Newsletter Number 55
September-November 2013
Autumn
Typically changeable spring weather has brought a mix of northeasterly and southwesterly
winds. The level of the 'Blueskin Blanket' has often been low, leaving the Ecosanctuary in
golden morning sunshine above the clouds. The orchids certainly know that it is spring, with
Corybas, Pterostylis, and Simpliglottis all flowering in profusion. So too are the robins aware,
with many successful breeding attempts already. We are looking forward to a bumper
summer for the biodiversity of the Ecosanctuary. Think of us over the summer and bring any
friends who are visiting. Bear in mind that many of the biodiversity features of the
Ecosanctuary are subtle, so consider a guided tour to get extra value from your visit.
From the Trust
It’s been a spectacular year for the Ecosanctuary. A few highlights by the month: January –
our two young Southland Museum tuatara strut their stuff at the new viewing pen; February
– work intensifies to upgrade culverts and seal off suspected mice intrusion; March –
Orokonui Foundation takes shape; April – a community-led project (‘Beyond Orokonui’) is
proposed to enhance the halo effect of the Ecosanctuary through trapping in the surrounding
areas; May – female takahe Paku from Kapiti Island is released as a mate for Quammen and a
new Memorandum of Understanding is signed with the City Council; June – a Haast tokoeka
chick sighting confirms the first kiwi breeding in the Dunedin area for at least 140 years and
Matariki events are well supported again; July – generous donations ensure the construction
of a new two-bay shed for the workshop complex; August – a $50,000 donation from the
Harry J. Wilson Trust is a gift from heaven for the project, and volunteer effort continues at
high levels; September – 50 South Island saddlebacks helicopter in from Breaksea Island, and
a second visit by Sir Occo, knight of the parrots of the night, brings hundreds of new faces to
the Ecosanctuary; October – takahe have a nest and one egg incubating (unsuccessfully) for a
month, and the project’s 10th anniversary (more or less) coincides with the launching of
Diane Campbell-Hunt’s book and the launching of the Orokonui Foundation endowment fund;
November – 31 Otago skinks are welcomed into their new sub-enclosure and our rangers
report no mice detection for six months; December – visitors have an opportunity to see
three endangered species (tuatara, takahe and Otago skink) within a couple of minutes’ walk
from Orokonui’s main gate. A top year.
Neville Peat, ONHT Chair.
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Ecosanctuary Report
It’s been another big year of achievements on all counts; biodiversity outcomes, visitor
attraction development, equipment and facilities development and increasing financial
viability.
Helping our highly committed staff, volunteers and partners (particularly the Zoology
Department) to protect our biodiversity in the last three months were primarily Biodiversity
Funds and the Community Environment Fund with specific support for the saddleback
transfer from the Mohua Charitable Trust and the Zoology Department of the University of
Otago and for our revegetation Survey from the JS Watson Trust.
Due to the success of our education programme its future is looking secure with funding from
the Ministry of Education likely for another three years. We look forward to inspiring more
budding conservationists.
We’re slowly climbing towards self-sufficiency. Sirocco was a welcome boost to our visitor
income this year and our gift shop and venue hire revenue has doubled over the past year.
The café is making changes for this summer, increasing its range of pre-prepared food while
adhering to its ethos of free-range, organic and locally sourced ingredients.
Behind the scenes we have been putting effort into our sponsors and volunteers and our
systems and processes. Good communications ensure the Orokonui team operates
effectively, efficiently and happily!
Chris Baillie, General Manager.
Introducing Anne Schnurpfeil
For everyone who has not met me yet I would like to give a short introduction to myself and
also point out why I came all the way from Berlin to Orokonui.
Since my first visit to New Zealand, I have been fascinated by what volunteers contribute to
organisations in New Zealand. They run play centres, local fire brigades, visitor information
centres … and they also volunteer in terms of ecological restoration and nature conservation.
I have travelled around many countries and have never seen such an involvement of
volunteers in different projects. That might be due a very unique attitude which makes New
Zealanders differ from other nationalities.
As I am studying forest ecosystem management in Germany my particular interest is in forest
and ecological restoration and how volunteers at Orokonui contribute to it. I am aiming to
investigate this topic and gather data for my final thesis. I have already met many volunteers
who amaze me by contributing an incredibly large amount of their time and skills to sustain
the Orokonui Ecosanctuary and make it such a special place.
