Tiritiri Matangi Island

Seabird Counting
There is no doubting the success of Tiritiri Matangi in preserving bird species that have succumbed principally to human devastation. Tiritiri’s achievement, however, provides no indication of how more successful species are faring. Enter the ubiquitous seabirds whose status is a good indicator of overall ecological health, given their existence on the margins of land and sea.
A little-known project undertaken by the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi has been seabird counting, the aim of which is to help fill this gap in our knowledge. Seabird counting has been an annual event taking place between September and January and is in its 12th year. Mike Dye did this for the first 10 years ably describing
his experience in a 17th May issue of Guidelines, the Supporters’ newsletter sent out to the guides. I assisted Mike over the last 5 years when we were joined by Rachel Taylor. Rachel and Mike, now no longer in Auckland, left a vacuum that I, in a mad moment, agreed to fill. Consequently, I started the 23-24 season on my own, but thanks mainly to Mike’s article, a number of people have come forward and we’ve built a good team comprising: Scott Camlin, Bethny Uptegrove, Sue Beaumont Orr, Yvonne Vaneveld and Julie Benjamin.
The target species are primarily Red-billed Gulls (RBGs), Black-backed Gulls (BBGs), White-fronted Terns (WFTs) and Pied S**gs (PS) because these all have established nesting areas on the Island. We are also interested in other species including Caspian Tern, Pied S**g, Little S**g, and Reef Heron.
The simple method we employ involves counting these birds in known breeding areas and colonies while being vigilant for lone breeders and new colonies.
We are often asked why we bother to count seabirds; “seagulls are everywhere, they’re a nuisance stealing our chips.” The truth is that only Black-backed Gulls are thriving, while the others are in the ‘at risk’ or ‘threatened’ conservation status. Hence, it is important to detect population changes of these birds, and to understand the causes. Tiritiri Matangi is a small piece of the moving jigsaw
puzzle that is New Zealand’s overall seabird study. The study in the short term identifies areas of importance for shorebirds, estimating the abundance and proportion of the different populations that use those areas, and in the long-term estimating population trends of the shorebirds.
We have a growing team; our Seabird Counting project is becoming more known amongst Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi volunteers and more people are putting their name forward to join in the counting. Is there is an increasing interest in our seabird population or is it that people are seeing how much fun we’re having?
(H&S skip over this…)
That fun part? Bounding over hill & dale, confidently striding ahead toward precipitous cliff edges, eyes assisted by heavy binoculars, ignoring the rolly gravelly patches, feeling for the track between thick flax stands and twiggy bush, all while ignoring scratchy heat, aching muscles and growling hunger as we pass up seductive shady bits of lush grassy hillside; no time to rest. The birds
and the ferry wait for no-one.

For Mike Dye’s point of view: https://www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz/blog/blog-template/

The Explore ferries website will have tickets for the boat ride and for the SoTM guided walks. https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwiJqtf_96eIAxWKyDwCHS38LmkYABAAGgJzZg&ae=2&co=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw59q2BhBOEiwAKc0ijXd9m3IP3Aq1zcCIkQzD_SLAFfDU9L4zfXsUd4V17ZCKuUuMevmwEhoCxA0QAvD_BwE&sig=AOD64_21zslPvLpyLL0OJB_I8GwGEGhcLA&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwiq1NH_96eIAxVKzTgGHQTjOoUQ0Qx6BAgPEAM

Photos: SoTM

The helicoptered arrival of Mr Blue and Stormy in 1991, marked a seminal moment in Tiritiri Matangi’s development as a conservation sanctuary. The arrival of the pair of male takahē, after years of lobbying, was an event witnessed by a crowd of 600 onlookers, but it was the hatching of Matangi, a female takahē from a fostered egg the pair had incubated, that hit the headlines.

‘Takahe Foster Hopes for Breeding’, ‘Romance in the Air’ and ‘Dads Rule the Takahe Roost’ accompanied front-page photos of Mr Blue feeding little Matangi* were headlines announcing Tiritiri Matangi’s place in the Takahē Recovery Program, a conservation program that has recently seen their population once again surpass 500 adults.

