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Archives For 30/11/1999

Jobs at DOC: Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre Ranger, Lyn Trewella

Department of Conservation —  13/04/2012

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 Lyn Trewella Ranger (Visitor Information) Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre.

At work…

What kind of things do you do in your role?

I give advice about the Great Walks and local backcountry tracks; sell tickets and Great Walk passes; deal with the Centre’s retail displays and sales; help to open and close the centre; answer or field all manner of interesting questions from visitors from, “Where are the crocodiles?” to, “We just arrived. We want to walk”.

Green Lake, Southern Fiordland

What is the best part about your job?

Seeing the smile on the face of a customer when they return from the tramp you recommended to them.

What is the hardest part about your job?

Sitting inside when the sun is shining on the mountains outside.

What led you to your role in DOC?

In my DOC uniform

I came to New Zealand on a working holiday in October 2010 and after five weeks travelling, I ended up working at a backpackers outside Te Anau. The plan was to stay until the end of January and then head back to my job as an outdoor instructor in the UK… as you can see, I’m still here!

During my first season here I fell in love with Fiordland and decided to apply to extend my working holiday. As a keen tramper herself, my boss at the backpackers gave me time off to go exploring and by the winter I had walked most of the popular tracks in the Park. That experience led me into my current role here at DOC. If I can get another visa I’ll be here again next season.

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

Taking a jet boat trip down the Wairaurahiri River to the ocean.   

The rule of three…

Three loves

  1. A good book that lets you escape from reality
  2. New Zealand’s amazing backcountry huts—long may they remain in existence!
  3. A clear day in the mountains

Lake Manapouri - one of the Fiordland views I fell in love with

Three pet peeves

  1. People who leave litter. Especially in National Parks and DOC campsites GRRRRR!
  2. DOC bashing notes written in hut books. Do these people not realise how lucky they are to have such fantastic resources available to them!
  3. Bad drivers.

Three foods

  1. Whittakers chocolate
  2. Jacket potatoes
  3. Anything off a barbeque

Benching (levelling) the Kepler

Three favourite places in New Zealand

  1. The tracks around the Mount Arthur area near Nelson/Motueka
  2. Green Lake near Lake Monowai
  3. Gertrude Saddle

Favourite movie, album, book

  1. Movie: The Boat That Rocked—brilliant British film about pirate radio
  2. Album: Hmmm maybe Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More
  3. Book: Anything by Terry Pratchett

Deep and meaningful…

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

Get on with it! Don’t be scared to take chances. Get out there, travel, and live life.

Who or what inspires you and why?

I admire people who love their lives and have worked hard to get to that place they love. The people here at DOC Te Anau are a pretty inspirational lot. Their dedication to conservation and New Zealand is incredible and you couldn’t ask for a better group of people about you if you need help or support.

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

I’ve never had a definite plan… at school there was an archaeology phase, an outdoor instructor phase, and a photography/art/design phase. 

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

Camping on the Livingstone Range

I would’ve liked to guide on the tracks over here. I have to head home to the UK at some point and I’m investigating working as a countryside or national park ranger in the future.

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

Every little bit helps. Whether you recycle or compost or use solar power for your house—if everyone does something it’s got to help the bigger picture.

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

I haven’t been able to compost this summer so I’d like to be able to do that again.

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

I’d be a fantail or a South Island robin because they have such character.

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

Don’t take your amazing country for granted. New Zealanders are gifted with beautiful unspoilt wilderness areas, amazing backcountry tracks, and a fantastic hut network. In the future the unspoilt areas of this country are going to be even more of a selling point for tourism than they are now. New Zealanders should be vigilant to make sure that wilderness areas are not over developed and tracks and huts are not neglected or lost.

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Jobs at DOC: Akaroa Biodiversity Ranger, Derek Cox

Department of Conservation —  23/03/2012

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 biodiversity ranger, Derek Cox.

