A partnership between our staff and Marlborough District Council (MDC) saw a traditional teachers’ workshop evolve into something a little bit special this year. Community Ranger Wendy Sullivan explains how Marlborough students taught their teachers a thing or two about conservation.
Continue Reading...Archives For 30/11/1999
The Queen Charlotte Track, while not an official Great Walk, is considered pretty great by the thousands of walkers and mountain bikers that experience all or part of it each year.
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The Wairau Lagoons Walkway is not normally open for biking but, on 18 January 2015, you can join us for a free guided mountain bike tour.
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By Wendy Sullivan, Partnerships Ranger
Combine a festival of music, local food and beverages, with a pest eradication theme and you get the Picton Pestival! Over 600 Picton locals and visitors enjoyed the event, celebrating Kaipupu Point Sanctuary’s first year anniversary of being open to the public.
Meeting a tuatara
The popular conservation zone drew crowds, with delighted children and adults having the chance to touch the tuatara and get up close with a falcon from the Marlborough Falcon Trust.
A rat!
I attended, along with other DOC staff and a host of different community groups. We were on hand to give out information on pests, pest control and native flora and fauna.
There was an interesting line-up of speakers, discussing the current Battle for our Birds campaign and the innovative local Putanui Point pest control trial.
DOC’s Roy Grose took out Pest Contest and caught a whopping 11 different pest species, unfortunately highlighting how many pests there are in Marlborough area.
Organising an event such as this is not without its challenges or expenses, but kudos goes towards the small committee of volunteers who kept people entertained, watered and fed throughout the day.
The Pestival is growing into a much anticipated Marlborough event.
By Clare Moore, Community Relations Ranger, Marlborough
If you’re not keen on camping you obviously haven’t explored one of our lovely Marlborough conservation campsites.
Momorangi campsite
I know campers can be a bit picky, so we cater to a range of campers and camping styles; from lush forest settings, to sandy beaches and shimmering lakes.
You can camp in scenic surroundings from as little as $6 a night.
Wilderness wanderer
For the wilderness wanderer, camping is definitely about getting away from it all. A bit of bush or forest perhaps, or maybe a tranquil lake or a bubbling brook… Ah, the serenity!
To satisfy your quest for peace and quiet, campsites off the beaten track are your best bet. They have toilets and a water supply (possibly a stream), and that’s probably it! You don’t need to book them either and some are even free.
In Marlborough there lots of campsites which would suit the wilderness wanderer, especially those in the Marlborough Sounds which you need a boat to reach, like Putanui Point, South Arm and Tawa Bay.
Molesworth Station. Photo: Gregor Ronald
If you are travelling by car you could visit Titirangi Farm Park in the outer Kenepuru Sound, Cob Cottage in Molesworth or Whatamango Bay on the Port Underwood Rd.
Family camper
Family campers have young ones that can dictate where you can go.
To keep them happy, and yourself sane, you’ll need access to activities in the area to occupy them—and it wouldn’t hurt to have a few facilities to help make things simpler.
Most family campers don’t mind having other families and campers around, and like the idea that an ice-cream treat isn’t too far away!
Pelorus Bridge and Whites Bay are perfect for families – good facilities, safe swimming areas, plenty of walks and not too far to travel.
White’s Bay beach
Glamper
If the thought of camping freaks you out a little, because you don’t want to use a long drop and would rather not go without a shower, then you might just be a glamper (glamour camper). You know that camping is a fun, social summer ‘must-do’, but you want to ease in to it gently.
At these sites there may not be cell phone reception, and there won’t be a power plug for your hair straightener sorry, but you will find showers and won’t be too far from an ice cream, or a coffee if you’re lucky!
Glampers in Marlborough should check out French Pass campsite or Momorangi Bay.
French Pass campsite
Check out the DOC website to find links to more conservation campsites in Marlborough, and the rest of New Zealand, and dust off your tent, air out the chilly bin, and get out and create some long-lasting memories in our great outdoors.
