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Scarfie Army conservation volunteers

Department of Conservation — 03/04/2014

By DOC’s Andrea Crawford

Fetching gravel for the path to the penguin viewing area

Recently 40 Otago Polytechnic students from the Scarfie Army did something different during their first week back in Dunedin. As well as the usual toga parties and raves, these energetic scarfies spent two days volunteering during Orientation Week.

The volunteers worked with local rangers Lucy Hardy and Guy Brannigan on maintaining the penguin viewing area at Pilots Beach at the end of Otago Peninsula, which is home to over 100 little blue penguins. This area is managed by the Pukekura Trust which runs viewing tours at night. It is also close to the northern royal albatross colony at Taiaroa Head.

It was a sweltering day and after wheel-barrowing gravel for the footpath down to penguin viewing area, picking up trash from the beach, and weeding around natives planted by local school children, the scarfies couldn’t resist and jumped into the sea to cool off.

Two volunteers clearing weeds from a penguin burrow.

Clearing weeds from a little blue penguin burrow

The volunteer army also helped with some maintenance work at the fort on Taiaroa Head for the Otago Peninsula Trust, such as cleaning rust off the disappearing gun.

Other hands on work included weeding around hundreds of native plants at the Living Legends planting site at Waitati.

The students’ work will help survival of the 10,000 natives planted by the community to create a native wetland at the Orokonui Estuary. They also potted dune restoration plants for the Tomahawk Smaills Beachcare Group at their plant nursery.

Weeding around natives plants at Waitati

It is fantastic to have the Scarfie Army volunteer with DOC to help out on some important conservation projects in their local area.

Inspired to help? Our volunteer programme lists opportunities for conservation projects with the Department of Conservation. Becoming a DOC volunteer involves being supervised by, and/or working with, DOC staff.

In Otago, Volunteers, Weeds Dunedin, Otago, Polytechnic, Scarfie Army, Taiaroa Head, Weeding

Photo of the week: Duvaucel’s gecko

Department of Conservation — 02/04/2014

New Zealand’s largest lizard, and one of the world’s largest geckos, moved onto Motuihe Island this week.

Duvaucel’s gecko

100 Duvaucel’s geckos joined other threatened wildlife already on Motuihe, as part of an ecological restoration programme being implemented by the Motuihe Trust with the support of Iwi and the Department of Conservation.

Geckos play an important role in ecosystems as predator and prey, as well as dispersers of seeds and pollinating plants.

Duvaucel’s geckos are nationally “At Risk” and by reintroducing these animals to Motuihe, the long-term survival of Duvaucel’s gecko will be further assured.

Learn more

Threatened geckos to find sanctuary on Motuihe Island – Media release

New Zealand geckos

Visit Motuihe Recreation Reserve

In Auckland, Native animals duvaucel's gecko, Geckos, lizards, Motuihe

Poupou marine reserve markers unveiled in Fiordland

Department of Conservation — 01/04/2014

By Te Anau Conservation Services Ranger, Chloe Corne

Unique, individually carved poupou marine reserve markers were installed across Fiordland and unveiled in a special ceremony. Read on to discover how it was done…

Each poupou has a unique face and body design carved by Bubba Thompson

For the Fiordland Marine Guardians, the unveiling of newly erected poupou marine reserve markers in Charles Sound/Taiporoporo represented an important milestone and was the rewarding culmination of several years’ collaborative planning.

In his address during the unveiling ceremony, Guardians Chairperson Malcolm Lawson, acknowledged the significant effort put forward by the collaboration of the Fiordland Marine Guardians, DOC and local iwi from the Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka (the mandated Iwi Kaitiaki) on behalf of the wider Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.

Karanga perfomed by Rangimarie Suddaby, of the Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka, during the unveiling ceremony on board the DOC vessel ‘Southern Winds’

While marine reserves are traditionally marked with white triangles, the poupou project derived from a mutual desire to put in place marine reserve markers more in keeping with the natural and cultural heritage of the fiords.

