Newsletter Number 56
December-February 2013
Summer
In the last newsletter we predicted a bumper summer for biodiversity within the Ecosanctuary,
and so far all the evidence points to our prediction being accurate. Robins and fernbirds have
bred wildly, saddlebacks have made a promising start, and even Paku and Quammen tried again.
We had a bit of a scare in December when a ship rat was trapped within the Ecosanctuary, but
no further rats have been detected. Despite these occasional leaks, our dedicated staff and
volunteers in conjunction with our 'pest resistant fence' do a fantastic job of maintaining a pestfree Ecosanctuary for all but the briefest of moments. The Ecosanctuary is becoming increasingly
stocked with rare and threatened wildlife and they are easier to see than ever - especially given
that some 'advocacy' fauna have visitor-friendly enclosures on the Trust land. The beating heart
of the Ecosanctuary, however, is its forest, and you only need to go for a walk down to the
stream along the Saddleback Valley Track to experience it at its best.
From the Trust
A couple of times a year the Trust Board meets with the directors of its company, Orokonui
Ecosanctuary Ltd, to develop or fine tune strategic direction. The OEL directors, who include the
Trust Board Chair and Treasurer, are responsible for the operation of the project and the
financial management. We met again on 8 February with General Manager Chris Baillie,
Conservation Manager Elton Smith and Marketing Manager Kerry Buchan also attending, and we
received written reports from Head Guide Sue Hensley and Education Officer Tahu McKenzie and
a marketing report from trustee Colin Campbell-Hunt. These workshops delve into the project’s
many fronts, from ecosystem restoration, species translocation, fence maintenance and track
development to how we market ourselves, raise funds and conservation awareness, enhance our
education programme and stay in touch with members. A lot can happen in a year, and we were
reminded of this when, within a few minutes during the mid-morning break, we were able to
see, up close, three iconic endangered species: tuatara, Otago skinks and takahe. It was a unique
wildlife viewing ‘trifecta’. Just think of how much more there will be to see and experience in
another couple of years, let alone 10 or 20 years from now. Thanks to all of you who are making
this happen.
Neville Peat, ONHT Chair.
Ecosanctuary Report
I’m just back from a wonderful experience visiting beautiful Whenua Hou/Codfish Island – a
nature reserve just off Rakiura/Stewart Island which has a key focus of protecting kakapo.
Orokonui’s pest resistant fence creates the barrier that offshore islands have naturally through
their surrounding water. While offshore islands have advantages including greater size and less
dispersal, mainland islands have the benefit of easier accessibility for community involvement
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and for spreading the conservation message. Both are important in the suite of conservation
measures throughout New Zealand.
Our community involvement continues to be strong with 12,000 hours of volunteer input, 5,000
students and 9,000 visitors into the Ecosanctuary itself annually. We aim to grow visitor numbers
but these are highly weather dependent. A recent group of 60 from a cruise ship came for a
guided tour and flax weaving demonstration and boosted our numbers which were less
than last year due to the poor summer this year.
Adding to visitor income this season were the hosting of 5 weddings, a Maori writing
retreat, a dinner and several strategic planning sessions. We also ran our newly
developed Four Senses tour for the blind and a new What’s in a Name Tour and we have
several bookings from groups for our newly developed Dawn Chorus experience.
The Education Programme continues apace with the development of new learning
resources, recruitment of new schools (68 schools have participated so far) and new
Polytechnic and University students. Thanks to Oceana Gold for providing subsidies that
enable low decile schools to visit us and to Mitre 10 Mega for providing 2 buses to bring
schools out. Of course, the main source of funds for the programme is the Ministry of
Education.
Other funding in the last quarter has come from Barrie Neilson (an expat in the UK), the
Southern Trust, MTF and the DCC Biodiversity Fund. We gratefully acknowledge their
support. Its budget time again and for me to write funding applications to achieve the
host of goals we have set for this year!
