Tiritiri Matangi Island Signal Mast Reconstruction
Tiritiri Matangi Island Signal Mast Reconstruction
Author: Carl Hayson
Date: Taken from the Dawn Chorus, 135 November 2023
Header photo: Geoff Beals
The replica mast has been rebuilt to the exact specifications of the original structure which was erected in the late 19th century. It last existed in the 1940s but, along with all the other signal masts on lighthouse stations around the country, was taken down when manual signalling was no longer required. In the early 2000s, SoTM restored the 1908 watchtower which had fallen into disrepair, and this is now a popular attraction for visitors. The mast was an integral part of the original signal station, and when Ray Walter and Carl Hayson discovered a small section of the old mast in 2003, a plan was conceived to rebuild it.
Its original function was to provide shipping information to the Ports of Auckland in the days before wireless transmitters were available. Signalling was conducted with a combination of flags and woven baskets which were seen by a station on Mt Victoria in Auckland. At 25m tall, the mast is slightly higher than the lighthouse and can easily be seen from the sea.
The original signal mast; Centre: A Ministry of Transport drawing from 1913; Right: the replica signal mast. Montage compiled by Sheldon Bevan of Forged Fabrications
To work out the original dimensions of the mast, measurements were carefully taken of the surviving piece of the old stay foundations. A Ministry of Transport sketch from 1913 was unearthed, and this assisted with the draft drawings for a new mast by the Flagpole Company, who were engaged to design the new mast to the exact dimension of the original one. John Haycock, the director and planner, spent many hours bringing the drawings up to the required specifications.
However, the biggest hurdle was to raise funds for this special project (cost estimated at $180,000), as most funding organisations do not fund this kind of restoration. Additionally, the original mast was constructed of kauri and jarrah hardwood, weighed 2.5 tons, and would have been very difficult to build and erect.
Left: Ray and Carl with the old section of the mast 2003. Photo: Gaye Hayson
Right: The mast is secured to the tabernacle.Photo: Gaye Hayson
The project looked like it would not proceed, until our very capable Fundraising Manager, Juliet Hawkeswood, managed to obtain $40,000 from the Stout Trust and a further $5,000 from the Christopher Mace Trust. Quite a few Supporters had also made donations, but this was still not enough to proceed with the wooden mast. Then Forged Fabrications from East Tamaki, who had recently acquired the Flagpole Company, contacted us about making the structure in aluminium, a much lighter and stronger material. It would look just like the original and the funds that had been raised would be sufficient to cover the cost. This was accepted and, over the next 12 months, the mast took shape in their factory in Auckland. It was the largest mast they had ever constructed, and it took several attempts to get it right, which included bringing in specialist parts from Australia. In the interim, drilling equipment was brought to the Island to install new stays, a plinth was dug out by SoTM, and Coast Concrete were engaged to put in the concrete base for the tabernacle, which holds the mast in position.
When completed, the mast was trucked up to Whangaparāoa Peninsula where Matt Maitland from Auckland Council allowed it to be stored in Shakespear Regional Park. A helicopter from Skyworks was engaged to lift the mast to Tiritiri Matangi, where it was assembled, ready for placement.
Finally, the Skyworks helicopter lifted the whole mast, an impressive sight, and slotted it into position. The team from Forged Fabrications then set up the rigging and the mast was once again standing near the lighthouse station.
Ray Walter had found a 1931 admiralty book that listed the identification flags specific to Tiritiri and these had been made and were flown on the newly erected replica. Plans for the future include interpretation to show how flags and baskets were used for signalling, and displayed on special occasions.
Many thanks to Sheldon Bevan and Ryan Gouldstone from Forged Fabrications for the construction of the mast, Ian Higgins from SoTM for his organisation skills, Sarah McCready from Clough & Associates for the Heritage and Iwi consultation and planning, The Stout Trust for supplying the bulk of the funding, the Christopher Mace Trust, and John Haycock for the technical drawing work.
The kiwis are here
The kiwis are here
From the Tiritiri Matangi Archives
Editor: Zane Burdett
Bulletin No.14Date: August 1993
In fact, since the five pairs of little spotted kiwi arrived, they’ve been here, there and everywhere on Tiritiri – exploring what is now their new home.