I would like to thank everyone who has helped me to have a good start in New Zealand and at
Orokonui. Special thanks to Kelvin, Beatrice, Robert and Fergus who offered so much to me
and make me feel like part of their family every day. Many thanks also to Valerie who helped
me a lot to get involved in volunteering at Orokonui including lifts from Waitati up to the
Ecosanctuary, advice, lists, general information and much more. So far I have gained a good
insight into the planting and weeding mornings, environmental education programme and
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bird surveys. I am really impressed by the huge variety of bird species already abundant at
Orokonui and one of the South Island robins (Petroica australis) even tried to befriend me
straightaway.
I am really looking forward to meeting more people (and birds :-)) involved in Orokonui
Ecosanctuary!
Biodiversity News
Fauna
Tuatara
The tuatara in the Tuatara viewing pen have been encouraged by the warmer weather and
are emerging from their burrows on fine days.
Creature Feature:
Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus): myths, misconceptions and common questions
A juvenile tuatara - photo: Scott Jarvie
Myths, misconceptions and questions about tuatara are common. Here are a few that I
often hear from colleagues, friends and family:
Are tuatara ‘living fossils’? Tuatara are the sole living member of Rhynchocephalia,
the sister group to Squamata (lizards and snakes), which diverged about 250 million
years ago. They are not, however, ‘living fossils’ as often mistakenly described. Fossil
evidence indicates that rhynchocephalians were diverse in their morphology, diet
and lifestyle, and some aspects of tuatara anatomy previously thought to be
‘primitive’ are now known not to be. Tuatara should therefore be considered a
modern reptile.
How many species of tuatara are there? There is currently one recognised species of
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tuatara: Sphenodon punctatus. Recent taxonomic work indicates that there are
geographically distinct and genetic variants, however. It remains uncertain whether
there were additional species of tuatara in the recent past.
Where are tuatara found in the wild? Tuatara are now found naturally on about 31
offshore islands, having disappeared from the mainland after the arrival of humans
and introduced predatory mammals. Recent translocations of tuatara have been to
10 islands and free-release within at least five mainland sites. The reintroduction to
Orokonui Ecosanctuary in 2012 is the first-time tuatara will have roamed freely on
the south-eastern South Island in a few hundred years, a milestone in the ecological
restoration of the Ecosanctuary and tuatara conservation in general.
Has the translocation of tuatara to Orokonui Ecosanctuary been successful? There
are a number of definitions to describe the success of a translocation. My preferred
definition is that a translocation is successful when a self-sustaining population
establishes and persists at the release site. Because tuatara are long-lived (~100
years), late-maturing reptiles (at age ~13-20 years) with slow recruitment, success of
a translocation according to the above definition will take decades to confirm. Early
signs however, are positive with at least two nests laid in the first year and high
survival rates of animals over winter.
I hope this helps to debunk myths and misconceptions about tuatara and also answer
some common questions about the translocation to the Ecosanctuary.
Scott Jarvie, PhD student, Department of Zoology, University of Otago
Takahe
Paku and Quammen became more than just friends, with Paku soon sitting on an egg. The
first takahe nest in the Dunedin area for a very long time! Unfortunately these two hopeful
parents have a history of producing infertile eggs, and we suspect the same was true on this
occasion. Paku ultimately destroyed the egg after it failed to hatch on time, but she has
recently re-nested. This takahe nesting is a very good sign for the Ecosanctuary, and perhaps
one day we will be given a more productive breeding pair and thus raise some Orokonui
takahe chicks.
Robin
As predicted, the robin population at the Ecosanctuary is booming - so far this spring 41 robin
breeding pairs have been detected, and they have fledged at least 50 chicks. Robins are
reliably seen in the lower valley and are likely to move up-valley as their population increases.
Saddleback
Initial results of the second saddleback translocation give hope that the saddleback
population will follow the robins and successfully establish. Initial surveys have identified
nine pairs, but the male of one of these pairs has unfortunately lured a female over the
Xcluder fence at the bottom of the valley. Of the eight known pairs, it appears that six are
nesting. As one pair was only found recently, it is possible that more will be detected with
playback surveys. Nest-finding has begun, but this is not easy with saddlebacks. At least four
individual birds have also been seen.
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Maps on the wall of Elton's office. The left hand map shows the locations of saddleback pairs
(red pins) and individuals (yellow pins). The right hand map shows the Ecosanctuary's
incredible track and tracking tunnel/trapping network.