Chris Baillie, General Manager
Honeymooning at Orokonui
Andrew and Fallon Tanentzap
Most visitors of Orokonui, or Dunedin itself, probably wouldn’t think of it as an international
honeymoon destination. But that’s just what we did this January! After getting married in
Canada a few days before Christmas, we decided that heading south to New Zealand would be a
great way to escape the deep freeze of the Canadian winter. This was convenient for one of us
(Andrew), who is a biologist that conducts research into New Zealand’s native ecosystems.
Recently, he was funded by the British Ecological Society to test how pest-proof fencing has
changed Orokonui’s forest. Working in collaboration with Dunedin-based ecologist Kelvin Lloyd,
who setup a network of vegetation monitoring plots before the sanctuary was fenced, our
“workmoon” began!
We were privileged to spend two days at Orokonui with Kelvin, re-locating and measuring some
of the vegetation plots he established almost 9 years ago. Being from Canada, most of our walks
through forests are accompanied by the occasional glimpse of a chipmunk, and hopefully less
often, a black bear. Thus, the remarkable diversity of bird life at Orokonui was spectacular to
witness. Even more so when we considered that for some of the species, such as kākā, we were
watching about 1% of the world’s population clinging around a feeder just off the main track.
Later, tui, bellbird, riflemen, robin, tomtit, fantail, and brown creeper, to name a few, would
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drop on branches to pay us visits – probably commenting to themselves that only Canadians
could come to Dunedin for warmth.
The greatest impression that we took away from our visit at Orokonui, particularly as we spent a
lot of time driving around Canterbury and Otago in the week prior, was just how unique and
special the landscape felt compared to the other places we had visited. Orokonui had such a
positive vibe and unique smell in the air that we felt good being there. The hours countless
volunteers have poured into the site were also noticeable as we encountered many tracks,
bridges, steps, and signs, as we criss-crossed the reserve. When we went back for a visit on the
second day, Fallon mentioned that she had always taken time to appreciate wildlife on her visits
throughout the world and the only other place Orokonui reminded her of was an elephant
sanctuary in Indonesia. A similar positivity and compassion for the natural world ran through the
air there. That spirit of love, selflessness, and stewardship is what we will take away from our
time at Orokonui. So in a way, it is a perfect place to celebrate all that a marriage should be built
upon.
Biodiversity News
Fauna
Takahe
After their first failed breeding attempt, Paku and Quammen tried again, producing another egg
which Paku sat on determinedly for the best part of two months. Unfortunately the second egg
was also infertile so her patience was not rewarded. The two takahe are now back to their
normal 11 am feeding routine, so bear this in mind if you want to see these magnificent birds.
Glennis Salmon had an interesting experience with Paku and Quammen recently:
Heads or Tails?
I threw aside my sunhat to take photos of the takahe together. While they weren't fazed by
my presence, my sunhat certainly ruffled their feathers. Wing flapping and the flicking of
their white tail feathers in takahe, as with their closest relative, the pukeko, are thought to
indicate alarm.
Glennis Salmon
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Robin
The robins within the Ecosanctuary continue to have an outstanding season. At the latest count,
43 of the 44 pairs identified had bred, with a total of 141 chicks fledging. Robins are now being
seen toward the top of the Ecosanctuary as their territories are pushed uphill from the more
intense competition below.
Fernbird
While no specific counts of the self-introduced fernbirds have been made, they have clearly had
a good season with multiple successful breeding attempts, and are commonly seen or heard in
the habitat mosaic at the top of the Ecosanctuary.
Fernbird chicks in a Carex sedge nest near the eel pond
Photo: Elton Smith
Saddleback
Of the seven monitored pairs, all seven have nested once, at least 15 chicks have fledged from
the seven nests, and twelve of these chicks have been banded. Possibly, one pair may have had
an undetected nest produce some fledglings very early in the season. Five saddleback pairs are
now in various stages of raising their second clutch. The two other pairs are having a break from
nesting but are expected to also nest again. Some pairs may even have a third clutch. So 30 or
more fledglings for the season is a realistic outcome. This is on a par with the 10 pairs and 30
fledglings that established a self-sustaining population at Zealandia in Wellington. The critical
factor is whether a sufficient number of fledglings will survive over winter.