Derek Cox, Ranger Biodiversity, Akaroa Field Base

At work…

Position: Ranger Biodiversity, Akaroa Field Base.

What kind of things do you do in your role?

My main role is the marine work around Banks Peninsula. So I get to go out and look after the Pōhatu Marine Reserve, Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary, and all the marine mammals that are resident or visit the area.

But that is only part of it. There are only two of us over on Banks Peninsula, and I am the only ranger living here, so I get involved in most of the work that goes on — from weed and pest control, to compliance, fire, and all the local issues that occur.

What is the best part about your job?

The variety of work — at all levels, from national to the local community.

What is the hardest part about your job?

The sheer variety of work, and trying to keep up and adjust to work programmes to cope with the changing demands on my time.

Necropsy of a 15 metre ship-struck fin whale

What led you to your role at DOC?

I started out training as a Land Survey Technician up in Auckland, then got a job doing survey work for the New Zealand Forest Service in Te Kuiti, initially for six months. 12 years later I was still there, doing a variety of work, when I was invited to apply for a job with the newly formed DOC.

From Te Kuiti I went to Tairua, on the East Coast of the Coromandel, working largely in visitor assets — looking after camp grounds and tracks, including the Cathedral Cove track system and marine reserve, and doing a variety of survey work right around the Waikato region. I did this for about 16 years before I transferred to Akaroa five years ago to do more marine based work.

Surveying the extension of the Windows Tunnel for the Karangahake Walkway

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

I upgraded part of the Hay Scenic Reserve walking track — we metalled a wet and boggy 60 metre part of the track and tidied up a few other areas of the track.

Hay Scenic Reserve is a small reserve in Pigeon Bay that has a really neat stand of lowland alluvial podocarp/broadleaf forest with a loop track running through it. DOC has been getting rid of the exoctic weeds and controlling the pest animals in the reserve for a while.

The rule of three…

Three loves

  1. My wife Alison
  2. My three children Rebekah, Matthew and Nathan, and what they have achieved and are achieving
  3. My job/home

Three pet peeves

  1. My wife having to work and board away from home during the week (but I guess it helps pay the bills)
  2. Rubbish on the road side
  3. Offenders in the marine reserve

    Surveying a boundary line, Whareorino Forest

Three foods

  1. Cheese
  2. Icecream
  3. My wife’s home baking

Three favourite places in New Zealand

  1. Home, overlooking Barry’s Bay
  2. Tairua
  3. Auckland Islands

    Sea kayaking around Great Mercury Island

Favourite movie, album and book

  1. Movie: The first Star Wars movie
  2. Album: Most easy listening music
  3. Book: Any book that has a good story to tell

Deep and meaningful…

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

Enjoy life.

Who or what inspires you and why?

All the people I have worked with because they are managing to achieve so much. It’s not necessarily just the big projects, but also the small day-to-day gains that make a difference in the long term.

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

A land surveyor.

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

A land surveyor.

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

Compost and recycle where and when you can.

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

Solar hot water for my home.

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

A New Zealand fur seal—at home in the water and lazing on the rocks in the sun.

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

Every little bit helps! Whether it is a small planting project, a couple of traps for pests, or clearing some weeds—cumulatively it all helps the vision of a great New Zealand to live in.

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Jobs at DOC: Kiwi looker afterer, Blair Hoult

Department of Conservation —  16/03/2012

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 Haast Tokoeka Kiwi Team Ranger, Blair Douglas Hoult.

Catching a female kiwi up in the alpine scrub with Tuss

At work…

Position: Kiwi looker afterer

What kind of things do you do in your role?

Track down the rare New Zealand womble, drive boats, walk up hills… then down hills… then turns out it was back up the hill… up hills.

What is the best part about your job?

That my job, a lot of the time, doesn’t seem like a job… and my dog Tussock.

What is the hardest part about your job?

Driving to the Sanctuary (Haast Tokoeka Kiwi Sanctuary) when the surf’s cranking.

What led you to your role in DOC?