To support the work of the Takahē Recovery Programme, two new takahē arrived and five were recently translocated off the Island, to spend the next part of their lives at other sites.

The two arrivals are Wakapatu (m) and Atawhenua (f)

Wakapatu is a male (colour bands WB-OM) and has been paired with Anatori (GM-OY), to be the resident male living around the lighthouse area on the southern end of the island. He was hatched at Burwood, November 5 2023, to parents Tumanako and Webber.

Atawhenua is young female (colour bands GM-GB) and has been paired with the resident male, Turutu (OY-RM) at northern end of the island. She was hatched at Te Anau Bird Sanctuary October 25, 2022 after being fostered as an egg, to parents Tara and Mōhio.

The work of the Takahē Recovery Programme involves many people and organisations, and together they work to maintain integrity and strength of the different takahē whakapapa/genealogies, in a coordinated effort to guarantee the survival of this extraordinary taonga/treasure species. Conservation work at its finest.

For ferry and guided walk tickets, please visit: https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/?checkavail=y&date=25-11-2022&groupSize=1&PROMO=&productId=3148&tourType=3150 #3148

*'Tiritiri Matangi: A Model of Conservation' Anne Rimmer

Photo and text credits: JP Mower

Kia ora tātou - Welcome to Conservation Week 2024!

This Conservation Week we're asking you to take action for nature - tell us (and show us) what action you're taking this week, and be in to win a free camping trip on either Motutapu or Motuihe island*!

All you have to do to enter is:
- Leave a comment telling us what you're doing for Conservation Week 2024
- Upload a photo in the comments of you doing that activity

A few suggestions:
- Join your local conservation group (find them here: https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/volunteer/groups/ or message this Facebook account).
- Join a conservation week event: https://www.doc.govt.nz/news/events/conservation-week/events/ or https://www.tiakitamakimakaurau.nz/get-involved/find-an-event-or-opportunity-near-you/
- Set up a trap in your garden
The opportunities are endless - so get out there and take action for nature!

Winner will be drawn Monday 9th September 2024. The winner will receive a Direct Message from this Facebook account with an email address to contact and organise their stay! DOC will never ask you for personal information or payment through Facebook in conjunction with this competition.

*Terms and Conditions Apply

𝗗𝗔𝗗'𝗦 𝗚𝗢 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗬 💙 Plan an unforgettable Father's Day for your dad that he will love - you could explore Tiritiri Matangi Island or Rotoroa Island NZ sanctuaries, spend the afternoon cruising the Hauraki Gulf spotting dolphins and whales, or enjoy a relaxed long lunch together, including a complimentary glass of wine for dad, at Man O' War Vineyards Tasting Room Restaurant.

Use promo code 𝗗𝗔𝗗𝗦𝗚𝗢𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 when booking and your dad will travel with you for free on selected cruises on Father's Day, Sunday 1 September! Conditions apply, for full details visit https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/explore/special-deals/dads-go-free/

Voting Closes today 29th Aug at 5pm!

We're all rushing to get our votes in on time. Please take 30 sec to vote to support the incredible mahi at Tiritiri. https://www.canon.co.nz/about-canon/community/grants

Canon’s grants are aimed at supporting projects in categories such as Community, Education, Environment, and Cultural, thereby fostering a collaborative effort towards a greener future. Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi are thrilled to be a finalist in the Environment category for 2024 Canon Oceania Grants. We have applied for funding to support the installation of informative display boards around the island. As many of you will know, the mahi aroha/labours of love of the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi also involves educating our visitors on the importance of protecting taonga/ treasured native species- both on the island and in your own kainga/backyards. We are so keen to get funding for this project. Voting is now open and will close tomorrow at 5pm!

Please fly over to this link right now to cast a vote for us, so we can further our cause: https://www.canon.co.nz/about-canon/community/grants

Photographer: Tony Petricevich

Pāteke: Canon EOS R5 349mm f/8 1/3200sec ISO 1000 Exp 0 No flash
Crake: Canon EOS 7D 400mm f/5.6 1/800 sec ISO 3200 Exp 0.3 No flash, compulsory

We are so excited to share that Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi have been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2024 Canon Oceania grant, in the Environment category!