Tuatara
The tuatara in the Tuatarium can regularly be seen lounging at the entrances to their burrows on
fine days. Meanwhile their free-roaming colleagues elsewhere in the Ecosanctuary have been
having some interesting experiences. You will have seen the recent news reports of an adult
tuatara being spotted downstream of the Ecosanctuary and subsequently rescued by Elton. It’s
likely it washed through the culvert in heavy rain.
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Otago skink
The Otago skinks appear to be loving their new home at Orokonui. A walk around their
enclosure in reasonable weather is rewarded with multiple sightings of these magnificent lizards.
In the morning look for them basking on the east side, and in the afternoon on the west.
Photo: Kelvin Lloyd
Beauty is in the eye…
Glennis Salmon
Last Wednesday morning, I came across this large beetle, and a number of its cohorts, floating in
a pond under the Visitor Centre. Elton identified it as a huhu beetle, and confirmed that they, if
left in water, would drown. I’d already rescued all but one, with the aid of a long stick. I was
amazed see how competently they grasped it, and how quickly they dried off on land.
Photo: Glennis Salmon
At home, a google search confirmed Elton’s identification. I discovered, too, that the huhu beetle
is New Zealand’s largest endemic beetle, its Maori name being tunga rere (decaying flight?).
While their season is between November and March, they are most commonly seen in
December and January. Nocturnal, they are attracted to artificial light.
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A delicacy to morepork, magpies, mice and hedgehogs, curiously, they themselves cannot eat.
They live for a mere two weeks, during which time they mate. The females then go in search of
logs or dead branches in which to lay their eggs.
Te Papa’s website notes that the beetles can be dangerous, citing the death of a cat after eating
one. Elsewhere, they are described as harmless, although capable of delivering a painful nip if
mishandled.
Why they were floating in water that day, however, remains a mystery. One explanation offered
online was that they may be drawn to lights reflected there.
Vegetation and flora
Permanent plot re-measurement
Hooray! The vegetation plot re-measurement within the Ecosanctuary is complete. 50 plots
were ultimately found, remarked, and re-measured. One of the original 52 plots near the forest
margin was destroyed during construction of the Xcluder fence, and another seems to have
perished beneath Sirocco's enclosure! But 50/52 is not a bad return. Kelvin is deeply grateful to
all who have assisted with the survey, especially Gary Paterson who helped record data from
most of the plots. Notable contributions were also made by Andrew and Fallon Tanentzap who
dedicated time on two rather bleak Ecosanctuary days to help find and measure three 'missing'
plots that had not been discovered on the first attempt. Completing the international effort was
Angela Brandt, who is undertaking post-doctoral research at Landcare Research and wanted to
familiarise herself with native plants. A shame that the final plot contained a large eucalypt tree!
With just a few control plots to measure the data collection is almost complete, and it will be
interesting to see what stories emerge from a very detailed data set.
More orchid flowers
The potato orchid (Gastrodia spp.) flowers later than the typically spring-flowering orchids that
were featured in the previous newsletter. There is a small grove of them beside the track near
the junction of the Saddleback Valley Track and Kaka Track, and another was spotted in the rare
plants garden.
Volunteer Marie Ballagh pointed out this potato (or
black) orchid (Gastrodia sp.), which she’d spotted in the
rare plants garden. She informed me that, as this leafless
plant lacks chlorophyll, it’s unable to generate food from
sunlight. Further research revealed that, instead, it gains
its nutrients from a soil fungus that surrounds the
swollen rhizome or underground stem it produces each
year. This fungus, in turn, is nourished by the roots of
trees. It is believed that the tubers, sometimes as large as
dahlia roots, were relished, cooked in hangi or roasted in
embers, by Maori.