They arrive on the 4th of July – ‘Kiwi Independence Day’. That day, over 500 people; babies, children, teenagers, adults, young and old, officials, sponsors, scientists, reporters and Yamagata whenua – had waited. They had waited together on a ridge under a great cloudy sky with a cool wind blowing – but the wait was worth it! The was the first public release of the little spotted kiwi. Maybe on this day the number of people in recent history to have seen a living little spotted kiwi in the feather had probably doubled!
The kiwis arrive by helicopter at about 3pm accompanied by representatives of Ngtai To a and Te Ottawa, tangata whenua of Kapiti Island, the Minister of Conservation Mr Denis Marshall and DoC staff. They were greeted by representatives of Te Kawerau a Maki, tangata whenua of Tiritiri Matangi. Following speeches by officials and Dell Hood and Mel Galbraith – 4 birds were taken by DoC staff and shown to the gathering. All the birds were taken to their released sites and placed into prepared burrows.
The arrival of the little spotted kiwi on Tiritiri was made possible by the Department of Conservation’s Kiwi Recovery Programme, supported by the BNZ and the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society and the commitment made by yourselves – the Supporters – to ensuring the viability of the Tiritiri Matangi project.
In the days following their release the birds’ nightly movements were recorded by Sibilla Girardet, an Auckland University post graduate student, assisted by Chris Te Pay. Shaarine Boyd of DoC monitored their roosting sites during the day.
Arrival of the little spotted kiwiLeft: Dick Veitch holding a kiwi
Right: Preparing to carry the kiwi
Photo credit: Val Smytheman
In their first nights all the birds, except those in Bush 22, split up. It appears that the females remained relatively close to their release areas in comparison to the males who explored large areas of the island. One bird was recorded as having travelled from the North of the Island to the ligthouse and back again in one night.
Sadly, only days after their release one male bird died as a result of injuries received when its transmitter become entangled in vegetation. Because of this the remaining birds were re-captured and their transmitters were removed to reduce further risk of death.
Since then two birds, in addition to the Buss 22 pair, have got together and have been heard calling in duet (one after the other) – a sign of possible pairing as the birds are coming into the breeding season. It would appear the birds are settling in well.
Pukupuku/little spotted kiwi
Pukupuku/little spotted kiwi
Author: Jonathan MowerDate: May 2024
Header image: John Sibley
Island visitor Darren Markin recently captured this footage of a foraging kiwi pukupuku/ little spotted kiwi, while walking one night along Tiritiri Matangi’s Ridge Road. Being nocturnal by nature, footage of active kiwi is relatively uncommon, so his footage is a rare record of kiwi’s feeding behaviour.
Kiwi pukupuku/little spotted kiwi are the smallest of the 5 surviving kiwi species, with the larger females averaging 1350g/30cm. Once widespread in both the North and South Islands, human arrival in New Zealand saw them disappear from both islands and the species diminished to only a small population on Kapiti Island, the descendants of a small number translocated there in 1912.
Descendents of these survivors were first translocated to Tiritiri Matangi in 1993 when five pairs were transferred from the Okupe Valley, Kapiti Island to Tiritiri Matangi Island on 4 July 1993. Subsequent translocations have boosted their numbers on the island to the point that their calls are regularly heard and, as Darren’s video attests, seen by visitors walking at night. This video is particularly useful in showing how kiwi forage for food.
Kiwi use their bill to detect their prey (mostly small invertebrates such as earthworms and insect larvae) and are often observed moving through their habitat while gently tapping the end of their bill on the ground as they search for prey.
Recent studies have suggested they are using a process known as ‘remote touch’ where prey is located by micro-receptors located in pits found toward the end of their downwardly curved bill, which is particularly concentrated around a bulbous area located at the end of the upper bill (the premaxilla) which overlaps the lower bill. Detecting prey using sensory pits at the end of the bill is an attribute also found in shorebirds and ibis species.
Kiwi are unique in the avian world in that their nares/ nostrils are located near the end of their bill, rather than near the beginning leading to the belief that prey is detected by smell. However, recent studies are suggesting that although do have a well-developed sense of smell, it may be used more in social interactions and territorial boundaries rather than in foraging for food.**
Kiwi are a unique taonga well worth the huge amount of effort that has been dedicated to ensuring their survival.
