nature |

Archives For 30/11/1999

Great Walker Diaries – Abel Tasman Coast Track

— 29/10/2012

by Siobhan File

In November I’m going down to Nelson for a week with work and thought that while I’m down there, I should attempt my first proper Great Walk at the end of the trip (with the Abel Tasman Coast Track). I say proper because I’ve done bits before, but I was helicoptered to those places and met my bag and a chilli bin of food at the huts, rather than having to carry it myself… don’t judge me.

So, I rallied a group of friends together last Saturday night while we were all out at dinner. Everyone was super keen, but over the week it’s dwindled from six of us, to four of us, to now just me and my boyfriend who’s going to meet me on the Friday.

Mosquito Bay, Abel Tasman National Park

After stuffing up my hut bookings (which the visitor centre staff were very nice about), we’ve locked in Anchorage Hut for Friday night and Awaroa Hut for Saturday night. We’ll then catch an aqua taxi back from Totaranui on Sunday afternoon to fly back to Wellington.

A map of Abel Tasman National park and the walking route.

A map of where we’ll be walking

So that’s a big day of walking on the Saturday. I hope I don’t get blisters or a sore back from my pack.

Some other things I am currently worried about include:

What am I going to wear? The DOC website says wool or fleece clothing, but even in November? Isn’t Nelson the sunniest spot in New Zealand? I’m not sure what tramping attire really is.
Will my running shoes be ok? I don’t think I’ll be able to fit big fluffy socks into them…
The website also says ‘a portable stove will be needed’. I don’t have one of those either. I’ll have to look around for one.
Will my sleeping bag be warm enough (given it’s a child’s one I got from Santa when I was 11)?
Which aqua taxi will we get from Totaranui, and will it tee up with a shuttle back to the airport?

Some things I am really excited about include:

Being able to eat as much scroggin as I like—guilt free because it’s pretty much non-negotiable for tramping
Choosing my own mix of ingredients to make my perfect scroggin
Experiencing the spiritual feeling I’m told I’ll get while walking
Playing cards by candle light in the huts

An image of scroggin including sultanas and nuts.

Did you know that ‘Scroggin’ stands for: ‘Sultanas, Carob, Raisins, Orange peel, Grains, Glucose, Imagination, Nuts’. I’m gonna go crazy on the ‘imagination’, and will definitely be swapping the carob for chocolate.

So I’ve got a bit of organising to do around getting there and back, and sorting out my equipment. If anyone has any recommendations or advice about the Abel Tasman it would be greatly appreciated!

In Great Walks, National parks, Recreation Abel Tasman, Great Walks, hiking, National Parks, nature, Nelson, outdoors, recreation, tramping

Conservation Champions on the big screen!

Department of Conservation — 19/09/2012

Claudia Babirat

As part of the Conservation Awards this year, DOC Otago decided to celebrate two major milestones. One – the Department of Conservation turns 25 years old. Two – the amazing contribution the public has made (and is making) to conservation.

We were so inspired by these achievements that we decided to share with them with the rest of the country – the world even! To this end we got documentary filmmaker Claudia Babirat to produce two short videos for the big screen. This is what she has to say:

Ever since I was a little girl, DOC has been like a hero to me. The rangers did amazing things like save wildlife from the brink of extinction, controlled nasty predators, worked as archaeologists. I had a secret dream that one day I too would work for DOC. But wildlife filmmaking and science writing was always my number one passion.

That’s why, when DOC asked me if I wanted to make a couple of films about conservation in Otago (my home province), I jumped at the chance

The first film celebrates the fact that DOC turns 25 years old this year.

One of the things that really impressed me was just how many of the original rangers (i.e. from the establishment in 1987) are still around. They’ve dedicated their lives to conservation, and I think that’s pretty inspirational.