Glennis Salmon
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Flora Feature:
Succession planning in Orokonui's forest
Kanuka dominates the canopy over much of the Ecosanctuary, but is a pioneer species
whose seed requires high levels of light to germinate, so does not regenerate beneath
canopy shade. Rather, kanuka depends on disturbance such as fire or other forms of
vegetation clearance to promote regeneration. Historically, all of the kanuka-dominant
forest areas at Orokonui developed after clearance of the original vegetation. A
substantial part of the Ecosanctuary was farmland in the not so distant past, as the wellconstructed fences with tanalised posts and rust-free wires that persist beneath the
kanuka canopy testify. In more recently-cleared areas, the individual kanuka are
relatively small (10-20 cm diameter) and at high density, initially with a rich understorey
of broadleaved saplings, and later with cohorts of broadleaved tree 'poles' stretching up
toward the sunlight. As the kanuka forest ages, competitive self-thinning (the process by
which tree density decreases while the remaining individuals increase in size), weeds out
the less vigorous kanuka trees, while the remaining trees increase in bulk, reaching stem
diameters of 30-40 cm or more. In between these large kanuka trees, broadleaved trees
such as lemonwood, kohuhu, lancewood, mapou, putaputaweta, mahoe, and broadleaf,
which have undergone their own self-thinning process, begin to spread their canopies
more widely. So our kanuka forest has sensibly considered the needs of future
generations and has a well-established succession plan to allow the broadleaved trees
and podocarps to achieve their own ambitions over time.
Succession at work in the Ecosanctuary's kanuka forest
Photo: Kelvin Lloyd
Biosecurity news
Pest control
Pest control was going so well with no rodent detections for six months and then we trapped a
ship rat! This was not long after 1350 tracking tunnels set for seven nights had not recorded any
mammal prints. Elton postponed his Christmas leave to coordinate the biosecurity response,
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which saw 1335 tracking tunnels immediately activated the following day and deployed for 1-3
weeks. These were checked weekly and replenished with bait if needed. No rat prints were
detected, but a small number (0.002%) of tunnels showed mouse prints. 270 mouse traps were
set and checked every two weeks, and two mice were caught in December, but none have been
caught since. In February, 564 tracking tunnels were set for seven nights and did not record any
mammal prints. The continued suppression of mice to near undetectable numbers is an
outstanding achievement.
The ship rat was caught in a Mk 6 Fenn trap just inside the fence. It was an adult female but had
not bred. Several bait types were alternated over four weeks in kill traps but no other mammals
were caught. Staff are not sure how the rat got in, as no obvious fence breaches were located.
Possibly the rat climbed over the hood along small hood overlaps that had previously been
thought unclimbable. These have now been fixed.
Visitor Centre
As an immediate solution to insufficient winter heating in the Visitor Centre, the Trust has
decided to install a wood burner in the cafe. This is likely to cost in the order of $7,500, including
purchase of the wood burner, a lengthy flue, cowl, hearth and securing brackets, child-proof
barrier, installation, a building consent from the DCC, and possibly ceiling fans to circulate the
warm air. Matt has assembled a team of volunteers who are keen to cut the required firewood.
Trustee Kelvin Lloyd has undertaken to donate $2,500 towards the above costs, and the Trust
encourages other members to contribute toward this worthy project.
Visitors
Visitors Rose and Tony Eastwood, from Banks Peninsula, Tunde Borbas, from Hungary, and
Beverley Garlick, from Christchurch, were thrilled to see their first fern bird at Orokonui recently.
A self-confessed bird lover, Rose said that her husband found out about the sanctuary by
googling things to do in Dunedin.
Photo: Glennis Salmon
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Tracks
The high use tracks have received various bits of maintenance over summer to deal with issues
from heavy rain events. This has included digging marginal ditches, installing culverts, and recrowning with crusher dust. Tracks are in excellent condition.