Fernbird
A fernbird pair raised chicks near the eel pond and many people got to see these elusive birds
up close as they flew between nest and foraging places close by. Two other fernbird nests
have been discovered by chance, as no specific surveys of fernbirds are carried out. Wander
around the tracks and open spaces above the Kaka Track and you will very likely hear or see
them.
Tui
The Visitor Centre has been the food centre for a tui who has found the guttering and the
outside blinds a rich source of food and it has been great to see the aerial skills as it swoops
and dives to catch insects in flight.
Butterfly garden
Butterflies are beautiful but ephemeral. Just as Sue Hensley was pointing out a red admiral
butterfly to a visitor, a bellbird swooped and the butterfly was gone! We look forward to
more butterfly encounters as the butterfly garden develops. By Christmas there will be a
release of red admiral caterpillars onto their host plants, the nettles, including the fierce tree
nettle (Urtica ferox).
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Otago skink
November has seen Ecosanctuary staff and volunteers working busily to get the Otago skink
enclosure ready in time for the arrival of 30 of these special lizards in November.
Vegetation and flora
Flowering in profusion
It is a great flowering year for harakeke and tī kouka, with spectacular flowering of mature tī
kouka at the top of the Ecosanctuary, and of the harakeke above the path near the pedestrian
gate. The tiny flowered tree daisies of Olearia hectorii, O. lineata, and O. fragrantissima in the
rare plants garden are also doing well. Neville Peat has had to wait five years for O.
fragrantissima to flower and he has finally been able to check out whether it really does smell
and yes it does – very nicely. The spring-flowering greenhood orchid Pterostylis graminea,
spider orchid Corybas trilobus, and two-leaved orchid Simpliglottis cornuta have
inconspicuous flowers but they are well worth stooping down for to enjoy how they have
converted sepals and petals into specialised floral structures. So do take time to enjoy the
rare plants garden and other flowering plants the next time you visit the Ecosanctuary.
Olearia fragrantissima
flowers
Olearia lineata flowers
Spent miro male cones on
the Kaka Track
Corybas trilobus
Simpliglottis cornuta
Pterostylis graminea
Photos: Kelvin Lloyd
Permanent plot re-measurement
Kelvin Lloyd and Gary Paterson have become a familiar sight to the robins and other forest
birds - and some of the students monitoring them - as they steadily progress through the remeasurement the 52 permanently marked vegetation plots established on conservation land
within the Ecosanctuary over 2005-2007. 30 of the plots have been re-measured now, with
plots on the eastern side of the valley now almost completed.
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Invertebrate herbivory on foliage
Gary has also been sampling leaves of common tree and shrub species to assess invertebrate
herbivory inside and outside the Ecosanctuary, to help Dr Bill Lee (Landcare Research) test an
hypothesis he formed while visiting Orokonui. It will be really interesting to see if there is a
difference - the expectation is that release from mammalian predation would increase
invertebrate populations and thus see more invertebrate herbivory on leaves within the
Ecosanctuary.
Rare plants garden
The Rare Plants garden is full of flowers at present, with Celmisia hookeri, Gingidia grisea and
several different species of Olearia in flower. Many visitors walk past the rare plants without
taking a lot of notice of them, but not so the six busloads of delegates from the International
Botanic Gardens Congress, who recently came to visit Orokonui. For once it was less the birds
that were the focus of attention than plants and trees. These visitors were greatly intrigued
by some of our oddities, like the twiggy Melicytus flexuosus which on a first look appears
dead, as it has only vestigial leaves; and the Spanish speakers smiled when they heard what
we commonly call our species of Aciphylla and why. For the guides it was great fun guiding
groups of visitors who were just so interested and knowledgeable. Chief guide Sue Hensley
made sure all the guides were up to speed with these special plants, by gathering all together
at the Rare plants garden for some up-skilling beforehand
Graeme Cook admires the profusion
of Celmisia hookeri flowers in the
Rare Plants garden, which he and his
wife Judy helped construct and
maintain.