This application seeks funding to install educational display boards along the walking tracks, so that all visitors can learn of taonga species, and how we can all work together to conserve Te Taiao nature.

We were selected from a pool of 600 applications, and we are so close!

We would love your vote, and feel free to share this link further among your networks :)

https://www.canon.co.nz/about-canon/community/grants

Voting closes 5pm 29th August 2024, and winners announced on the 10th September!

Photo: Tony Petricevich

Camera: Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Lens: Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5 IS II USM + 1.4x III Extender

This photograph was taken at the Bunkhouse Dam, Tiritiri Matangi in late summer 2019. It was shot from under camouflage netting following a wait of around two hours. The bird perched less than two metres away, after a series of dives into the water. Kōtare are generally wary of human presence, so this photograph was a fantastic reward for my morning’s patience.

For ferry tickets and guided walks please visit: https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/?checkavail=y&date=25-11-2022&groupSize=1&PROMO=&productId=3148&tourType=3150 #3148

We Need Your Vote!
Here’s a meaningful way to contribute to the remarkable success story that is Tiritiri Matangi Island; simply fly over to Z to cast a vote! The Island has been shortlisted for Good in the Hood funding at three Z service stations: in Silverdale*, in Papatoetoe at Hunters Corner**, and in Glen Innes***.
Between August 26 and Sept 22nd, customers at each of these stations will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite charity out of 4. Each station has $4,000 to divide proportionally between the 4 charities, according to the number of votes received. The more votes for the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi, the more our share of the $4,000.
In the next few weeks you and any number of your friends can make a difference to the significant upkeep of the Island. Stop by these three stations and cast your vote for Tiritiri Matangi. You will be voting to support the manu and all the wildlife protected by one of the most successful community-led conservation projects in the world.
Z is committing to the donation and you can increase it, simply by voting!

How it works: The Z stations noted below will have Good in the Hood tokens that you can use to cast your vote. Make sure you take one and make Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi your #1 choice.
Where can you vote?
Silverdale - 100 Foundry Rd, Silverdale, part time SoTM concierge available
Hunters Corner - 72 East Tamaki Rd, Papatoetoe
Glen Innes - 222 Apirana Ave, Glen Innes
Good in the Hood - Vote for us, your little token will make a big impact!
Photo: Darren Markin
collage: Jonathan Mower

The flowering of Tiritiri Matangi’s kōwhai* is a time of plenty for both nectar feeding birds and the visitors who come to see and photograph the blossom-heavy branches carpeting the ground with spent yellow flowers.

Many of the island’s birds feed from the nectar rich flowers, often utilising different feeding techniques.
Both korimako/bellbirds and tūī have evolved curved beaks whose shape compliments that of the flowers, enabling their long, brush tipped tongue to reach deep into the flower to the nectar held within.
Kererū have a less delicate touch and will simply pluck and swallow entire blooms along with its sepals and stalk.

Tieke/north island saddleback sometimes employ a more ingenious feeding technique than that of the kererū, and it is one that can demonstrate the remarkable dexterity of their long-clawed feet.
Grasping the flower, the tieke will invert it and use their strong, pointed bill to snip the petals at the base before delicately manipulating the flower to pull back the remaining petals, gaining access to the nectar held within.

Tiritiri Matangi’s kōwhai flowering is now beginning, providing visitors a great opportunity to see and photograph one of the Island’s most spectacular flowering displays, and observe the many birds that feed from the bounty it provides.

For ferry tickets to visit Tiritiri Matangi Island, and to purchase guided walks please visit: https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/?checkavail=y&date=25-11-2022&groupSize=1&PROMO=&productId=3148&tourType=3150 #3148

*Tiritiri Matangi’s replanting program utilised Sophora chathamica, an early flowering species native to coastal areas of the upper North Island. It is common around Auckland, the Hauraki Gulf, and from Port Waikato south to Kawhia. In ideal conditions it can grow to 20m tall and produce spectacular flowering displays.

Ranger Keith in the Mist …

Today is World Ranger Day! A chance to shoutout rangers around the world working to protect and restore nature.