The other thing that struck me was how much of what we take for granted these days, has been the result of DOC’s hard work. For example, popular attractions like the Otago Central Rail Trail, which brings in an estimated $12 million to the province’s communities each year, was actually strongly opposed when its formation was first suggested! We now have conservation parks dedicated to tussock grasslands (as opposed to just forests). Several new species of rare galaxiids (a type of freshwater fish, which includes whitebait) in Otago were discovered as recently as the 1990s. The list goes on.

The second film recognises the fact that it hasn’t just been DOC that has contributed to all of these amazing achievements. In fact, many of them wouldn’t have been possible without the help and dedication of a whole range of people, including passionate individuals and volunteers, community groups, trusts, iwi, local authorities, landowners, and businesses. Each contribute in their own unique way – from fencing off their creek banks to help protect spawning sites for giant kokopu (one of those freshwater galaxiids I mentioned), to building and maintaining predator-proof sanctuaries, to providing sponsorship for long-term protection of precious wildlife such as the jewelled gecko and the takahe.

Producing the second film gave me a lot of hope for New Zealand’s future There are so many people out there who are passionate about conservation in New Zealand, and we can all make a difference.

In fact, I was so inspired that I made my child-hood dream a reality. I now work for DOC Otago as Community Outreach Coordinator – a brand new position aimed at helping more communities take part in conservation and enjoy all the things that make New Zealand the beautiful place it is.

Jobs at DOC: Tina Clouston, Intranet Communications Advisor

Department of Conservation — 20/07/2012

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Intranet Communications Advisor Tina Clouston.

Walking the ‘Narrows’ in Zion National Park, USA –
the walk is mostly through the river

At work…

What kind of things do you do in your role?

I spend a decent amount of time looking after the day-to-day running of the intranet—reviewing content, training, testing new features, publishing content, supporting our content editors (all 70+ of them), improving usability etc etc. With over 11,000 pages on the intranet it keeps me busy! And it means that I’m never entirely sure how my day is going to pan out…

And then we’ve got a number of projects on the go (fun website/intranet stuff) like trialling the ‘like’ feature, which we’ve added to our front page stories this week.

It’s a great job.

What is the best part about your job?

Hmmmm… a few things actually:

Discovering all the interesting things that everyone does. I get to see a slice of it via the intranet content that we review.
Deleting old content off the intranet. I know, it’s a bit geeky, but there is nothing like getting rid of old stuff!
Investigating ways to make the intranet better.

What is the hardest part about your job?

Last minute requests!

What led you to your role in DOC?

I’ve been working on websites and intranets for a while now in a number of different industries. My last role, based in London, was working for an Asset Management Company—content that was all about shares and trading and making money—not the most inspirational stuff. After five years of that and a hankering to head home, I decided I needed to work somewhere I actually wanted to work. And so I applied for the job and here I am.

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

I was lucky enough to attend Te Pukenga Atawhai, which was a fantastic experience. I met loads of wonderful people and had a generally great time.

Dog-sledding in Norway

The rule of three…

Three loves

A crisp, clear winter’s day.
Travelling – love it! Living in London was the perfect base for seeing the world and I’ve also been lucky enough to live in the States, and have spent a number of months in Japan.
www.etsy.com. So much crafty goodness.

Three pet peeves

People texting at dinner or during meetings. Really – can it not wait?
Missing the train (yes, I know it’s my own fault).
Littering.

Three foods

Gingernut ice-cream.
A good ol’ fashioned roast.
Wellington coffee.

Three favourite places in New Zealand

Wellington. Aside from having a great vibe, it’s my home.
Tongariro National Park.
My grandmother’s old home at Himitangi beach.

Favourite movie, album, book

Movie: The Goonies – classic 80s movie. Sloth is awesome.
Album: August and Everything After by Counting Crows. Always reminds me of road tripping in America.
Book: The Help – wonderful, warm characters.

On an ice covered beach in Iceland

Deep and meaningful…

What piece of advice would you tell your 18 year old self?

Don’t worry so much.

Who or what inspires you and why?

Brian Cox. He’s been making science cool in the UK. Though he failed maths at school, he’s since played keyboard in a rock band, works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Switzerland and has been making BBC documentaries about the Universe.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An astronaut.