For Ngāi Tahu, the poupou symbolise enduring kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of Te Moana o Atawhenua (Fiordland).

Poupou at Wet Jacket Arm, Acheron Passage, overlooking the sound, with Fiordland Bottlenose Dolphins in the background

Poupou cut an impressive figure from the walls of the fiords

The project—led by Stewart Bull, the Ngāi Tahu representative on the Guardians, and project managed by DOC Senior Ranger Richard Kinsey—commissioned Bubba Thompson, a skilled local carver from the Awarua Rūnanga, to design and carve the poupou.

Each has the same basic shape, but with varying design differences in the face and body.

Designed to be both attractive and functional, they will be named after various ancestors from Kai Tahu Whānui history.

Production and installation of the poupou was jointed funded by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and DOC.

So far, ten poupou have been installed, in sometimes challenging wind and sea conditions.

High winds and steep, slippery rocks make installing some of the poupou difficult. Here Pete Young braces Allan Harms so that he can use the drill, while Ronnie Bull (above) keeps the poupou straight

Still to be installed are the markers for Te Hapua Marine Reserve in Sutherland Sound and Te Tapuwae o Hua (Long Sound) Marine Reserve.

DOC and the Fiordland Marine Guardians are yet to decide if the markers for the older reserves in Milford and Doubtful Sounds will be changed.

Fourteen new poupou, newly arrived from Bluff

With the new poupou now in place, marking not only the marine reserves but an important part of New Zealand’s cultural heritage, all of the DOC staff involved are celebrating it as a significant achievement and are looking forward to installing the last few poupou in the remaining reserves.

In Fiordland, Marine Charles Sound, Fiordland Marine Guardians, Marine, Marine Reserves, Ngai Tahu, Poupou

Visiting Mana Island

Department of Conservation — 27/03/2014

Steep-sides and a flat-top. No, we’re not talking about our next hairstyle, we’re describing Mana Island — a distinctive landmark on Wellington’s west coast.

Today, Wellington Visitor Centre Ranger Don Herron, tells us about his recent visit to this pest-free island reserve…

I’ve often seen Mana Island from the mainland, and always thought it would be a rad place to visit.

Mana Island with and Kapiti Island in the background. Photo: Masivaan | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Mana Island as seen from Wharehou Bay near Makara. Kapiti Island in the distance

I recently got to confirm my hunch when I was invited over, together with local iwi, Zealandia, Wellington Zoo, Pukaha Mt Bruce, Staglands Wildlife Reserve, Friends of Mana Island, Rimutaka Forest Park Trust, and others from DOC.

Goldstriped-gecko

It was supposed to be a Christmas celebration but, due to bad weather twice cancelling the trip, it ended up being a New Year event. Third time lucky!

Jeff Hall, the Resident Ranger on Mana Island, welcomed us to the island and gave us a great introduction talk. He seemed as pleased to have visitors as we were to visit!

We heard two versions of how the island was formed – one about faulted terraces (yawn), the other, about a taniwha who crash landed on top of Mana causing the top of the island to be smashed off (yeah!)

Ranger Jeff, together with Ranger Di (Diane Batchelor), took us on walk around the island. During the 1½ hour ramble we saw: kākāriki chicks (“too cute” as my wife would say); a million geckos; takahē; variable oystercatchers; shore plover; and more.

Takahē on Mana Island

We finished our walk at North Bluff – the old lighthouse site and the highest point on the island. We were rewarded with magic views of Kapiti Island, Titahi Bay, the rugged west coast of Porirua; and even Ohau Point and the wind turbines.

North Bluff – the old lighthouse site and the highest point on the island

After some very nice kai, including fresh paua, we had a hui to talk about how we work together (and with others). There was an open floor to voice new ideas and discuss what has worked well in the past, and what can be done in the future.

After the meeting we made our way back past the historic woolshed to the beach to wait for the boat.