Starting with Ray and Barbara Walter, Department of Conservation* rangers have been hard working and passionate kaitiakitanga/guardians of Tiritiri Matangi since the island’s conservation project began in 1984.

They are a passionate and resourceful bunch, and their job isn’t an easy one for they are the wearers many hats as they go about the task overseeing the island, its infrastructure, and the taonga/treasure species it supports.

Rain or shine, the Green Team are guides for the island’s visitors, and mentors for those who come as volunteers, so they deserve this shout out for the passion with which they undertake these tasks.

Cheers to all the rangers of Tiritiri Matangi!

*Formerly Lands and Survey

Photo and text: Jonathan Mower

For ferry and guided walk tickets, please visit: Explorehttps://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/

Spritely Escorts
Stopping on a twig to watch us walking by, this pīwakawaka/fantail was one of many we had seen hawking* for insects in the trackside vegetation as we walked toward the lighthouse.

On Tiritiri Matangi, pīwakawaka are now constant companions for island visitors and workers on the tracks and roads. Busily chattering and displaying with wide fanlike tails, they can be seen swooping to sn**ch small flying insects disturbed by other birds and passing visitors, regularly dropping to the ground and low vegetation to search for hidden insects.

At this time of year, they are also beginning to engage in vocal territorial displays and ‘chase offs’ with rivals, for their breeding season is approaching\*\*. During this season, their behaviour becomes more aggressive toward rivals and interlopers, allowing island visitors to closely watch the acrobatic flying skills that led Scottish born naturalist, bird watcher and photographer William Herbert Guthrie-Smith, to describe them as ‘this fairy of the bush.’

To visit the fairies of Tiritiri Matangi’s bush and info on guided walks, please visit: [https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/?checkavail=y&date=25-11-2022&groupSize=1&PROMO=&productId=3148&tourType=3150 #3148](https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/?checkavail=y&date=25-11-2022&groupSize=1&PROMO=&productId=3148&tourType=3150 #3148 "smartCard-inline")

*Hawking: the act of a bird catching prey, usually insects, in flight using their bill.
**In the North Island, pīwakawaka can raise up to 5 clutches of chicks between August and March.

📷💬Photo & text: Jonathan Mower

💚 Get involved in your local conservation project this weekend.

Here are some planting days in the Auckland Region:

🌱 SOSSI (Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society Inc) has a planting day on the 27th July. To find more please visit and follow their page

🌱 Motuihe Island has a planting day this Sunday. To find more please visit and follow their page

Planting days organised by Auckland Parks
🌿Lough Bourne Reserve - Saturday.
🌿Wairoa Road Reserve - Saturday.
🌿Puhoi River Walkway - Sunday
🌿Wenderholm Regional Park - Sunday
🌿Waitawa Regional Park - Sunday

📷: Early planting days on Tiritiri Matangi. Credit: M Chappel

This image of a juvenile kōkako was recently captured by Darren Markin when he spied it feasting on fruit near the Visitor’s Centre. The small size and lilac/purple colouration of its wattles identify it as a juvenile and, if this image was to show the whole bird, it is likely you would also see its slate-grey plumage had a slight brown tinge.

At hatching, the wattles of North Island kōkako are tiny and pink, at fledging (around 35 days) they are the lilac pink seen in this image, and as the bird matures, they steadily grow and develop the adult’s signature cobalt blue colour.

Small, soft-tissued structures that function in behavioural displays, the wattles arise from the lower base of the bill and the gape. There is variation in wattle size and shape between birds, making them a signature of a particular kōkako. If they are damaged (for example pecked by a nest-mate) they will retain that damaged shape as an adult, something which can be useful when identifying individuals.

The wattles are a characteristic of a family of five species endemic to Aotearoa/ New Zealand known as Callaeidae/ New Zealand wattlebirds, with the colour of wattles varying between species. The North Island kōkako has cobalt blue wattles, while the South Island kōkako has orange wattles topped with blue. The huia (extinct) and the North and South Island saddleback/tieke from whom they diverged around 5 million years ago, all have orange wattles.

