THERE ARE TUIS IN OUR TREE!

There are tuis in our tree, doing all the things that tuis do. Singing, chasing, seeming to soar off into outer space before giving up on the idea and returning to earth once more. So, what is so special? In Tuateawa, not a thing. However our tree is in Hamilton, which, until the Halo Project, saw very few tuis and then only as brief visitors.

Pirongia from Hamilton

There is a developing conservation awareness in Hamilton which probably relates to the small amount of indigenous environment that we have. Just over the hill a major long term effort is underway to reconstruct an entire lost ecosystem. Much further afield, another huge undertaking, the predator proof fencing and maintenance of an entire maunga, Maungatautari.

Maungatautari tomtit

Maungatautari yellow fronted karakariki

It has not always been this way. In the early seventies, like many others, we built our first modest house. It was made largely of native timber, heart rimu and totara. Native timber was logged in those days so we played our part in the clear felling of an ancient N.I. forest and the destruction of all the organisms that lived within it. The pioneer ethic was stronger in those days and the balance between exploitation and conservation not so evident.

Waikato basin from Maungakawa "halo site"

Native forest is now protected from the logging industry but the change was too late for the Waikato. Only 4% of natural endemic vegetation remains. An huge proportion of the rest is covered in a pastoral ecosystem transplanted from Europe and elsewhere. The wealth that this agribusiness creates contributes, in large part, to the economic well being of NZ. I am sure that many of the baches in the environmentally more favoured Coromandel have been funded from such a source.

So, back to the Halo Project. Hamilton does present a much better environment for tuis than the surrounding, intensively managed countryside. The older parts of Hamilton are well treed, mostly exotics rather than natives, but these are acceptable to a number of native bird species. In some ways it is superior to Tuateawa in that the number of rats, possums and mustelids is low, although there are cats in very high density.
 I have nothing but praise for the work of all the cooperating agencies and volunteer workers who, seeing the possibilities for Hamilton, put the Halo Project into operation. Some of those precious remaining areas of natural vegetation had their tui populations boosted through various conservation activities. It seems that tui will seek food as far as 20km. from home and many of them made the journey to Hamilton. They are now found in numbers in developed suburban areas and parks over Hamilton. There are some pairs and there is a great possibility of a resident breeding population becoming established.
Having few sizeable natural environments in the Waikato is partially compensated for by the lack of anti environmental activists.  Conservation proceeds in a spirit of cooperation. The Robinsons contribute a little bit of negativity, mainly aimed at Environment Waikato but to little effect.
Generalisation is something to be avoided. However I believe it is fair to say that, where there is a largely intact environment there is a lesser environmental awareness and also a greater need to exploit the environment. High unemployment and low wages are more often found in such situations. Conservation activities which reduce the yield of possum fur, the halt to the logging of native timber, these all produce hardship for local people. Loss of jobs and the depression of the local economy inevitably build anti Govt. sentiment, particularly to those agencies of the local and national Govt. that are active in the area.
On the West Coast, when logging of native timber ceased it was natural that the Dept of Conservation would not be flavour of the week! The Govt. of the time did however recognise the consequences of the logging ban and provided seed money to develop other aspects of the local economy. Over time this  proved to be a success.
In the Upper Coromandel there is significant anti conservation sentiment. It is ostensibly concentrated around the use of the conservation tool 1080. In reality the use of this compound does reduce the level of possums to a point where it is not possible to make a living from their fur. The anti conservation stance is understandable when conservation activity has such a financial impact on some individuals. However it is time to move on. The Westcoasters did and found new, less physically demanding, more financially rewarding ways of making a living. The Upper Coromandel is in a similar situation and in need of some Govt. capital to help it make the transition.

It is ironic that the anti conservation lobby probably destroyed the best opportunity for a prosperous future for the Upper Coromandel when they stymied the Peninsula Pestproof Fence at the last moment. Are views so entrenched that it could not be revisited? The region is really a National Park in waiting. It is scenically dramatic, has a diverse array of environments, great biodiversity and organisms found no where else in the world. Ecotourism is the coming thing internationally. Auckland is a major tourist hub and it is a short time by ferry from there to a landing spot like Paritu. What better ecoguide than a chap who is really familiar with the bush?
 Change is overdue. It is time for the Upper Coromandel to catch up with the rest of the world. In it's own unique way of course. The way involves cooperation rather than confrontation. It worked in the Waikato and it can work in the Coromandel.

