Edition 114
Motuihe Kakabeak and Threatened Plant Project Update
Thursday June 11 at the OBC, Tamaki Drive, at 7pm
Everyone is invited to an informative evening where we will present an update of what’s happening in our Kakabeak Project. Bella and Ben will speak about progress and our successes to date, and there’ll be an opportunity to discuss the project, ask questions and become further involved. The project is now entering the third year of a 3-year grant from the DoC Community Fund. This funding has enabled a significant leap forward in the quest to ensure some of our rare native plants don’t disappear entirely.
Please RSVP to volunteers@motuihe.org.nz so that we have an indication of numbers – we hope you can join us.
Upcoming Volunteer Trips
We have these midweek group trips coming up, travelling by Dreamweaver from Pier Z:
- Thursday 24 September
- Thursday 26 November
If you are a group interested in joining one of these trips (or another date), please email Simon on volunteermotuihe@gmail.com
We have these volunteer trips coming up, all travelling by water taxi from Okahu Bay:
- Saturday 16 May (general volunteer day)
- Sunday 24 May (endangered plants)
- Sunday 14 June (general volunteer day)
- Saturday 20 June (endangered plants)
Individuals can book on any of these trips by registering here or email volunteers@motuihe.org.nz
Friends of Motuihe
We are pleased to advise supporters of our link now on FundraiseUp of ‘Friends of Motuihe’. For a small annual donation, Friends will not only receive our monthly newsletter but they will also be invited to join two special trips each year with guided walks and activities exclusively for Friends.
See our website for further information, and to become a Friend of Motuihe: Become a Friend of Motuihe
Educational Opportunities
Please email operations@motuihe.org.nz if you are interested in attending either of these events:
The Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust is arranging Ngā Huarahi o te Manu Moana – Seabird Learning Pathways Workshop, a seabird workshop and community engagement event to be held at Tawharanui Open Sanctuary on Saturday 27th June.
The National Kiwi Hui is being hosted by Save the Kiwi in Nelson on June 9-11.
New Trail Cameras From Rotary
Many of the Rotary Clubs around Auckland have been long-time supporters of our project, volunteers have planted and clubs have provided funding for trail cameras. We are very pleased this month to receive new cameras, we’ll be arranging a trip in the coming months to mount these around the motu to keep an eye on our secretive inhabitants. We are very grateful for the support from Rotary Westhaven, Rotary Newmarket, Rotary Remuera, The Rotary Foundation and the Lois Dalley Charitable Trust. We would like to extend a special thanks to Elaine Mead who has been a champion for the Motuihe Trust for many years, and who arranged this year’s camera contribution.
Motuihe Connections
Two of our regular volunteers, Chris and Monica Cotter, have a family connection to the island. Darryl and Barbara Cotter farmed the island from 1961 to 1965. When Shirley Maddock visited in 1964 to research her book “Islands of the Gulf” it was the Cotter family that she interviewed. The book was later turned into a very popular television series (Islands of the Gulf, followed up with a later series by Shirley’s daughter Elizabeth Easther https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/islands-of-the-gulf-2018/series). The son of Darryl and Barbara Cotter, Vernon, was 2 years old at the time and can be seen in the photo helping with the sheep. He is now the head coach of the Blues rugby team. Chris is a distant relation of Vernon.
They say all Kiwis have only 2 degrees of separation from each other – definitely true in the Cotters’ case! (Fiona Alexander)
Photos from Shirley Maddock’s book “Islands of the Gulf”, photographer Don Whyte
Sunday 29th March – General Volunteer Day
We had a last minute change of plan, as we were advised that DoC had arranged a rubbish removal barge. Our deft team of volunteers changed tack, and spent the day clearing some of the accumulated rubbish from around our work area getting it ready to be picked up. Opportunities like this are few and far between, and while we do our best to constantly remove rubbish from the island, larger items are more difficult. A big call out to Trevor, Paul and Seana who worked tirelessly to pull this together. The day of the removal was pouring rain, but our dedicated DoC team still managed to get everything loaded and off the island.
After a quick bite to eat, the volunteer team dealt with their next task – removing a fallen pohutukawa branch which had fallen on some our kakabeak plants in the nursery area. After some trimming of outlying branches, Paul lifted the remaining branch with the tractor and moved it out of the way. Thanks to the team’s great work, no kakabeak plants were harmed in the incident!