*https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2322
**https://www.aavac.com.au/files/2017-06.pdf
Video footage: Darren Markin
text: Jonathan Mower
Kōkako Music
Kōkako Music
Author: Ran Kampel, Assistant Professor of Clarinet Baylor University School of Music Texas, United States of AmericaDate: April 2024
Header Photo Credit: Darren Markin
Last month my wife and I attended a guided tour with Bethny Uptegrove on Tiritiri Matangi Island. We loved the beautiful colours of all the birds and enjoyed observing them fly around and interact with each other, but what we found to be the most fascinating was the variety of sounds and the birdcalls we heard during our visit.
Above all these birdcalls stood out the remarkable call of the Kōkako. Its intricate call captured our attention from the first moment we heard it! My wife and I are classically trained musicians (flute and clarinet respectively), who played with orchestras all over the world. This pure melodic pattern of the Kōkako call was one of the most beautiful chants we ever heard in nature.
Bethny, our guide, shared with us that the call we were listening to is unique to this specific pair of Kōkako who are controlling this exact part of the island. Their call can carry for kilometers and is used to mark their territory. It would only change the moment the male were to lose its dominance to a younger Kōkako. She also shared with us that the call was split between the male and female Kōkakos, but it was very hard for us to differentiate the two and tell what was the call and what was the response.
The pitch accuracy and control of the Kōkakos call was remarkable. It was very tonal and was comprised of full steps and half steps. In western tonal music all scales are comprised of half steps and full steps between the notes. This beautiful melody we were witnessing was comprised of 4 distinct pairs of notes grouped together. Each time the group of notes started on a higher note than the group proceeding it with the last pair of notes repeating the same note twice:
The last repeated Si bemols were the least stable pitch-wise and got lower intonation-wise, which is surprisingly a common phenomenon in classical music (especially among students) to drop the “pitch support” at the end of the phrase. However, the impeccable pitch accuracy with each repetition of the kōkakos call was quite remarkable!
The sound quality of the kōkakos call reminded us of the tone of a glass harmonica or the sound one makes when running your fingers on the rim of a glass with some water.
It had a real transparent timbre, which gave it the very haunting colour of a surreal instrument.
Moreover, in contrast to most other birdcalls, which are very rhythmical with fast active measured repeating patterns, the kōkakos call was unique in its amorphous sense of time and undefined rhythms. The sense of pulse (time) of the call was very free and unpredictable. At times there were long-held rests (quiet moments) between each pair of notes which made it hard to predict when the next note of the call would happen. This absence of clear time gave the call a magical almost rhapsodic-like free-flowing mood, as if it was improvised on the spot.
I wish we had an opportunity to listen to a version of a different kōkakos pair and compare their melody with the one we heard. Next time you are in Tiritiri Matangi Island, try to capture their call and compare it with “our kōkakos call”.
Copper Rod
Copper Rod
Author: Trevor Scott
Header Photo from the archives, pre 1971Date: March 2024
Did you know that lighthouses are often struck by lightning? To prevent damage caused by these strikes, lighthouses are equipped with metal poles called lightning rods. These rods are attached to a thick copper wire that runs from the top of the lighthouse down to the ground. When lightning strikes the tower, it enters through the lightning rod and travels down the wire into the ground, minimizing potential damage.
Trevor Scott, who was the lighthouse keeper on Tiritiri Matangi from 1958-1960 and 1966-1969, shared that he remembers seeing the spare left over copper rods used to hang up curtains in the lighthouse keepers house.
Trevor Scott has writtenCopper Rod
Used for lightning conductor on Tiritiri Lighthouse. This runs under ground from the base of the tower northwards east of the Norfolk pin to the bottom of the gully where a plate of copper is attached and buried in the swamp. In 1958 this and other pieces were under the maracarpa. Also the old house that was on the eastern cliff side had used the left over as curtain rods.
Trevor Scott holding the copper rod that he has gifted to the Tiritiri Matangi Museum
Photo credit: Talia Hochwimmer
The Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse pre 1971, from the archives
The Tiritiri Matangi Lighthouse today
Photo credit: Geoff Beals
Not your average Tuesday on Tiritiri Matangi – or maybe it is!