WAIKAWAU: A FEW OF THE BIRDS.

In the past shags must have been a notable feature of Waikawau as the name roughly translates, for a non-Maori speaker, as Shag Water. Pied Shags are still to be found here today but not in the numbers the name might suggest.

Southern black backed gull

Red billed gull

Caspian tern

But Waikawau will have seen a fair number of changes since first it was named. There is however a great variety of bird life to be found.

NZ pipit

The dunes and pastures are host to a number of species. Some are native to NZ, others introduced by man and some have recently arrived from Australia.

The White Faced Heron first bred in NZ in 1941.

The very noisy Spur Winged Plover only made it to the N.I. in 1973. Both birds are now very common through most of NZ.
Out to sea there are birds in great numbers. They become very obvious when they congregate to feed over a "boil up" of fish.

White fronted terns

The Gannets and White Fronted Terns are easy to spot. Amongst them though are the less visible darker coloured Mutton  Birds. Sometimes you can also see Skua. These are birds that have to steal their food as they cannot catch it. They are usually seen at a great distance but are identifiable by their behaviour. Skuas cooperate in the aerial pursuit of a single bird, often a tern, until it is so hassled it has to regurgitate its catch.
On the beach other birds are found.

The Variable Oystercatcher .

and the endangered N.Z. Dotterel both nest here.

In the winter a cousin of the latter, the Banded Dotterel can also be found in groups of a dozen or so.

The best place to look for these is in the estuary region, also home of Pied Stilts.

Waikawau is always a great place to be and its birds make it just that little bit more special.

Bar-tailed godwits

WAIKAWAU: KAWETOTO REEF BY WAY OF WAIMANU RD.

Local kauri conservation activity started " way back when" on the Coromandel. It is hard to be more precise as the Govt. Dept. involved is no longer in existence. What it did was to plant quite a few areas in young kauri as a token replacement for the many removed in the past. Just where the plantings happened is a bit of a mystery as the records seem to have been lost or misplaced. However, should you see a hillside of young kauri rickers, all of about the same size, this could be a clue. Climbing out of Kennedy Bay there is an area that could fit the bill. If they are all planted in rows then I guess it would be an absolute certainty!

In this millennium we have a non Govt. group continuing the good work. Kauri 2000 continue to plant young kauri on public land. This sign on Whangapoua Hill tells of their work.

Should you have some guests visiting who are interested in the environment, a trip to Kawetoto Reef from Tuateawa will take you past, and through, a whole group of areas of real interest. You can see the activities of Kauri 2000 on the slopes just beyond Pump Paddock, Waikawau farm park. The kauri are small and struggling a little against the paspalum and kikuyu grass, but, given time and attention they will become magnificent.

A couple or so km. along, the road crosses the Waikawau Stream. It is worth a pause by the bridge. You could be lucky as this is one of the few places in the world that you might see Brown Teal. The activities of The Moehau Environment Group have played a big part in boosting the numbers of this endangered species.
They are also active in conserving the Matamataharakeke wetland and the estuary region that you pass through on the way to Waimanu Rd. The wetland, like much of the Coromandel, has had it's period of exploitation. Flax was harvested for fibre and shipped to Europe for the manufacture of rope but, over time, proved to be prone to decay which was a lucky break for the wetlands of NZ. These wetlands are home to a number of unique and mostly secretive birds, the fernbird and the bittern  amongst them. If you move down Waimanu Rd there is a chance of seeing a bittern, particularly in the winter months. Invisible in the reeds This improbable appearing bird becomes very obvious when it strays into the paddock near the bridge. The Waikawau River is tidal at the bridge, good kids fishing for Yellow Eyed Mullet and you might just see an White Heron if you are very lucky!

Waimanu Rd continues, over the bridge, passing through paddocks and shortly reaches the carpark alongside the estuary. You start your trip to the beach by climbing over the gate to the left.

The track takes you over the hill, through regenerating farmland and some magnificent forest remnants and coastal vistas.

At one point the track has been cut through an old Maori midden.

After a short walk you emerge onto the beach at the back of a dune system. The going here can be a little soggy!

The Kawetoto Reef is full of life. It is home to a very ancient shellfish the Lampshell and to many other creatures including octopus.

On the beach there are often Spirula shells, common in NZ. They could have travelled a long way to end up on Waikawau as they are thought to be tropical. Live ones are very seldom found. If you pick one of these up you are holding the remains of a creature that can live 1000m. below the surface. The shell is the flotation device of a small (3-4cm.) squid which feeds on ocean plankton.
At most states of the tide you can walk back to the carpark via the estuary and maybe pick up a feed of shellfish on the way!

