History of Wattle Track
History of Wattle TrackAuthor: Ray and Barbara WalterSourced from Dawn Chorus 70, August 2007There seems to be varying commentary on the history of Wattle Valley. Here is the account of this famous walkway.
Wattle Valley formed part of the Lighthouse Keepers cow paddock and was fenced off from the main farming block until the 1970’s. It was not grazed from approx. the 1950’s and so it naturally regenerated in mostly, mānuka, tī kōuka/cabbage tree and Harakeke/flax. Big Wattle Valley was mostly tī kōuka and Wattles.
The wattles are from a Lighthouse Keepers gardens shelter belt. The 1940 aerial photograph shows 6-8 wattles and 2 fig trees at the bottom of the valley. From these few wattles, Big Wattle Valley was soon populated with further wattles. When the planting programme began they were left as they gave a rich source of nectar for korimako/ bellbirds and tūī. This was one of the major sites for students studying korimako.
As the bush has regenerated the wattles, being light-loving plants, have reduced and also the Australian Quail scratched the germinating seedlings.
Tīeke mystery
Tīeke mysteryAuthor: Kay MiltonDate: August 2023Header Photo Credit: Lucas MugierSomething off has been happening in two of the tīeke nest boxes on Tiritiri Matangi. It was shared in our Tiritiri Matangi magazine, Dawn Chorus 124 (February 2021), that when Barbara Walter checked a box in early December 2020, two birds left as she approached. She found it contained six eggs (the normal number on Tiritiri Matangi would be two or three), and one of them was white (tīeke eggs are normally pale fawn with darker speckles)!
When the box was checked again on 16 December there were just three eggs. The white one and two of the others were missing. When we looked back at the photo of the six eggs we realised that the other two eggs were also unusual – they had a mixture of dark and light patches rather than speckles.
Left image: The six eggs that were found and one of them is white!Right image: On 16 December the nest only showed three eggs when checked.What…
From the Dawn Chorus Archives: Rat tracks at Hobbs Beach spark huge effort to catch invader
Rat tracks at Hobbs Beach spark huge effort to catch invaderFrom the Dawn Chorus ArchivesEditor: Jim EaglesDate: Dawn Chorus 112 February 2018Photo credit: DOC and Karen O'SheaTwo huge rodent hunts have been carried out on Tiritiri over the past three months (end of 2017 and start of 2018) to preserve the rodent-free status the Island has enjoyed since 1993. Late last year a visitor reported seeing a mouse and sparked off a search which found nothing. Then early this year the discovery of rat tracks near Hobbs Beach led to an even bigger operation. The rodent saga began on 9 November when a visitor from the US told shop volunteer Chris Eagles he had seen a mouse on Ridge Rd and later repeated the story to relief ranger Dave Jenkins. It was sufficiently convincing for the Department of Conservation to send a rodent dog to check and it smelled something interesting in the area of the sighting. As a result, DOC set up a detection zone in a 200m radius around the site and blanketed it with devices 25m apart. These included 300 mouse traps, 500 tracking tunnels with ink pads to record the footprints of anything walking through them and 200 chew cards to record teeth marks. In addition, the permanent rodent control network, which has hundreds of traps and tunnels set up at 50m intervals around most of the tracks on the Island, was checked more regularly. Two…
Caulerpa - An invasive marine seaweed. What to look out for ... and what's next?
Caulerpa - An invasive marine seaweed. What to look out for ... and what's next?Author: John SibleyDate: July 2023Caulerpa brachypus and Caulerpa parvifolia are two almost identical species of invasive exotic seaweed that have been found growing intertidally on Aotea Great Barrier Island (2021) and now Kawau Island (2023). We need your help to detect it if it arrives on Tiritiri Matangi.
The Caulerpa species grow extremely rapidly and are said to smother everything living on the seabed. Native species either move away or die. The photos below are of C.brachypus on Aotea Great Barrier by kind permission of Jack Warden who discovered them there in 2021.