Not your average Tuesday on Tiritiri Matangi – or maybe it is!
Author: Grant Birley. From his second visit to the Island and his first overnight stay.
Photo credit: Grant BirleyDate: 20th March 2024
My Tuesday morning on the island started like any other morning on Tiritiri Matangi. Up early to get out into the bush to enjoy the dawn’s chorus – it truly is a sound to behold! Then it was back to the bunkhouse for a quick breakfast and coffee, a little breakfast chat around the table and then off on what was going to be a very busy day! The forecast wasn’t great with predictions of rain coming through but that was not to deter my plans of walking around the entire Island! I started at the Bunkhouse and went up the East Coast Track all the way to the Papakura Pa and then back along the tracks that hugged the Western coastline. While it was a long day, it yielded some great sightings and a few special captures too. I absolutely loved the variation in flora and fauna at different stages along the island.
My photography goals on the island were two fold. Firstly, in the day, to traverse as much of the island in search of the incredible bird and wildlife that call Tiritiri Matangi home and, secondly, to capture and experience the magic of the night that has become synonymous with this island, from the very elusive and incredibly special creatures who wander the night like tuatara, kiwi and giant wētā to the incredibly dark skies that are found here. Capturing the new milky way core rising high up into the sky above the lighthouse which will then, hopefully, be followed by an incredible sunrise was one of my main goals for the trip! To capture this and more, sleep and rest were merely afterthoughts!
On this specific Tuesday the Island had one more surprise up its sleeve! Talia had mentioned that on their swim the night prior to our arrival, that they had come across bioluminescence in the water when they went for a swim. However, it was only visible when the water was disturbed! I tried finding some for two nights and came up empty handed. While there might’ve been in the water, for me, I prefer capturing this phenomenon on its own terms and so unless the colour occurs naturally, I do not capture it. I am happy to play in it though on those occasions!
On our last evening on the island, two volunteers Jon and Kath joined me for a walk to see if we could spot some kiwi and tuatara. I also had a feeling that it might pay to head down to the wharf and Hobbs Beach just to have one last look if any bio was around and making its presence known. On our way there we bumped into three kiwi – one adult which wandered around us for a little while and who eventually disappeared into the bush. We decided to sit and wait to see if it came out again. A few minutes passed and all of a sudden we heard quite the commotion coming from the same direction the kiwi disappeared into the bush. The bush was too thick for us to see what was going on but soon after, this very young and small kiwi came wandering out and into the open. It walked straight up to us, mulled around for a short period and then moved on past us and into the bush on the opposite side. It took us a few minutes to appreciate what we had just seen and all 3 of us looked at each other to confirm we were all seeing the same thing. That interaction and experience in itself was enough to yield our walk a success, however I still felt the need to go have a look see down at the waters edge. We then bumped into another kiwi on the Wattle Track on our way down although this was a short-lived interaction as the kiwi moved away from us and into the bush. When we arrived down at the wharf it was just on high tide, the wind was blowing in off the sea making it a little choppy. As we walked up to the wharf we switched our headlamps off and I could immediately see blue shimmers on the surface of the water and every so often a flash of blue in the waves crashing on the beach. I raced along the waterfront to see if there was any a little further down closer to Hobbs Beach and sure enough there was. Not much and quite infrequent but enough to get me excited. I decided at this point to make a very speedy return to the bunkhouse to collect my camera gear – you see I left the bulk of my gear behind as the idea of the walk was not of photography but more to enjoy the experience without the pressure to capture images. By the time I had returned the tide had turned and was on it’s way out. The wind was still up and it was starting to rain – albeit very softly. Each time the rain started we seemed to have a burst of blue. It wasn’t long before the wind died down and the outgoing tide turned from some nice, small sized waves to very flat! I thought that was it – there was not enough water movement to stir it up! But, if you know me you will know I don’t give up easily and I have also learnt a thing or two about this stuff – mostly that it sings to its own tune and no matter how good you think you are, it is impossible to predict what it is going to do. I was beyond excited when I realised the “blue show” was starting to kick off as the tide moved out and as it went out so the blue started making it’s way down the shoreline from the wharf to Hobbs Beach. I followed it along the coast chasing the more vibrant sections as they popped up.
