precious time and money to help.

So, as much as this post is a shout out to Wildside—it’s also a shout out to the generous, talented, Tim Donnelly—and everyone else who willingly shares their time, gifts and talents to help grow conservation

Wildcard postcard
Wildcard postcard

On Thursday, Tim’s going to share his story behind that photo with us.

See the Wildside posters (on display) and postcards (free to take) at DOC visitor centres around the country.

In Canterbury, Volunteers , , , , ,
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