Pioneering restoration of Tiritiri Matangi
The pioneering restoration of Tiritiri Matangi'Saving Britain's Island' is a short film about island conservation, by ZSL PhD student, Joshua Powell. Produced by Matt Jarvis with the assistance of camera operators Benjamin Harris (UK) and Ben Sarten (NZ)Funded by the British Ecological SocietyIn early 2021 a film crew from the UK visited Tiritiri Matangi to produce a short documentary. The film would target audiences in the UK as an introduction to island conservation. Tiritiri Matangi was chosen because the pioneering restoration project has inspired similar projects around the world. The film explores how these techniques can be used to help protect biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories. Click to watch the short film 'Saving Britain's Islands' on YouTube
If only we could re-live those days
If only we could re-live those daysAuthor: Mrs Dora Walthew (nee King)From the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi archives. We think it was written in the 1980sIt was the year 1934 and the island sat like a bright green jewel, in the blue waters of the Hauraki Gulf – approximately 16 miles from the port of Auckland, which nestles beyond the massive bulk of Rangitoto, guardian of the harbour entrance. The island was fringed with the bright red blooms of the pohutukawa trees, growing from the cliffs edges and along the rock foreshore. On the highest point of the island, stood the lighthouse. A 60 foot construction of steel sections, bolted together with a strong beaming light which flashed warnings to the shipping, entering either of the two passages to Auckland. Two keepers’ homes were built on the flatter sides of the hill and another house of superior construction was built further over, close to the cliff edge. (Where the bach is today). This was the home of the head keeper. Large concrete tanks were constructed alongside each home, for the island dwellers depended on every drop of rain that fell for their water supply. With various sized implement and storage sheds and a stable to keep chaff and oats for the station horse, there was quiet a community of housing. A large red gate connected to a seven wire fenceline, running the width of the…
How to attract native birds to your garden
How to attract native birds to your gardenAuthor: Toni AshtonDate: July 2023Photo credit: Andrea TrittonIts been wet, windy and chilly on Tiritiri Matangi lately and so the nectar-feeding birds – i.e. tūī, hihi/ stitchbirds and korimako/ bellbirds – have been busy at the feeding stations, providing great entertainment for visitors. Providing food is just one way of attracting native birds to your garden. You can also plant native trees and shrubs. And providing patches of leaf litter or mulch will help to attract insect-eating birds such as the pīwakawaka/ fantail and tauhou/ silvereye. In summer, a shallow bird bath provides water for drinking as well as a nice cool bath for the birds. And of course the birds need to feel safe and so trapping predators such as rats and mice, and keeping cats away from your garden will also help to attract the birds. The websites of the Department of Conservation and Forest and Bird provide excellent information about which birds eat what, which trees and shrubs to plant, how to keep the birds safe and many other useful tips. Attract birds to your garden Visit How to feed native birds in your garden Visit To find a local predator…
Kōkako Banding on Tiritiri Matangi
Kōkako Banding on Tiritiri MatangiAuthor: John StewartDate: 30/06/23Photo Credit: John SibleyThe kōkako population on the island has been closely monitored since the first birds were brought here in 1997. Ten years later, the island received the captive-bred descendants of the last wild birds living in Taranaki. It was hoped that they would survive and breed on Tiritiri and eventually their descendants would be returned to their ancestral home. The birds were banded so that it would be possible to record their family trees and keep track of their relationships. That hope was fulfilled in 2017 and 2018 when birds were returned to Parininihi and Pirongia.
We have built on that initial work, continuing to band and to record details of the individual birds and their lives on the island resulting in a unique long-term data set which we hope will be used to better understand and to protect and sustain them.
Trained banders give each bird a unique combination of one numbered metal band and up to three plastic colour bands allowing observers to recognise each individual. Most of the birds are banded as chicks before they leave their nest.
Sharing the love: where are the takahē now?
Sharing the love: where are the takahē now?Author: Phil Marsh, the takahē sanctuary sites ranger with the Department of ConservationDate: June 2023Heading photo credit: Malcolm de RaatThis certainly isn’t an exhaustive list but it highlights the contribution that takahē from Tiritiri Matangi continues to have on the programme to increase the population throughout the motu. It also demonstrates the fluidity of the takahē programme. 2009 – Apiata was removed off Tiritiri Matangi and transitioned to the Murchison Mountains. He is still alive there to this day and has produced juveniles with his partner, though the number is unknown. He is a great example of how well takahē from sanctuary sites can transition, provided they receive the necessary training at Burwood Takahē Centre prior to being released in the wild. I’ve seen him in the Murchison Mountains around six times since being involved in the programme and I have a real soft spot for him. 2010 – Wal was moved to Burwood as a breeder from 2012-2021 and raised a number of juveniles (four juveniles in 2018-2020 alone). He was shifted to a privately-owned sanctuary in the South Island in 2021 where he is paired with a new partner to this day. 2013 – After leaving Tiritiri Matangi, Pukekohe spent time at Tāwharanui Regional Park where he was part of a breeding group, although…
Children energised by the wonders of the New Zealand bush
Children energised by the wonders of the New Zealand bushAuthor: Jean GoldschmidtDate: 18/05/23Winter clothes today; boots, long trousers and the raincoat at hand for the dank, dark miserable day. White horses whipping up the waves found the ferry rolling sideways and passengers glued to their seats. Sitting indoors for a change, I smiled and added comments to the conversation between guides but my mind was on the children we would be guiding today. Was I over it? Did I really want another dose of young children? Already in their groups the children came off the boat and lined up on the concrete in a manner which showed thorough preparation – so a good start. Away as group four, I marched up the path with eight ten-year-sold and the teacher behind me. She explained the children were in three groups, birds, environment and she took the māori component but she felt she still had a lot to learn. With full participation, they quickly found all the berry colours on the tawapau. After the constant rain, all heard the gurgling water rising up the māhoe. Everyone found a perfect skeleton leaf which they matched with a green living leaf. At the edge of the bush, the pōpokotea/ whiteheads flitted back and forth over our heads until one briefly landed on the track in front of us. These special little birds with heads dipped in white paint move in families and…