It was incredibly vibrant and visible to the naked eye and what my camera was capturing was in fact the same as what I could see. At times, the “sparkles” resembled scenes from Avatar or Moana with entire areas glistening in blue sparkles! Rocks seemed to come alive with “blue glitter” at times!
It was beyond incredible. I spent the entire evening moving up and down the shoreline capturing the blue as it would kick off until eventually, just like that, it disappeared in the blink of an eye. By this time the tide was super low and apart from very feint and infrequent shimmers here and there on the surface of the water, you would not even know it was or had been there!
After packing up and still being on cloud 9 I decided I would still try find a tuatara and so set off with that in mind albeit close to the break of dawn at this stage. No more than maybe 10 metres from where I started my walk back I came across my first tuatara for the night. On the edge of the bush line and beach, it scampered into the undergrowth when I got close – I had originally not even seen it and it was only the noise of it scurrying that caught my attention. I was then fortunate to come across several more as I walked to the end of the Hobbs Beach track. Having seen several I decided it was time to head back as it was impossible to have more luck! Boy was I wrong! As I got to where the Hobbs Beach Track opens up into the wharf area something caught my eye and right there, in the open stood another kiwi. Again, it is one of those moments where for a split second you second guess yourself until the message from your eyes to your brain registers! I stood dead still and let it go about its business as if I was not there. I got to spend a good amount of time with this one and even got to follow it slowly down the track until it moved off deeper into the bush! Believe it or not I saw several more kiwi on my walk back to the bunkhouse as I was trying to get back to the lighthouse to capture some pictures of the break of dawn and sunrise. A quick trip back to the bunkhouse followed to drop off all the gear and then back out to find a spot to sit and listen to the dawn’s chorus as the sun begins to rise! To round off the perfect evening/morning, it was back to bunkhouse for breakfast and a well deserved coffee!
My Tuesday had quickly become my Wednesday!
As I said, sleep and rest were optional and by all accounts an after thought!
Tuatara during the day
Tuatara at night
Wētāpunga during the day
Tikanga Māori
Tikanga Māori
We acknowledge the spiritual, ancestral, cultural, customary and historical interests in this motu held by iwi and hapu of Ngāti Manuhiri, Te Kawerau ā Maki, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Rehua, Ngāti Wai and the thirteen collective iwi and hapu of Ngā Mana Whenua o Tamaki Makaurau.
Websites:
- Ngāti Manuhiri – https://www.ngatimanuhiri.iwi.nz
- Te Kawerau ā Maki – https://tekawerau.iwi.nz
- Ngāti Paoa – https://www.ngatipaoaiwi.co.nz
- Ngāti Rehua – https://ngatirehua.com
- Ngāti Wai – https://ngatiwai.iwi.nz
Te reo
Helpful Guidelines for all SoTM members for upskilling inTe Reo Māori.
- https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/maori-language-week/114961703/power-te-reo-maori-video-lesson-pronounce-words-with-confidence
- The following link has been provided by the 2022 Year 11 te reo Māori students at Rangitoto College. It is excellent for learning about vowel and consonant sounds, and the use of macrons, in te reo Māori. It includes some key words specific to Tiritiri Matangi.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/190hdBjzxyx_2Cpe8DC8aMI4mlyZUShyqjW62rN-6hvY/edit?usp=sharing - Note the Māori Bird Lore – An Introduction by Murdoch Riley is available in the office for guides/ SoTM members to pick up and dip into during lunch breaks.
- Kupu Māori / words. Ideal to constantly check the aural: Te Aka Māori Dictionary http://maoridictionary.co.nz/ The sound in Māori is often quite different from the way many of us have traditionally pronounced kupu /words.
