The next Sunday volunteer days are: May 5 FULL, May 19, June 9 & 23, July 7, July 21 FULL.
There are mid week trips on May 9 & 17, 29 June, 20 & 28, July 10 19 and 31During April there was one Sunday trip with 27 adult volunteers and 18 students. During the week days there were 2 trips with a total of 108 volunteers (including children). A total of 24 Trust regulars supervised the 3 trips. 522 trees were planted.
Motuihe Island Training sessions coming upAll Motuihe projects need volunteers who have a basic familiarity with the restoration/conservation/translocation work on the island. So whatever your primary interest, a really good first step is to do these 2 training sessions.
Motuihe Basics Monday 6 May 7 pm – at Outboard Boating Club (OBC) , 7 Tamaki Drive. The evening will provide background in the history, achievements and operation of the Trust, introduce the variety of projects underway and planned, and give an overview of Health and Safety and core operational systems. This evening is open to anyone wanting to get more involved in any aspect of our work on the island, and is important background for potential kiosk operators, guides and all small group leaders.
Nursery and Woolshed Training Saturday 18 May - A day on the island to become really familiar with the nursery operation and woolshed area, working with seedlings and seeds, and the core principles of planting out on the island. The day will be run by our volunteer nursery leaders Jill, Lois and/or Phil.
Leave Okahu Bay at 9 am by water taxi. Return to Okahu Bay about 5 pm. There are a few places still available, but numbers are limited as travel is by water taxi. Motuihe Trust is subsidising the cost of the water taxi but participants are asked to contribute $25.
Send your name, email address and phone number to
hazel@breakthroughstrategies.co.nz Preference will be given to those able to assist with volunteer trips. Rain date - Saturday 25 May.
Weeding workshop -
Monday 29 July 7 pm at OBC 7 Tamaki Drive. This will be run by Michael Jenkins – one of the previous DoC rangers on Motuihe. This evening session will look at weed identification and how to make sure that weeds across the island are dealt to most effectively. It will be useful for all regular volunteers, as well as those actively involved in the weed control programme.
To register for any of the above sessions, email
hazel@breakthroughstrategies.co.nz with your name, email, phone number, and the sessions you are interested in.
Amazing restoration progress
Click on the link below to view a wonderful collection of photos taken by David Waters over the last 12 years. There are 40 sites where David has taken a photo, all facing north, in 2007, 2011, 2012 2014, 2017, 2019. It is fantastic to have such a comprehensive record of the restoration progress. The pace of change is amazing. Thank you David for making this record available to us all.
http://kakariki.co.uk/blogs/MotuiheInPlace/MotuiheMonitoringTable.html
People arrive at Motuihe using a variety of transport options. These visitors did it in style, with the float plane delivering them on to Wharf Bay.
TRIP REPORTSApril 14 Sunday Public volunteer day
On this lovely, sunny autumn day 45 volunteers and 13 regulars completed a productive day. We had groups from Auckland University, Parnell College and YHA. Stuart, Lois, Jill, Chris and Emma led a planting group and 300 trees including Karaka, Taraire, Mahoe, Kohekohe, Puriri, Coprosma, Totara and Koromiko were planted. In the nursery, Denise and Helen supervised 600 cabbage trees being potted up. Peter took a group out to work on the Saddleback extension track. Everyone enjoyed their day. The Eco Quest group were camping in the wool shed with DoCs permission due to issues with the house. It was amazing how cozy the woolshed appeared.
A
keake potted up for next year and a beach clean up looking for jandals for SimonMonday 15 April Corporate Day
Simon did a great job of filling the Red Boat with 55 keen volunteers from Johnson & Johnson celebrating their Family Day, ANZ, AJ Park and BXG. Remarkably we had an age range from 8 months to 68 years! With it being school holidays many of the volunteers chose to bring their children out and I can see this will be a trend in the future. Very positive outcome for all to engage the children in our restoration project. Even the Powhiri performed by Poutama and Taaniko added a special start to our day. Thank you.
Simon took 7 kitted out weeders to his special spot, The Paperclip, to hack away at Gorse, Woolly and Mothplant. I don’t think he worked them hard enough because even after the weeding and the planting of 12 specimen trees that group, after lunch volunteered for weeding in “B”block! Jill and Mike set up a group planting 100 flax in the area between the metal road and the outbound grass track. Meanwhile back in the nursery .... Diana and Kathy supervised the pricking out of 300 Akeake. With willing helpers we also managed to move plants from "Ä” to “B” blocks ...a never ending task moving plants around the nursery.
After lunch most opted to take up the offer of a bushwalk before heading to the beach for some R and R. During the bushwalk flax, kohekohe and puriri seeds were collected
Even with Ecoquest occupying the woolshed we managed to keep out of one another’s way....harmony in the woolshed. We are so lucky to have such a big area to shelter and work under.
A very rewarding day with lots of valuable tasks completed.
Thanks to Simon, Mike, Diana and Kathy.
Jill Bishop
Wednesday 17 April Corporate Day
Another glorious autumn day so it was a perfect day to take 53 Latitude (GEM) staff and their children on what is believed to be their 9th year of volunteering on our project. We love the repeat business. Originally it was to be 110 people and 2 Red Boats but after a little rearranging Sam managed to fit us in to one boat. The boat had other ideas so it was a quick change of the battery and off we went. With no Jacs on board no tea for Simon!!!!
With no cup of tea Simon’s day was turned upside down. A quick show of hands indicated no-one wanted to go weeding nor ditch clearing so Simon was relegated to joining Mike in the supervision of the planting of 110 flax. This was continuing on with the flax planting that we did on the Monday between roadway and grass track.
In the nursery Jeanette and Lois guided a team to prick out 300 putaputaweta and the 75 survivors of our first planting were weeded. Vonn and Molly’s family had a great system going doing this weeding job. Having made a list of chores to do it was great to see Mike and Jeanette concentrate on ticking off all the chores. Mike motivated the teenagers to sort bags and gloves while Jeanette focused on slug slamming firstly the kakabeak and then other at risk seedlings. Young Jack helped Jeanette punch holes in polystyrene boxes (please check all boxes before you sow seeds). While the Latitude people did their bush walks, those back in the nursery collected flax and cabbage seeds. We sowed 4 trays of cabbage tree, 2 puriri and 1 flax. During this quiet time in the nursery Lois filmed some training videos of pricking out seedlings and sowing of seeds and also did a tally of what seeds we have coming on.
With it being a glorious day Latitude opted for a barbecue on Ocean Beach. We learnt a valuable lesson...make sure the barbecues are functioning before returning with the tractor. Surplus food was donated to the American students.
A magic day with so much being achieved by all. It was very rewarding to be working alongside such enthusiastic and informed children and teenagers. At the end of the day Maui presented us with his treasured piece of kauri gum as thanks for looking after the group.
Thanks to Simon, Mike, Vonn, Jeanette and Lois.
Jill Bishop
