Adult Takahe
The highlight for many on the day was to meet on the walking track a Tahahae family feeding. This flightless bird was thought to be extinct at the end of the 19th century. It was ‘rediscovered’ by tramper/hunter in the Murchison Mountains, Fiordland. A captive breeding program at Burwood Bush Reserve near Lake Te Anau has been operating since 1985 in an attempt to boost numbers. Birds are also kept on reserve islands such as Maud as insurance against possible future extinction.
Yaaah! This weta only looks scarey, the worst it can give is a nip.
The Giant Cook Strait Weta also finds a safe home at Maud Island. Giant weta are thought to be extinct on the mainland were they are preadated by cats and rodents.
There are around 100 species of weta and although they appear rather scary they are none the less inspiring creatures. Weta are ancient, changing very little from their ancestors 190 million years ago. Fortunately these flightless large insects are vegetarian. They are nocturnal, living in tree crevices by day and roaming the tree tops by night.
Close up of the Cook Strait Giant Weta
Leigh a ranger for the Department of Conservation
Department of Conservation officers Leigh, Richard and family are the resident caretakers of the Island. They gave us a warm welcome and shared their considerable knowledge of the island’s history and it’s wildlife. A well prepared briefing before exploring the Island prepared us for the things we might see and hear and helped us fully appreciate the special value of this environment.
Visitors can study wildlife briefly before they are released again.
Visitors were surprised to be viewing the Island’s shyer inhabitants close up. Some forest creatures which are normally tucked away under rocks and leaves by day were caught by the Leigh and Richard’s children. After careful inspection the creatures were returned to their natural environment.
Common Gecko.
Released common gecko
It is not well known that there is a great diversity of lizard fauna in New Zealand, more diverse than it’s land bird life. They are now understood to have been major pollinators of plants such as flax and pohutakawa. Pictured above are grey-brown geckos appearing like little dinosaurs, not surprising as they are thought to have been in New Zealand 25 million years ago. All New Zealand Lizards are protected by law.
It was a great treat to have the opportunity to see the rare Maud Island frog close up. A forest remnant is home to an estimated 20,000 frogs, the entire population of this species in the world.
Mother and chick Takahe feeding
A curious Takahe Chick
Everyone enjoyed the experience of meeting this family of Takahe while walking the Island. The chick like any young animal was curious of our presence. Taking little heed of it’s parents throbbing calls of caution when it ventured close.
A shell of an infertile Takahe egg
Kakapo feathers have a distinctive musty odour.
Maud Island was previously one of the havens for the rare flightless nocturnal Kakapo.
Bell Birds were heard bantering in the trees. Click below to hear the Bellbird's song.
DOC ranger Richard and visitors at the WWII historic gun emplacement.
A warm farewell to visitors from the resident family.
A fur seal rolls lazily in the sea.
A wonderful day. Thank you to all who have worked so hard to preserve Maud Island wildlife so it can be shared by future generations. See below a great link:
Today I joined the children and staff of Riverlands School to plant 200 endemic trees in a reserve gifted by the Marlborough District council. It was great fun for all, educational and most important of all by planting a tree to save carbon, helping to making our part of the world more beautiful.
All ages were represented and these children can be proud of their efforts today and shall be able to watch these grow and provide a new environment for our native birds and insects.
Experts local landscapers were on hand to tell the children about the trees and how to plant them.
Some of the planters and the trees donated by the Marlborough District Council.
Planting instructions.
All in all a great day thanks to some enterprising teachers, 40 willing children, 20 parents, grandparents and community supporters from Forest and Bird. This wil be an ongoing partnership between Riverlands school and the council. As a result the children are learning about bringing native birds and creatures back into the town, but also how to be environmentally caring citizens.
Driftwood Eco-tour’s environmental policy is to plant one endemic tree per tour. This is conducted to help offset our carbon foot print and enhance the environment for wildlife in our area of operation.
Will carefully selects endemic plants that are propagated from local parent trees. The species chosen were recommended by Ecologist consultant Geoff Wall and local enviromentalist Paul Millen.