Historic woolshed

Wool from Mana Island sheep is reputed to be among the earliest exported from New Zealand, and the woolshed, from European occupation that began in the 1830s, has been recently restored.

Mana Island

When I heard the rumble of the boat heading back to collect us, I was tempted to run and hide. Explaining an “accidental” missed boat felt like a small price to pay to spend more time exploring this special place.

In the end I made the savvy career choice not to miss the boat, but that tempting view of the island from the mainland reminds me of my resolve to spend more time on Mana. It is indeed a rad place to visit.

Mana Island Scientific Reserve lies three kilometres off Wellington’s west coast and has been free of all introduced mammals since mice were eradicated in 1989.

You can’t stay overnight on the island but visitors are welcome between 8.00 am and 5.00 pm.

In Islands, Wellington/Kapiti Mana Island

News from Taiaroa Head/Pukekura

Department of Conservation — 25/03/2014

By Lyndon Perriman, Head Ranger at Taiaroa Head/Pukekura

Perfect weather for young albatross chicks

Summer in Dunedin didn’t seem to stay around for long this year, but I wasn’t complaining. Unlike most years, where fly strike leads to the loss of young albatross chicks, we had such mild weather over the hatching period that no fly strike occurred.

Last season we had 26 chicks fledge. We are hopeful that the 24 chicks on the headland this season will all fledge, making a nice round 50 fledglings in two years.

Seven years abroad: Pukekura’s 500th royal albatross returns

After seven years abroad, the 500th royal albatross chick to have hatched at Taiaroa Head/Pukekura, has finally returned home.

Toroa, the 500th royal albatross chick to have hatched at Pukekura

Toroa, and two other chicks, had transmitters attached to their back feathers when they fledged in 2007.

All three survived their long journey at sea for the first year, after which the transmitters stopped sending back signals. It has been a long wait to see if any of these birds would return.

Map of albatross flight path from New Zealand to Chile.

Toroa, the grandson of ‘Grandma’—the colony’s oldest bird (over 60 years old when last seen in 1989)—arrived home to find his own parents breeding again.

The image below shows Toroa with a two-month old sibling. This chick is on its nest close to where Toroa himself was raised.

Toroa sitting in the background with his two-month-old sibling in the foreground

Toroa has been hanging around this same area not because of any bond with his sibling or his parent (there is no interaction between parents and returned chicks), but because he, like most males, will nest fairly close to the site where he was raised as a chick. Nest sites tend to be closer to the male hatch site than to the females hatch site.

Scurvy explosion

Cook’s scurvy grass (Lepidium oleraceum) has had a population explosion here at Taiaroa Head/Pukekura.

Cook’s scurvy grass has had a population explosion

Just three plants of this threatened species (once abundant and used by Captain Cook to help reduce the effects of scurvy) were on Pukekura last year.

Now, nestled in among the 2000 pairs of red-billed gulls (that produced plenty of quality fertilizer), this species numbers over 40 large healthy plants.

The ice plant in the background of the image above is South African, and was probably introduced onto the headland to help hide the stone and concrete gun emplacements used during the Russian Scare of the late 1880’s.

Interestingly, the ice plant can not tolerate the excreta from gulls and dies back, whereas gull excreta doesn’t affect the native ice plant found in the same area.

Planting for penguins

The Pukekura Trust little penguin colony at Pilots Beach has recently benefited from Air New Zealand Environmental Trust funding.

This allowed several hundred new natives to be planted—mostly by school children—throughout the reserve.

Small native plants nestled in the grass on a hillside. Sea in the background.

New natives have been planted throughout the reserve

You can see part of the little penguin viewing platform in the image above. Here, at dusk, as many as 300 little penguins waddle in from the sea.

In Native animals, Native plants, Otago Albatross, Cook’s scurvy grass, little penguins, penguins, pukekura, royal albatross, Taiaroa Head

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Scarfie Army conservation volunteers