WAIKAWAU. SOME DUNE PLANTS.

Wandering along the drift line can be very rewarding. You can never be sure what treasure might have been cast up by the sea! It  also happens to be one of the most formidable locations for living things on the planet. It is an interface between two major environments. Mostly it is land, but, sometimes, it becomes the sea. Only a few organisms manage to live in such changeable conditions.

Above the high tide mark conditions are only a little less harsh. The first plant you encounter, at the foot of the dunes, is the sea stock. It throngs with bees when it is in flower. Later it's seeds become the food for the introduced greenfinch.

Pingao

Then the native sand binders, Spinifex and Pingao appear holding and building the protective fore dunes. The seed head of Spinifex cartwheeling along the beach in summer is a familiar sight.

Spinifex

The dunes favours those plants that have a particular edge. Some are very good at conserving water.

Sea Convolvulus

Some, like the sea convulvulus manage to get through their life cycle and produce seed before the harsh summer arrives.

Bush lupin

The bush lupin has two advantages at least. It has deep roots so water is less of a problem. In a low nitrogen environment it also gets extra nitrogen from the air.

The catchfly, with its sticky leaves and stems also supplements its mineral requirements from the insects which become glued to it.

Getting a free ride is the parasitic broomrape. It has no chlorophyll but gets it's food from the roots of other plants.

Further back from the sea the plant cover becomes more complete and the sand binders more infrequent. Eventually larger plants, more bush like,start to appear and the sand binders are nowhere to be found.

WAIKAWAU. THE DUNES.

Dune systems as good as this are a bit of a rarity. Just a few changes since the arrival of man. The moas are gone to be replaced with a few extras like rabbits, mammalian predators and an array of introduced plant species. Many dune systems elsewhere have fallen into the hands of coastal developers but this is, hopefully, less likely for the Waikawau dunes as they are part of the conservation estate.
The dunes have a remarkable ability to protect against coastal erosion, acting as a barrier against the intrusion of the sea. Much of this ability is dependant on the presence of two plant species, Spinifex and Pingaio.

Pingao

They obstruct the passage of sand carried by the onshore winds causing it to build up in the lee of the plants. The fore dunes grow in height as the native sand binders grow up through the deposited sand and trap yet more.
In circumstances of extreme and prolonged high winds the protective fore dunes  and the area behind can, in places, be blown out. For a while there is less protection against erosion, but dunes are self repairing ecosystems and will reform as long as there are native sand binders around to do the job.
In other areas, where residential developments have happened, the native sand binders have gone from the dunes. The dunes are less capable of adjusting to changes in the environment. Currently Environment Bay of Plenty is actively replanting native sand binders to restore this ability. With the prospect of future sea level rises from global warming this has to be a wise move.

There is one small upside to visiting areas where the wind has scoured right down to the water table. You could well be walking into prehistory. An old moa hunting site could be revealed, perhaps signs of fire on scattered rocks, or even collections of rounded moa gizzard stones. Who knows. It's always worth a look!

TUATEAWA AUTUMN

Despite a few, heavy but short downpours, there are many signs of drought around Tuateawa. The fronds of many black pongas have dried and died. Trees that were once dense and luxuriant are now a little more see through. The ground below is covered with more than the usual quantity of shed leaves.

On Kahutara, where the bones of the land are closer to the surface, there are large areas of browned off vegetation, presumably titree. In and amongst there are larger trees, maybe rewa rewa that have died. It is not unusual but it does seem a little more extreme than I can recall. Come the winter rains and it will start to recover.

Some things seem to be doing remarkably well. We have a legion of very healthy swan plants. The paper wasps, illegal aliens them selves, seem to be removing the Monarch caterpillars before they can really make an impact. There are far fewer adult Monarchs to be seen.
Most things seem to be proceeding as normal, the drought is just a small hiccup. The quail have forgotten summer differences and are in sizeable flocks. There are a lot of fruits around for the birds.

Some you would prefer to eat yourselves and others that will create weed problems in the future.

These Cotoneasters produce an heavy crop of fruit attractive to birds and the plant is becoming increasingly common in Tuateawa.

Not so edible is the seed of the Pohutukawa. Seed is just starting to be released and it is produced in incredible quantities.

Project Crimson has good advice on growing your own Pohutukawa from seed if you search out their website.