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Published: October 4th 2008
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on the way to Tawharanui Hello again, got back yesterday from a fantastic week in Tawharanui (pronounced Taf-ara-noo-ee). Stunning is all I can say really!
The team leader we had this week (Dan) was beltin, knew his stuff (as is an ecologist) and was great fun.
MON - On the way we planted flax, cabbage tree, teatree, kanuka, manuka... for a farmer to help restore wetlands and filter water that flows into the rivers and lakes leading from the area. Tough work as the ground was pretty much solid clay, we may aswell have made pots! Then on up to Tawharanui park, the entrance much like that of Jurrasic Park as they had a predator proof fence with and automatic gate opening thing. As we got there at about 4.30 we just settled in rather than doing any work as we had already done so in the farmers field.
TUES - planted 730 flax and cabbage tree plants in the wetlands in the park, Dan let us finish at 3 so we had some left to plant the next day and also because we had worked well. He took us to the beach to look for NZ Dotterel (pretty bird a bit smaller than
a dove...i think) we saw 2 (a mating pair, fantastic news as they have been introduced and are fairly rare) and 2 black oyster catcher - also a dead penguin 😞 Beach was beautiful, as was the whole area, and we were climbing the rocks (bare foot me and dan, sharpish rocks but is all good) looking for anything and everything, found sea cucumber, crabs, 11 armed starfish, anenome, sponge...spent about 2 hours on the beach, got quite cold at the end because the wind had got up and the sun was going down. Found tons of shells including a rare type of Paua shell and your typical Paua shell too :D Me and Karl cooked that night, that was interesting, making a cheese sauce for 8 people is something I havnt really had to do before, it was yummy though 😊
WEDS - finished planting (over 2 days we had planted 1200 plants :D) at about 12.30ish, earlier than Dan thought and we had no more to do that day so he let us wander round. Me and Karl went to the beach (Jones's Bay) opposite the vol-hole (where we stayed) looking for skinks, didnt find any but
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First group photo of this week :)
from top left karl, me, phillipa, peter, dan (team leader)
from bottom left mayuko, kengo, monika we found a huge dead lionsmane jellyfish and on the way back we found a bellbird (brightly coloured self introduced). After that at about 2, Dan took us on the ecology trail - an area of original bush - was brilliant, wild and tangled full of native plants as it was left alone by settlers. Learnt so many trees (18 so far) and saw a Kingfisher, wood pigeon (way better than the uk one), fantail and the NZ Robin - I would put the mauri names but obvs you wouldnt know what i was on about! Got back had food and then played pictionary _ right laugh1 My team won (Karl, Dan and Kengo 38 Japan - hes over for a year and a half to try and get immigration, hes mental!!! was his birhday over he weekend so Dan bought him a cake and candles and we had it on Mon and sang Happy Bday to him, was brilll, hope I get Dan in my birthday week, mind you he only does this once a month so I may not 😞 )
THURS - mulching today (chopped up wood pieces like woodchips and its spread aropund the bases
of plants to help keep the moisture in) on Anchor Beach in the sand dunes, very tough work shovelling the mulch into the barrows and i got a big blister on my thumb so swapped half day to barrow the mulch to the plants where Karl spread it around the bases (sadly all he could do due to his shoulder). Was good crack though as the team we had this week was really great and we all got on well (twas me, Karl, Mayuko, Peter, Monika 50 Austria, Kengo, Phillipa) Had an hour for lunch down on the beach, beautiful, again and nice and warm too, took of my boots, nice airing for my feet :D found a Cicada (big black insect a bit like a cricket). Mid-afternoon we had finished mulching and moved onto fertilising the dunes, fun, me and Karl partnered up to chuck it arouind the place. On the way back to the vol-hole, as i was sat in the front of the van had to unlock all the gates, the key got stuck in one of the padlocks so Dan had tor un back to the rangers house for a spare key as we wee stuck
between gates!! we eventually got back to the house after about 1/2 hr when it should have been 10mins!! Food, shower then made a flower from a flax leaf with Dan, took about 2 hours (i have a pic of it) and we got to bed well after the others at about 11.30!! hehe, well worth it though 😊
FRI - last day at tawharanui 😞 made predator boxes (traps for weasels, stoats, rats, cats and rabbits) ijn the morning for 2hours - had to leave early as Dan had a meeting at one at the office - left by 11 and what should have taken 1.5hrs took 3+ because there were massive holdups for south bound auckland traffiic (us) got back at about 2, wnt to the office where we found out what were doing next week (kauri fores :DDD cant wait!!!) and fiona prints off info on local events and theres a festival called Big Day Out and BULLET ARE PLAYING :DD I may just have to go to it :DD back to the house, onto the internet then into auckland drinking, was fun, met Jasper 18 Boston, USA and Mike 22 Fort William, Scotland who were
on kates team this week, really nice, shame Jasper flew out to christchurch tooday but Mikes here for another 2 weeks 😊 fun stuff, got back at 2am and Linda cooked me n Mike pancakes (yummy)
SAT - me and Karl into Auckland for internet, load up pics and to see about another tattoo for him, Dave, previous volunteer, told me about a really good place for mauri tats, i believe i will get one at some point 😊
so here I am, back to the present time, I want to be back in Tawharanui with the rest of em 😞 never mind, i will be going back at some point in the next 5 months but now to upload photos.
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