The relatively low canopy of Tiritiri Matangi’s first cover, gives visitors an unparalleled opportunity to view this taonga species in close detail and at close quarters, and, judging by Darren’s image, it also gives the kōkako an equal opportunity to view its watcher in return.

To book ferry tickets and guided walks, please visit:

Tiritiri Matangi Island Ferry Service | Island Wildlife Sanctuary | Hauraki Gulf | Explore

References:
https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Notornis_48_4_217.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790322001889

Why would you want to join yet another group doing great things for conservation and education?

Here's Why!

For a $30 subscription, you get:

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi benefits:

Four issues a year of beautiful images in our magazine Dawn Chorus

The chance to join Supporters' Weekends, which includes a night time guided walk

Advance notice of lighthouse open days, concerts, events and much more

Opportunities to help with conservation work on the island

Hear from a range of guest speakers at the Tiritiri Matangi Island talks

Meet others with a shared interest in New Zealand wildlife

The chance to join our Working Weekends taking place over 4 of the long weekends across the year.

By supporting us, you’re helping to build and sustain an internationally acclaimed wildlife sanctuary.

To join visithttps://www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Membership-join-form-3.pdf

The people have spoken!
The Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi are delighted to share that Tripadvisor has announced Tiritiri Matangi Island is a Travellers' Choice Winner for 2024! The Island is rated in the top 10% of attractions worldwide and is #1 out of 201 things to do in Auckland.
Thank you to everyone who has visited the Island and left a review!

𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴?

📣 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆!
Simply visit the Explore website and use the promo code KIDSFREE24 and the special offer will be applied to your booking. Offer valid for travel from 3-28 July 2024. Conditions apply*

📣 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞𝗗𝗔𝗬 - 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗱-𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗶 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱
SuperGold Card Holders receive a 20% discount on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday! The promo code is SUPERWEEKDAY

📣 𝗔𝗔 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝟭𝟬%!
AA Members receive a 10% discount. The promo code AASAVE10

To purchase your ferry tickets you can call Explore - Auckland on 0800 397 567 or visit https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/

📷: Ross Greg

Visitors walking the tracks on Tiritiri Matangi have been noticing the branches and trunks of kohekohe/ Didymocheton spectabilis have been hanging heavily with racemes (clusters of flowers attatched to a stem by little stalks) of olive green and heavily perfumed flowers.

Otherwise known as the New Zealand mahogany, kohekohe display a number of ‘quirky’ flowering attributes. They flower directly from these heavy branches rather than from their canopy, a process known as cauliflory, and is an attribute also possessed by kōtukutuku/ New Zealand tree fuchsia. A hint of the kohekohe’s tropical ancestry, it is an attribute more commonly seen in forests whose ecosystems include mammals like squirrels, apes, and monkeys that use these branches to travel through the forests. In these ecosystems, trees have evolved to place their flowers in an area where they are most likely to be pollinated and their seeds dispersed. However, in Aotearoa/ New Zealand, this same niche is filled by birds like the kōkako, kererū, and tūī, as well as reptiles and bats.

Kohekohe also possess another quirky trait, in that they are gynodioecious. This means there are heavily flowering/fruiting female trees whose flowers (see insert) fruit but do not produce pollen, and lighter-flowering male trees with both male and cosexual flowers.

Male flowers have functioning anthers only, so produce pollen but do not fruit whereas cosexual flowers have functioning ovaries and anthers so produce both pollen and fruit.

Tickets for the Explore ferry departing from Auckland and Gulf Harbour, and for guided walk bookings, please visit:

Tiritiri Matangi Island Ferry Service | Island Wildlife Sanctuary | Hauraki Gulf | Explore Auckland and Gulf Harbour, and for guided walk bookings, please visit:

[Tiritiri Matangi Island Ferry Service | Island Wildlife Sanctuary | Hauraki Gulf | Explore](https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/?checkavail=y&date=25-11-2022&groupSize=1&PROMO=&productId=3148&tourType=3150 #3148 "‌")

\*release pollen but do not fruit

\*\*release pollen and do produce fruit.