Photo: Alyth Grant
Gary Paterson at Orokonui
Gary Paterson is a primary teacher from Weston, North Otago. Earlier this year, he was
awarded a Primary Science Fellowship, a government initiative administered through the
Royal Society of New Zealand, the purpose of which is to create science curriculum leaders for
primary schools. Selected teachers were given the opportunity to take leave from their
school for two terms to engage in a programme of learning around science. For the last two
terms, Gary has been hosted by Dr Kelvin Lloyd at Wildland Consultants Ltd. During his time
at Wildlands he was to carry out projects that involved ecological monitoring in and around
the Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
Working at Orokonui alongside Kelvin, Gary was involved in locating and marking out a
network of vegetation baseline monitoring plots that had been established within the
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Ecosanctuary prior to fencing and pest eradication. He assisted in re-measuring the plots to
enable assessment of vegetation response to low or zero densities of mammalian pest
densities and in the entering and summarising of data. Gary also assisted with leaf sampling
for a Landcare Research project (see above).
Gary has gained knowledge and understanding of how scientists utilise scientific processes
and methodology when conducting field studies as well as a more intensive insight into the
ecology of New Zealand native plants and vegetation and of the techniques used to monitor
and assess these.
A pre-requisite to all this understanding and knowledge was for Gary to come to grips with
the botanical names, as well as some Māori names, of plant species found in the
Ecosanctuary. At the beginning of the Fellowship Gary knew a few common names of some
high profile species so at first there was a ‘desperate’ scramble to enable a quick leaf
identification and match it to its botanical name. Initially, he likened moving through the
bush at Orokonui to pushing your way through a crowd at a shopping mall, but now, months
on, it’s the same shopping mall but it’s like gently easing your way through a crowd of people
you know.
Gary's Fellowship comes to an end in midDecember. As a result of this work
assisting with monitoring, assessing and
sampling vegetation, Gary has gained an
on-going interest in the conservation of
New Zealand’s biodiversity and the
effectiveness of island and mainland
ecosanctuaries. He has also been intrigued
by the dynamics of New Zealand’s forests
and into the possible evolutionary
characteristics of forest species.
Gary looks at invertebrate damage to
mahoe foliage. Photo: Gary Paterson
Gary would like to acknowledge the help
and patience of Dr Kelvin Lloyd and also
his appreciation for the awareness and
understanding of how scientists work, and
for the insights into New Zealand’s ecology
and botany which Kelvin generously
taught. For his part, Kelvin is deeply
appreciative of the assistance Gary gave with finding and re-measuring vegetation plots, the
insights Gary provided as an 'outsider' looking in at science and scientific processes, and for
Gary's self-starting ethic which made hosting him so easy.
Biosecurity news
Pest control
No mice have been detected in the sanctuary since May of this year. All 1350 monitoring
tunnels were activated in mid November and the only footprints on the ink cards were skink,
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gecko, insects and birds. Although the main initial knockdown of pests occurred in 2008 it has
taken five long years of enormous effort and dedication to produce these six months with no
evidence of mice. Long may it last! The myriad adjustments to the pest exclusion fence and
the seven months it took to expand the grid of monitoring tunnels so that it is small enough
to reliably detect mice has been well worth it. This is an amazing result and I think Orokonui is
probably the only mainland island sanctuary that has been able to achieve this.
Facilities
Two bay shed
The two-bay shed was built on time
for Sirocco, and is now greatly
appreciated by Ecosanctuary staff. A
function was had at the end of
Sirocco's visit to celebrate the
completion of the shed, and farewell
Errol, one of Sirocco's minders.
Staff and volunteers celebrate the
completion of the new garage.
Photo: Alyth Grant
Otago skink enclosure
Staff and volunteers were busy in October
and November constructing the enclosure
for the Otago skinks which were released
into the enclosure on 20 November. We
are particularly appreciative of assistance
from our stalwart volunteers Tony Stewart,
Guy Blakely, Alan Kilner, John White, and
Graeme Cook for this project.
Matt and Tony Stewart at work on the
tricky construction of the Otago skink
enclosure.
Photo: Alyth Grant
Tracks
Tracks are in very good condition with the recent spell of dry weather meaning all track
surfaces are good. Low level track maintenance continues.
Visitor income
Guided and self-guided tours both increased significantly in October compared to last year. A
number of weddings and other events have been booked at the Ecosanctuary for December
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and January. Venue hire income has exceeded budget so far this year, and shop sales are also
doing well. The cafe produces great food and coffee but is struggling to make a profit. Please
support the cafe by using it if you are visiting the Ecosanctuary.