All in a day’s work for our talented team of volunteers…
Unitec Student Visit – Climate Plan
A small team studying Landscape Architecture at Unitec did an overnighter on Motuihe to look at how climate change is likely to impact on the motu, and what we can do to mitigate these effects. The weekend was spent walking the island, gathering information and speaking with some of our experienced volunteers. We’re looking forward to seeing the results of their study, and to review their recommendations with a view to do what we can do to offset future climate changes. Thanks to Rebecca Jerram for leading the charge, and for the hard work of the students.
Saturday 18th April – Endangered Plants Volunteer Day
As usual the task list for the rare plants trip was full, as was the water taxi. A check of the nursery showed that while some seeds are taking a little time to germinate, others such as Centipeda minima are popping up eagerly. It was mistletoe day! The day before the trip, Bella had collected seeds from Ileostylus micranthus (pirita), one of our native fleshy green-leaved mistletoes. As mistletoes are (harmless) parasites, they grow directly on a host plant and their seeds do not touch the ground, instead they are stuck to likely-looking branches. Our first translocation of this regionally endangered species was done in 2025 and this second application of seeds meant that we could have a good check on how these one-year olds are doing. All mistletoes are notoriously tricky to establish, but it was cheering to see a good smattering of healthy little seedlings growing. Their tiny size is a reminder of how slow-growing these plants are so it may be a few years yet before we see any reaching a noticeable size. The day’s efforts resulted in 195 new seeds ‘sown’. The mother plants where these seeds were sourced were growing on tōtara and generally there is a better survival rate if seeds are applied to the same host as their parent. We are very grateful to earlier volunteers who cultivated and planted out the tōtara on Motuihe as we couldn’t be introducing this mistletoe without your earlier efforts.
While half the team were squeezing tiny seeds and smearing them onto branches, the rest were off over the island to do critical care and site preparation tasks for our kākābeak. Slug and snail bait was applied, along with fertiliser, to our ‘orchard’ plots. With planting round the corner, our upcoming planting sites were also checked and cleared of weeds and old plant guards. Back in the nursery some of the last trays of kākābeak seedlings were pricked out and more snail baiting and fertilising was done.
To round off a very productive day, the team kicked off our planting season! With ground conditions so good (damp) and more rain forecast, it was exciting to begin planting so early in the year. In total 36 Scandia rosifolia (koheriki) and 18 Pentapogon crinitus (plume grass) were planted. Keep an eye out for them along Wharf Road next time you visit. A big thank you to all our volunteers for your effort, cheer and patience with this work – we couldn’t do it without you.
Mature mistletoe with ripe seeds (Bella Burgess); ‘Sowing’ mistletoe seeds into totara (Anna Wang)
Stick insects spotted doing their thing – the smaller brown male is atop the larger green female (Anna Wang)
Friday 24th April – Corporate Midweek Trip
We managed to pick the one day of the week that wasn’t lovely weather! The whole trip was in jeopardy as it rained all of the previous night but Lois led the first water taxi of 16 KPMG volunteers at 8.30. The second taxi had 3 from BNZ, a late KPMG volunteer and the Trust team of Phil S, Jackie, Colin, Simon, Bella, Graeme and Ants.
With hardly a drop of rain falling, it was a weeding blitz south of Taraire Bush right down towards the South East beach road. Various counts had 8 bags of pods, numerous vines and plenty of juveniles picked out. There was time for some track clearing and enthusiastic weeders even took time out to chop down some belting woolies – just to mix it up. With the last taxi leaving at 5pm there was even time to hit a multi-pod vine on the Tieke extension track nicely spotted by Jackie. The return walk did allow for Tuatara spotting on the main track – always a treat.
Bella held the nursery fort pricking out kowhai, hangehange and others. Spinifex and pingao plants were weeded. Big strong ‘persons’ from KPMG helped Lois shift a trailer load of tunnel house material from the wharf. We even saw the sun come out mid afternoon.
All our visitors enjoyed their day, got through a heap of work and we all, in two sittings, got back to Okahu Bay safe and sound.
Thursday 30th April – Midweek Weeding
Our GPS data from the drone survey in January is proving to be invaluable in our search for mothplant. We cleared a small section of bush of vines and pods following the drone information – the mothplant was snapped early January when it was in full flower and easy to spot from the air. Many of the vines we found were not visible from the forest floor as they were high in the canopy, each one took some time to locate. It was great to deal to these vines which would otherwise continue to create problems in the years ahead.
Helen and Melanie scoped some of our kōrōrā favourite beaches ahead of the upcoming breeding season. And the team finished with pricking out hangehange in the nursery. A magical day with calm warm conditions.
Dotterel spotted at Calypso (Melanie Rousseau); screenshot showing mothplant ‘snapped’ by the drone