💚 National Volunteer Week! Many Hands Make Light Work - Department of Conservation - Auckland Volunteers.💚

Tiritiri Matangi’s restoration project increased the island’s forest cover from a grassy 4% to the verdant 60% coverage that greets visitors as they step from the ferry onto the wharf. Although the planting program has finished and the new forest left to develop naturally, this level of cover requires ongoing work to maintain the network of tracks, boardwalks and drainage infrastructure that criss-crosses the island.

To assist the island’s DOC rangers with their work on the island, Tiritiri Matangi offers the opportunity for people to volunteer in its General Maintenance 7 Day Program, giving them the opportunity to stay on the island and take part in a variety of the different tasks required to maintain the sanctuary.

These tasks include track maintenance and clearing, weeding, general maintenance such as painting and cleaning, and maintaining the island’s network of sugar water feeders and water troughs. This can be hard work, but it is work that comes with many rewards.

To immerse yourself in the island project allows you to meet a great variety of international and local visitors, Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi volunteers and biodiversity team members.

It allows you to spend a lot of time around some of Aotearoa/ New Zealand’s rarest wildlife including hihi/ stitchbirds, north island kōkako, and tīeke/ saddlebacks.

Waking to the sound of a takahē call alarm clock and watch the sun rise while drinking your morning coffee under the Tiritiri Matangi light-house. It allows you time to go for night walks and watch kororā/ little penguins return from a day at sea, and spot tuatara and kiwi pukupuku/ little spotted kiwi along the tracks. These are rewards accorded to very few people and well worth your day’s work.

For more information and applications for Tiritiri Matangi 7 Day General Maintenance program, please follow the link: https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/volunteer/in-your-region/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/

💚Celebrating National Volunteers week - Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi (SoTM) Gift Shop Vollies 💚

Our shop volunteers are an essential wing of the SoTM team. Passionate about the work that SoTM does, they are a dedicated crew who have donated their time weekly or monthly, some for years!

They love interacting with our visitors and answering any questions they might have. Their work includes collecting parcels of stock from the mainland and bringing it over on the ferry, unpacking and displaying it all beautifully in the shop. They also pack and post all of our online shop orders. All proceeds from the on-Island & on-line shop go towards the work that SoTM does and it's only possible because of our wonderful volunteers.

For ferry and guided walk tickets please visit: https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/

💚 Celebrating National Volunteer Week! Many Hands Make Light Work - Working Weekends 💚

Four times a year, a group of enthusiastic volunteers gathers on the Island to work down the current list of infrastructure projects. The volunteers range in skills from highly experienced carpenters to shovel ready metal spreaders. You might indulge your inner fadge filler, paint signs and fences, trim tracks or hedges, replace old boards in the boardwalks, or design and build a water system for the takahē. What we accomplish in a long weekend is pretty impressive if we say so ourselves. In the long view, a 220-hectare island was brought from farmland to forest, replete with endangered species, and about 30,000 visitors a year.

Our volunteers range also in age: “a beautiful balance of experienced older volunteers willing to share their knowledge, leadership and wisdom, and new highly enthusiastic younger folks ready to dig into the mahi and learn from our predecessors.” *

From Shamyi: “Working weekends on Tiritiri have always been filled to the brim with birds, exploration, beautiful night skies, new people and hard mahi that always leaves me feeling accomplished. Despite being a weekend of 'work', I've always come away with my cup filled and mind at rest. Some highlights have been learning to use new tools in the workshop, plunges in the sea, and the sense of community that everyone always brings.”

“Thank you to all the volunteers who have put in years of hard work to make this island what it is: a safe haven and a magical place for all the species who live, work, volunteer and visit! Your wealth of knowledge, commitment and care are so deeply appreciated.” *

*Meredith Blogg, volunteer for Easter Working Weekend

To volunteer for a Working Weekend, or for other functions on the Island, please visit our website at: https://www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz/volunteer/ .

Tickets for the Explore ferry departing from Auckland and Gulf Harbour, and for guided walk bookings, please visit: https://www.exploregroup.co.nz/auckland/tiritiri-matangi-island/?checkavail=y&date=25-11-2022&groupSize=1&PROMO=&productId=3148&tourType=3150 #3148 .