Volunteering
Pa Harakeke maintenance - The Pa Harakeke (flax grove) is situated just outside the
fence and is a joint project of Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki and Orokonui
Ecosanctuary – Te Korowai o Mihiwaka. It features over a hundred varieties of flax
including many taonga weaving flaxes handed down through the generations. Set in a
sheltered patch of fuchsia (reclaimed from Himalayan honeysuckle, broom and
gorse), it’s a lovely spot to sit and relax. Check it out on your next visit to the
sanctuary. It was opened in 2010 and some of the plants are now mature enough to
harvest.
A core group of volunteers
and staff have been
maintaining the Pa over the
last couple of years and
recently the Dunedin group
of Japanese Kodomo Kai
spent a day in the Pa. The
morning was spent in a
variety of weeding tasks and
then in the afternoon they
were introduced to the
windmill knot from which
fish, mobiles, fishing lines
and mats were made.
Kodomai Kai with some of their work
Photo: Sue Hensley
Do you lack transport to the Ecosanctuary?
We are aware that we have loyal members who cannot easily get out to visit the
Ecosanctuary because they have no means of transport. We are sure we can find volunteers
who would be willing to provide the transport but first we need to know who might be glad of
the opportunity. If that is you, please contact Alyth Grant (470 1142), who will do her best to
match people up for a visit during the summer months. A call has already gone out to our
band of volunteers, but other members who would like to help out in this way are also invited
to contact Alyth.
In October we again benefitted from over a thousand volunteer hours - thanks very much to
everyone who helped out!
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Season's Greetings
Once more we’re doing the time warp and Christmas is just around the corner - can you
believe it? Orokonui would like to thank everyone who supported the sanctuary in the very
many ways that keeps this place humming along. Best wishes for a safe and relaxing summer.
For other news and activities visit www.orokonui.org.nz or facebook. Cafe and Visitor Centre
are open daily except for Dec 24th and 25th.
We warmly welcome the following new members:
Individual
Lea Renwick
Hilary Phipps
Jocelyn Harris
Grant & Barbara Shackell
Nathan Kershaw
Suzanne Middleton & John Robilliard
Valerie & Paul Dyer
Anne Reddington
Harry & Gabrielle van der Pauw
Katrina Campbell
Lois McKee
Dan Pulvers & Ami Radler
Scott Pulver
Rama & Robert McGee
Toby & Pip Lovell
Lee & Dennis Asher
Ronda & Martin Trent
Stuart & Coleen Landsborough
Judy & Jim Neilan
Family
Rowan Gudmanz
Marion & Brendan Gray
Ken Harrison
Linda Liddy
Janine Cochrane
Alistair & Josephine Regan
Guy & Bea Blakely
Robyn & John Armstrong
Shaz and Shaun
Membership Cards are available for collection at the Visitor Centre next time you visit.
Bram Evans took these photos of the magnificent Cabbage tree on the Kiwi track
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Thank you to our sponsors
Marie and Graeme Bennett
Alexander McMillan Trust
Dunedin City Council
Caversham Foundation
Biodiversity Funds
Ministry of Education
Otago Daily Times
Otago Community Trust
Otago Regional Council
Callis Charitable Trust
The Rotary Club of Dunedin
Cooke Howlison
Harry J Wilson Trust
Community Environment Fund
Blueskin Nurseries
Topflite
Rotary South
Port Otago
Power Farming Otago
Leslie Hutchins Foundation
Mitre 10 Mega
COGS
JS Watson Conservation Trust
City Forests
MTF
Ironmaster Trust
Hope and Sons
Oceana Gold
NHNZ
Farra Engineering
Fund Managers Otago
Crowe Howarth
Ryman Healthcare
Bendigo Valley Trust
Mohua Trust
Southern Victorian Trust
WWF – New Zealand
John Swan
Gallaway Cook Allan
Amenities Society
Wildland Consultants
Click Media
ANZ Staff Foundation
Mercy Hospital
Blackhead Quarries Ltd
Dunedin Forest and Bird
Attention members for whom we don’t have an email address:
Because of the time and expense of posting information to members, or trying to make
contact by phone, in between newsletters, we only email invitations to special events. If you
don’t have an email address you can keep up to date with what’s happening through our
website or by phoning the office.
Ecosanctuary contact details:
Street address: 600 Blueskin Rd, Waitati, Dunedin
Postal address: P.O. Box 6425 Dunedin
email: [email protected]
Telephone: (03) 482 1755
www.orokonui.org.nz
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