Plants species selected included manuka, narrow leaved Hoheria, totara and kahikatea. All beautiful as mature trees and will be enjoyed by future generations.
Will selecting suitable planting sites at the QE2 covernanated wetland in Marlborough where the Fernbird was discovered earlier in the year.
Manuka was once widespread throughout the Wairau Valley plains and surrounding hills.
A small shallow kidney pond adjacent to the wetland, ideal for small waders and ducks.
The beautiful native toi toi . It’s 2 metre tall flower heads can be seen from a great distance.
Thank you to my clients.
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Will plants an endemic plant to replace the recently removed exotic. This was done with the welcome aid and funding assistance of the Marlborough District Council. The Council assisted with professional advice and assessment as well as funding 50% of the cost of exteminating the Crackwillow which is so invasive to shallow wetland environments.
An eradicated introduced oak tree lies in the foreground. Will admiring a young kahikatea doing well in this heavy soil environment. In the Background lie the Vernon Bluffs.
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR CLIENTS FOR 2007/08 SEASON. YOU HAVE MADE THIS PLANTING POSSIBLE.
Save the Wairau River Inc. (STWR) is a incorporated society with charitable status. It is currently engaged in a struggle to save the
Wairau
River from a proposed hydroelectric scheme that will divert sixty percent of its flow into a wide ditch designed to feed five power stations. The scheme is set to destroy one of New Zealand’s major braided river eco-systems.
Save the Wairau’s opponent is TrustPower, a power retailer and generator owned by a large international corporate, Infratil Ltd. This proposal, which might, at best, generate no more than enough electricity to meet New Zealand’s’ average growth in power demand over a six-month period, is currently being processed under the government’s Resource Management Act (RMA.)
As at September 2007, TrustPower’s application has passed the initial hearing process at the local government level and received a provisional go-ahead. This decision is now being appealed by outraged conservationists. These include Save the Wairau and the Government’s own Department of Conservation.
It will take about a year before the case is heard before the national
Environment Court. In the meantime Save the Wairau is working to mobilise public opinion and raise the considerable sum of money (approx NZ$150,000) it requires to fight the case and save the river. If we lose this case, we can expect many other rivers to suffer a similar fate. It is the easy option for corporates, if the law can be persuaded to indulge them, to seek to extract the maximum profit out of outdated technologies before investing in more modern and more eco-friendly alternatives.
If you care about the future of an iconic landscape and the flora and fauna dependent on its survival, we invite you to join us in our struggle. Please visit our Website at www.savethewairau.co.nz and see how you can contribute.
Black Fronted Tern. Size 29cm and approx. 80 grams.
Often seen feeding along rivers and on farmland and if necessary during winter will feed far out to sea.
Only 500 pairs of these birds exist and are only found in New Zealand.
Branch tailrace flow – the circled braids are from the existing Branch tailrace and are known at 20 m3/second on that day. The main river is flowing at the mean flow of 70m3/sec.as measured at Tuamarina gauge. The tailrace flow as circled will be the size of the Wairau at that point if the scheme goes ahead!
This aerial photo graphically illustrates a typical braided river network of ever changing channels and islands. On a world scale braided river beds are scarce but are prominent in Marlborough and Canterbury. The only time the riverbed is covered is when in flood. Flora and fauna have adapted to living on these riverbeds but are under threat or endangered. If the factors that threaten this enviroment are removed they will become EXTINCT. It is the home of the endangered Black Fronted Tern (Sterna albostriata) and Wrybil (Anarbnchus frontalis) which are classified as threatened species.
The significance of this habitat to such unique species makes braided rivers important on a national and international scale.
This painting by Don Binney one of New Zealands best known bird artists gave the proceeds from sale to Save the Wairau. He also very kindly gave permission to use this picture on tee shirts and cards.
The Wairau is the habitat of the endangered native dwarf galaxia fish and other native fish. This habitat will be damaged by the proposed scheme, so threatening the survival of these fish.