The Saddleback Valley Track - Te Ara tieke - does not receive as much maintenance but is still in
good condition. It is a superb nature walk, and takes you into the realm of robin and saddleback,
who are currently mostly found in the lower valley. The Saddleback Valley track passes through
a superb stand of podocarp forest near the stream, its giant rimu trees never failing to impress.
Lower down, mature broadleaved trees hang over the stream, festooned with epiphytes. I
recently took my two boys down to the first bridge, a bit past the half way point. Robert (4)
walked down and back easily, while Fergus (2) enjoyed the walk down but needed a carry most
of the way back. The bridge was a highlight and worth getting to!
Robert and Fergus Lloyd enjoy Te Ara Tieke
Photos: Kelvin Lloyd
Volunteering
The smooth operation of the Ecosanctuary owes much to the
contributions of our volunteers. I spotted Allan Kilner trimming
overhanging vegetation from the Kiwi Track recently. He had also helped
dig out drains beside the track to intercept water that had been flowing
along it and scouring gravel from the surface. Allan has also helped
install several new culverts on tracks, where heavy rainfalls had shown
the need. Allan also helps with Xcluder fence maintenance, assists with
mouse trapping and tracking tunnel monitoring, and does anything else
that Elton requests. Allan enjoys volunteering at the Ecosanctuary
because he sees and hears birds that he would otherwise not encounter,
can see the changes in vegetation in the absence of pest animals, and
enjoys the physical activity and social contact with like-minded people.
Volunteering at the Ecosanctuary is a complete change from his working
life of fisheries and marine science, and he enjoys contributing to a
project that will benefit our native birds far into the future.
Photo: Matt Thomson
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Upcoming Event
Subantarctic Islands Talk. 23 March 3pm. $5 donation. Recently back from their Heritage
Expeditions Tour of Subantarctic Islands, Brenda Ives and Alyth Grant will speak about their
experiences in the Auckland and Campbell Islands which have been much in the news
lately. Neville Peat, the author of a book on New Zealands sub-antarctic islands, went further
afield this time, as far as Macquarrie Island and will share his journey and his expertise with us.
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 January we achieved a bit over 900 volunteer hours - thanks very much to everyone who
helped out!
For other news and activities visit www.orokonui.org.nz or facebook. Cafe and Visitor Centre are
open daily.
We warmly welcome the following new members:
Individual
Gary Paterson
Nicola Baines
Stuart Barr-Hamilton
Family
Monika Clark-Grill & Peter Taylor
Mark Bolland & Suzanne Wilks
Nick & Macaela Prosser
Sue & Dave Campbell
Robert Mumford
Glynis & Peter Cambray
Tony, Megan & Ashleigh Houston
Russel Knowles & Debbie Guthrie
Philip Seddon
Olly Wilson
Mac Robertson & Helen Chitty
Israel & Kate Butson
Lorna & Bill Lowther
Alexander Miller & Jean Cockram
Amanda Symon
Franz & Eva van Niekerk
Glenie family
Life
Purakaunui School
Membership Cards are available for collection at the Visitor Centre next time you visit.
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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
Harry J Wilson Trust
The Rotary Club of Dunedin
Cooke Howlison
Community Conservation Fund
Community Environment Fund
Barrie Neilson
Hope and Sons
Oceana Gold
Ironmaster Trust
Topflite
Rotary South
Rodgers Law
Myth
Port Otago
Power Farming Otago
Blueskin Nurseries
Kati Huirapa Runaka ki
Puketeraki
Blackhead Quarries Ltd
Dunedin Forest and Bird
WWF – New Zealand
MTF
City Forests
Naylor Love Ltd
Callis Charitable Trust
NHNZ
Farra Engineering
Fund Managers Otago
WHK
Ryman Healthcare
Bendigo Valley Trust
Wildland Consultants
Mitre 10 Mega
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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John Swan
Gallaway Cook Allan
Amenities Society
Click Media
Liquigas Dunedin
Cutlers Real Estate
COGS
James Sharon Watson Trust