A bunch of randomness. I used to Chef but I chopped my finger. Instead, found the job on the net… then the next thing I know—life rules.

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

The West Coast weather.

The mouth of the Moeraki—just a walk from my house

The rule of three…

Three loves

  1. Haast
  2. Tussock the dog
  3. Flying

    My dog Tussock in the Haast Sanctuary

Three pet peeves

  1. Frozen boots
  2. Burnt toast
  3. Wet wetsuits

Three foods 

  1. Baked beans (way better than spaghetti) 
  2. A mean Sunday roast
  3. Lamb chops

Three favourite places in New Zealand

  1. Whakapohai
  2. Hot Water Beach
  3. Ohinimaka

The beautiful Haast Sanctuary—my office

Favourite movie, album, book

  1. Movie: Forrest Gump
  2. Album: Van Morrison’s Been good lately
  3. Book: Francis Chichester’s book—a good read about an amazing navigator

Deep and meaningful…

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

To be fast, first you must be slow because slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

After I'd restored Dad's microlight to its former glory

Who or what inspires you and why?

My friends because they are all different but are Oarsome and do freakin’ good things. Oh and this old couple I used to work for—they have been married for 50 years and are like a couple of teenagers!

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

I dunno, I changed my mind all the time… maybe a pilot/All Black kinda kid… I always liked the Animal connection, they smell good.

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

Hmmm ummm I reckon Dr Martin’s pretty cool.

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

Save DOC some money and camp when you go away… DOC has amazing camp grounds.

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

To make do with what I have. Fixed things are better than new things because then they are classic and classic is class.

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

A kākāpō! Turn up the boom bass!

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

Be proud of DOC… we are world leaders.

In Jobs at DOC, Kiwi, Native animals , , , ,
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Tailings Hut – a successful volunteer working holiday

Department of Conservation —  12/03/2012

Six committed volunteers from as far afield as Australia recently spent a week helping restore Tailings Hut in Oteake Conservation Park.

The Volunteers and Mark Harrison (DOC ranger) in front of Tailings Hut

The trip to Tailings Hut is an adventure in itself; the 4WD track has numerous river crossings and steep rocky sections with long falls to the valley floor that get the heart racing. Travelling through this vast tussock country with big skies reveals a Graham Sydney painting in every direction. The hut suddenly appears, nestled in a small valley beside a lovely crystal creek.

Volunteers, Laurie and Mick spray painting the bunk safety barriers

The volunteers are keen and quick to help. Once assigned tasks, they work like beavers from early morning until they are persuaded to put down tools and call it a day. They replace weatherboards, tugging away the rotten ones, paint over vivid lime green paint in the bunkrooms, remove a wall of trashy graffiti, repaint the interior and exterior, refurbish the fireplace and build a new hay shed.

Volunteers, Sue and Paul painting one of the bunkrooms

There was little sleep in the camp for the first couple of nights, as wind funnels and howls through the camp site, whipping the tents around. The volunteers take this in their stride and have a fun and memorable week, leaving with new friends and a sense of satisfaction that they have contributed to the upkeep of backcountry huts.

The camp set up at Tailings Hut

This area is a recent addition to Oteake Conservation Park after the tenure review of the Mt Ida Pastoral Occupation License. Grazing continues in this area of the park and the hut is used by the concessionaire for mustering.

Volunteers Roddy and Paul hard at work

Volunteer Sue removing graffiti in bunkroom

Tailings hut is a product of three huts with different histories. The two bunkrooms were once single man quarters used for construction of the Roxburgh Hydro Dam. The larger building, built in the 1930s by farmers who previously held the occupation licence for the site, is now the kitchen.

Volunteers and Mark Harrison (Visitor Assets DOC ranger) hard at work in the kitchen

Thanks to the Central Otago Visitor assets team and the volunteers, the hut has been transformed into a light and pleasant place for people to stay and enjoy the Otago tussock country.

