Adventure to Fern Burn Hut

Department of Conservation —  17/10/2013

By Chrissy Wickes, Biodiversity Ranger, Te Anau

My partner, son and I recently went for a walk up to Fern Burn Hut along Motatapu Track which is out the back of Glendu Bay just twenty minutes drive from Wanaka.

Chrissy and her son walking through farm land.

The start of the track follows a river through farm land

The track starts in farm land and follows a lovely river all the way through beech forest and up to the tussock lands around the hut.

Chrissy's son playing in the mud.

Stopping for a quick play in the mud

It is a fantastic short walk and a great hut to stay in overnight. The track to the hut is the beginning of a longer walk. It took us three hours with my son Shannon walking the easier sections. The section through the bush is like a small goat track and perhaps not so suitable for a child to walk alone due to the drops into the stream below. But the track is relatively straight forward for big people.

There were heaps of fish in the stream and we came across a group fishing and they caught a lovely trout as we approached which was neat to see.

Chrissy and her son looking at the caught trout.

Fishing for trout

It is a hot area in the summer so I recommend hats and sunblock and avoiding the heat of the day.

We were lucky it was over cast but we still felt the heat and it is not even summer yet. The stream that the track follows is lovely with small waterfalls and pools which would be great to cool off in on those really hot days. We had a great time on this beautiful overnight walk in a stunning part of the country.

Walking along the track to Fern Burn Hut.

Nearing Fern Burn Hut

Related links:

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Photo of the week: Tokoeka kiwi

Department of Conservation —  16/10/2013

Today’s photo, of a Stewart Island tokoeka kiwi, celebrates Save Kiwi Week (14 – 20 October).

Tokoeka kiwi on Stewart Island.

Tokoeka – literally meaning “weka with a walking stick” (Ngai Tahu) has four geographically and genetically distinct forms—Haast, northern Fiordland, southern Fiordland and Stewart Island.

The Stewart Island tokoeka are unusual among kiwi for being active during the daytime, as you can see in this photo taken by Alina Thiebes.

Stewart Island/Rakiura is probably the easiest place to observe kiwi in the wild, where some 20,000 still survive.

You can find out more about Save Kiwi Week and how you can help to protect kiwi on the Kiwis for kiwi website.

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Storming O Peretu Fort Takapuna

Department of Conservation —  15/10/2013

Recently, the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) Closed for Good, shutting stores across the country to allow staff to give something back to the local communities they’re a part of.

As part of this initiative, a number of Closed for Good volunteers donned disposable overalls, picked up paint brushes and sand paper, and went to work restoring the historic engine room at Fort Takapuna in Auckland.

Fort Takapuna.

Fort Takapuna

Community Relations Ranger, Trish Irvine, tells us about the day:

DOC rangers, Jeremy Thomas, Andrew King and Peter Smith, were there to greet the Closed for Good volunteers. After a welcome and safety briefing we walked to the engine room. Peter gave a brief outline of the history—from Māori to military. It is fascinating to discover there are forts of the same design in France, Belgium and other European countries.

At the engine room BNZ staff eagerly picked up scrapers, wire brushes and brooms to begin preparation before painting. It wasn’t long before the building was ‘smoking’ with all the dust and debris that had flaked to the floor. It was a hive of activity with no corner left untouched and all the while there was a friendly chatter as each person got to know one another.

BNZ Closed for Good volunteers.

BNZ Closed for Good volunteers

At lunchtime Peter gave a guided tour of the Fort. His passion for military history had it come to life. I could quite happily have listened to him for the rest of the day and forgotten about the painting that awaited us in the engine room. However, there was a job to be finished and everyone was keen to paint.

In the afternoon the whole of the engine room was transformed, getting a fresh coat of paint. It now brightens the room and makes it look clean and fresh. It was delightful to see the BNZ business managers come and support the work for a few hours before they went to another project.

This is the first time DOC has contributed to the BNZ Closed for Good day in Auckland and it is definitely something we’d like to do again.

Have you been to Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve? It’s a great place to explore with kids, take a dog for a walk, have a picnic or to enjoy the stunning views of the Hauraki Gulf.

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.

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Save Kiwi Week

Department of Conservation —  14/10/2013

Today kicks off the inaugural Save Kiwi Week, a week to raise both awareness and funds to protect our iconic national bird.

A young rowi kiwi amongst the bush. Photo: Ian Gill.

Okarito South Island brown kiwi (rowi)

You might think that we are doing a pretty good job protecting our national bird. But in reality, 2% of our kiwi population disappears every year. At this rate, we risk kiwi disappearing from the mainland in our lifetime!