And now, if you weren’t working at DOC, what would you want to be?

A photographer for National Geographic. Might need a few photography lessons first….

Tramping the Milford Track, January 2012

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

Say no to plastic bags.

Which green behaviour would you like to adopt this year—at home? At work?

Compost.

If you could be any New Zealand native species for a day, what would you be and why?

A morepork. Why? They have fantastic hearing, can see in the dark and can turn their heads 270 degrees.

What piece of advice or message would you want to give to New Zealanders when it comes to conservation?

Take good care of our country – it’s going to be here a lot longer than us.

In Jobs at DOC intranet, jobs, nature, people

Tairawhiti recognises young volunteers

Department of Conservation — 19/06/2012

17-23 June is Volunteer Awareness Week, so it’s a great time to acknowledge the invaluable contribution volunteers make to conservation in New Zealand.

Today we profile an amazing young volunteer, Antonio Barbarich-Waikari (Antz), who has been helping out with conservation since he was “knee high to a grass hopper”…

Volunteer Antonio Barbarich-Waikari (Antz)

Youth Week was launched in Gisborne on 19 May with the 2012 Youth Awards for Volunteering.

Tributes were paid to 24 young leaders who give their time and energy freely. Gisborne Volunteer Centre manager Jenny Greaves said the teenagers, through volunteering, displayed values that contributed to the well-being of the community.

Antz (far left) with Youth Volunteer Award 2012 recipients

Young-at-heart television personality Te Hamua Nikora presented the awards with Mayor Meng Foon to deserving recipients at the “well to do” Quality Hotel Emerald.

Acknowledged within this prestigious group was DOC and Whinray Ecological Charitable Trust (WECT) volunteer Antonio Barbarich-Waikari (Antz).

Antz has been helping out with conservation since he was “knee high to a grass hopper!” says nominator and Community Relations Ranger Trudi Ngawhare.

A handful of weka

Antz has assisted many times with kiwi and weka listening and kiwi monitoring which occur usually during late hours. He has traversed steep, rocky and damp terrain to check stoat trap lines, transmit and process weka, place out Sentinel possum traps, monitor residual trap catch possum lines, and service cat and stoat traps.

Kiwi monitoring

He has helped with feeding kiwi chicks and has attended tree plantings with the Whinray Ecological Charitable Trust (WECT) in the Motu Kiwi Enclosure. He has spent time with DOC scrub barring at Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve, and has helped with track maintenance at Gray’s Bush Scenic Reserve, as well as giving up a week during the Christmas holidays to help with track maintenance on Moutohora (Whale Island) in Whakatane.

Trapping ferrets

Even though Antz is only 16, acknowledgement for this long time volunteer is long overdue.

Antz with Mayor Meng Foon

Nga mihi kia a koe Antz!

Learn more

Volunteer, join or start a project

17-23 June is Volunteer Awareness Week

In Volunteers Gisborne, Motu Kiwi Enclosure, nature, people, Te Tapuwae o Rongokako, volunteering, volunteers, Whinray Ecological Charitable Trust

Jobs at DOC: Dave Cade, freshwater threats ranger

Department of Conservation — 08/06/2012

Every Friday Jobs at DOC will take you behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation.

Today we profile Dave Cade, freshwater threats ranger…

Name: David Cade—known as Didymo Dave

Dave spreading the message: check, clean, dry

Position: Freshwater threats ranger, based in Turangi

At work…

What kind of things do you do in your role?

Spread the CHECK CLEAN DRY/kaitiakitanga message far and wide by whatever means, far or foul.

What is the best part about your job?

I don’t have a job—I’m on a mission for New Zealand.

What led you to your role in DOC?

They came looking for me!

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

Two mates adapted a small log splitter to an aluminium can crusher so I can crush the hundreds of cans we pick up from off the side of the road, restaurants, and bars etc. so much faster. The proceeds from the sale of the cans are donated to conservation projects.

Dave at work