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Jobs at DOC: Trainee Ranger, Sacha Astill

Department of Conservation —  09/03/2012

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 Trainee Ranger, Sacha Astill.

At work…

Position: Trainee Ranger, Greymouth Area Office.

Taking a kiwi egg for artificial incubation in Christchurch

Taking a kiwi egg for artificial incubation in Christchurch

What kind of things do you do in your role?

A bit of everything. Over the two year traineeship the idea is to get work experience with each team—visitor assets, biodiversity, community relations and historic.

Over the last few months I have been part of the bio team monitoring great spotted kiwi/roroa in the South Eastern Paparoa ranges and blue duck/whio up the Kawheka Creek behind Kumara.

A whio release at Moonlight River

A whio release at Moonlight River

What is the best part about your job?

Tracking down and catching kiwi. We end up in some pretty neat patches of West Coast forest and get some fantastic views from the ridgeline down the coast to South Westland. The birds themselves are very cool. Being the largest species of kiwi, they are really strong and have quite a prehistoric look about them.

What is the hardest part about your job?

Kiwi poo—very smelly!

Sacha kneeling on the ground, holding a large kiwi.

Female Great Spotted Kiwi at Nelson Lakes

What led you to your role in DOC?

After working in the design and museum industry I needed a career change into some sort of outdoor or environmental role. I was already quite passionate about looking after New Zealand’s flora and fauna, so moving into a field work position for DOC made sense.

I went through the Nelson NMIT Trainee Ranger course last year which included an awesome three month work placement at Nelson Lakes National Park. I then managed to get a two year placement with the West Coast Conservancy.

Sacha holding a chainsaw about to cut through a large log.

Chainsaw training on NMIT Trainee Ranger course

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

Catching and weighing one of the newly released sub-adult great spotted kiwi/roroa by myself. ‘Stamper’ usually runs off before you get to it’s burrow and is generally quite hard to catch.

The rule of three…

Three loves

  1. Kayaking around Whangaroa Harbour
  2. Mountain biking
  3. Swimming at the waterfall back home in Kerikeri

    Sacha with friend amongst twisted, snow covered trees, wrapped up warm, packs on backs.

    Tramping along cone ridge on the Tararua Ranges

Three pet peeves

  1. Rubbish on the beach
  2. People who don’t compost their organic waste
  3. Supermarket trolleys that don’t steer properly

Three favourite foods

  1. Lindt sea salt chocolate
  2. Cream cheese
  3. Good musli

Three favourite places in New Zealand

  1. Rarawa Beach in Northland
  2. Kahurangi National Park
  3. The Mussel Inn

    Sacha walking down a steep, tussock covered hillside.

    Tramping near Dunn Mountain

Favourite movie, album, book

  1. Movie: Don’t really have a favourite—anything directed by the Cohen bros is usually pretty good
  2. Album: Anything by electronic duo Pitch Black
  3. Book: I have just been given the massive 500 page + (!) reference book on New Zealand native trees, currently my favourite book for plant ID

Deep and meaningful…

Who or what inspires you and why?

The retired volunteers that contribute to our community conservation projects, particularly the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary in Nelson. It’s great so see these people still out there in their 70s, putting in so much time and dedication to pest control and track clearing.

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

A sculptor or some sort of artist.

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

In a role involved with environmental education.

Sacha in takahe suit posing with Mitre 10 'Big is Good' giant Levi Vaoga and a small girl.

Me as takahē for a Mitre 10 Mega opening

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

Try to buy second hand as much as possible, and of course get on a bike or walk. It’s amazing how much shopping you can fit on a bike.

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

Buying in bulk so we don’t end up with so much plastic food packaging to deal with.

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

Thats a hard one to choose… Perhaps a fantail/piwakawaka—they have quite a bit of character and it would be pretty fun to do such acrobatic moves in mid air.

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

Appreciate what we have. Aotearoa is pretty dam unique and educating the next generation about respecting and protecting it is crucial.

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