Save Kiwi Week runs from 14th-20th of October and is organised by Kiwis for kiwi which is an independent charity that works in partnership with DOC to help fund kiwi conservation work around New Zealand. Their aim for Save Kiwi Week is to raise $100,000 to protect 1,000 kiwis in the wild in October.

lets-keep-kiwi-alive

Help save kiwi this October 14-20th

There are lots of community activities planned across New Zealand this week, as well as great TradeMe auctions for ‘once in a lifetime’ kiwi experiences and a chance to release a kiwi into the wild with Sir Graham Henry.

Anyone can get involved – including individuals, schools and businesses – and there are fun easy-to-use toolkits filled with activities and fundraising ideas on the Kiwis for kiwi website.

Get involved in the inaugural Save Kiwi Week and together we can help keep our iconic kiwi alive.

Watch a video about communities protecting kiwi:

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Kiwis for kiwi spotlight: Michelle Impey – Executive Director

Department of Conservation —  11/10/2013

To celebrate Save Kiwi Week which kicks off next Monday we profile Michelle Impey, Executive Director at Kiwis for kiwi.

At work

Michelle Impey holding a rowi kiwi.

Holding a rowi kiwi

Some things I do in my job include… Kiwis for kiwi is a small two-person team so my role is pretty broad! I am mostly office-bound and my job description includes everything from working with the Trustees to set/deliver the strategic direction for the Trust, managing relationships with stakeholders, fundraising strategy and execution, marketing and fronting media etc.

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by…keeping one of its partnerships ticking along.

The best bit about my job is… I have two favourite bits. I have a saying I like to use: “No one is saving kiwi to get rich”. There are some amazing people around New Zealand who are working hard to protect kiwi, and often with a huge contribution of their own time and money. They are salt-of-the-earth people and it’s really awesome to work alongside them.

And, in a best-of-both-worlds scenario, I feel really fortunate that I get to use my business skills and background but with a way more gratifying outcome than I would have in the corporate world – which is usually about selling more product and/or increasing return to shareholders. In this role, if I do a good job, there is more money for kiwi conservation work and that is hugely rewarding.

The funniest/strangest/loveliest/scariest/awesome-est DOC moment I’ve had so far is… I’ve been in this role eight years so there have been lots of funny, strange, lovely and scary moments, but probably one of my stand-out awesome memories is of a day in Fiordland a few years ago, where I got taken out on a ‘kiwi hunt’ with the DOC team to find a tokoeka that needed a transmitter change. It was a nine-hour day to find and capture that one bird but what an amazing day in the bush! It highlights how hard the work can be, but also how enormously gratifying and rewarding it is.

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is… I have to pick a collection or group rather than singling out one amazing person, and that is the Kiwi Recovery Group. It is led by DOC but is comprised of both DOC and non-DOC people with broad ranging kiwi knowledge and experience that spans decades. I am really privileged to sit on this group because of my role with the Trust, and am constantly amazed at the breadth of knowledge the group possesses and the thoughtful advice that is given out on kiwi issues around the country.

Michelle tramping in the Kaimanawa Ranges.

I love Auckland, but love to get out of it too! Here’s me on a tramping trip in the Kaimanawa Ranges

On a personal note…

Most people don’t know that I… don’t work for DOC, don’t work for BNZ, and prior to this role had not worked in a conservation-related field.

The song that always cheers me up is… um, anything that isn’t country and western, but I have a few faves in the music library at the moment. Can’t usually go wrong with Foo Fighters or Jack Johnson, depending on the mood.

My stomping ground is… the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland. Only a 20 minute drive and you’ve got miles and miles of amazing bush trails for running.

My best ever holiday was… my first trip ever to a completely different country (I’m from Canada) – Thailand. There is something very cool about all of those travel ‘firsts’ – eating who-knows-what from road-side stalls, not speaking the language, discovering new foods, new culture, new landscapes etc.

My greatest sporting moment was when… I crossed the finish line at Ironman Canada for the first time.  It wasn’t a podium finish (by a very long shot) but by far the toughest sporting event I have done to date.

If I could be any New Zealand native species I’d be… any one of them that live on a predator-free offshore island. That’d be the sweet life….

If I wasn’t working at Kiwis for kiwi, I’d like to…be a philanthropist.

Holding a kakapo on Codfish Island.

Life isn’t completely kiwi. It was awesome to do a volunteer stint with the kakapo team on Codfish Island

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is… “I was sad I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet”. I don’t know where it originated but it is such a good perspective check for when you think things aren’t going so well.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is… when you don’t know what to do, do something.

In work and life I am motivated by… happiness. I like to do what makes me happy. It’s simple (and it’s hedonistic), but it works.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is… every little bit really can make a difference.

Michelle skiing in Canada.

Life before New Zealand – in an equally beautiful part of the world – Canada

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