Treaty Settlements
Click on the image to read the Deed of Settlement between the Crown and Te Kawarau ā Maki
Deed Settlement details between the Crown and Ngāti Manuhiri
Details of the Settlement between the Crown and Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the Tāmaki Collective)
Māori History and Stories
Click here to listen to 'Kupe and the Giant Wheke'
We chatter quietly away and then someone hears the first kōkako calls
We chatter quietly away and then someone hears the first kōkako calls
Author and photo credit: Kathryn JonesDate: 10th February 2024
It’s 4.30 am, pitch dark, on a morning in early December. I woke before my alarm went off. Time to start my day. Luckily I am a morning person. I get dressed in my work clothes quickly and quietly, trying to make as little noise as possible so others can continue to sleep. Outside I look up at the moon, the stars, and the lighthouse lights with awe. The team gathers in the bunkhouse kitchen and dining area for a bit of breakfast, and then we each go through our own routine to get ready to go out into the field. Boots, water bottle, binoculars, hand-held radio, pack with snacks and other miscellaneous gear, head torch with red light on. We walk across the grass to the implement shed to sign out and have a safety briefing. It is still dark. We head out to where we are going to look for our first pair of kōkako for the day.
Often we head up Coronary Hill and admire the early dawn colours, and then head quickly away. Sometimes, walking along Ridge Rd, ruru fly past you and brush ever so slightly against your arm. We chatter quietly away and then someone hears the-first kōkako calls and we then all listen intently. We reach the area we are going to be working in, and the team leader organises us into starting positions around the territory and does a communications check to make sure we can hear each other on the radios. There is a sense of anticipation about today’s mission. We are listening out for the first kōkako calls from the pair we are looking for. If the dawn chorus is underway, it is fabulous to listen to it as I am patrolling my allocated area. Then someone in the team will call through the radio that they have heard kōkako calling. This may be anything from a single note, to tuks, to soft calls, to a territorial call. This is where the kōkako pair are starting their day.
Left: Bátor as a fledgling eating dandelion flowers on the lawn behind the bunkhouse
Right: Awenga as a nestling with two smaller siblings
We find them by following their calls to the source. We go into the bush when it is light enough to see. It may take a bit longer for it to be light enough to see the bands to identify the individual kōkako. This is an art in itself, because you may be able to see one leg, but not the other depending on what the bird is doing. Patience is needed! The kōkako move to and call from a few trees in their territory to let other kōkako know to stay out. We follow them to wherever they have moved to. Sometimes this is straightforward, and other times we are navigating lots of tree branches and flax! Also the pair may split up, so we are then following two separate birds. Working with a team of people makes the job easier because there are other eyes and ears on the pair, greatly increasing our odds of keeping tabs on them. There is enough light now to see the bands and identify the individuals.
Left: Hina as a fledgling learning to move from tree to tree at the North East end of the Island
Right: Moby as a fledgling still with his parents being groomed by his dad, Te Koha Wait, at the middle water station on the Wattle Track
We keep watching their behaviour until we can determine where they are at in the breeding cycle – courtship, nest building, incubating eggs, rearing chicks. Sometimes this is more obvious than other times! There are lots of smiles and dancing when we regroup if we have located a new nest site. Then we move onto the next pair of kōkako, and start again.
We come back to the bunkhouse sometime between 10 and 12 and have second breakfast, clean and pack up, and then often have an early lunch. Team members coming onto the Island for the day are briefed and we then decide what work we are going to do in the afternoon. At this time of year there are a number of the pairs of kōkako on nests. We do nest watches to determine whether the nest is still being used, and if so whether the female is laying eggs, incubating or brooding nestlings, and if the male is coming in to feed them. I like nest watches. It is a still, focused activity and I feel a sense of privilege at being there. Often you can only see brief movement because the nest is so well hidden. I always leave the site with a sense of satisfaction if the nest is active, and sadness if it has been abandoned.
Left: Jenny (in the middle) and her parents having a bath at a takahē water station at Nohoa's junction
Right: Fledgling having a bath up at the Visitor's Centre
Over time I have got to know the personalities of some of the kōkako and take that into consideration when monitoring the individuals. Tiritiri Matangi is their place, their home, and I am a visitor who wants to help to increase the number of the species and help it to thrive. I am lucky that I am part of a team working toward that goal! We get great reports on sightings of kōkako from other people, which helps with the monitoring. We get back into the bunkhouse between 5 and 6 pm. After signing in, a shower is very welcome. Tea next, and a debrief and plan for the morning hatched, and then in my case an early night!
Spade brigade
Spade brigade
Photo credits: Neil Davies
It’s inspiring to think about the planting programme that started in 1984 on the island to help restore the native birdlife habitat. It’s impressive that over 10 years 280,000 trees were planted by volunteers, which included thirty different species of trees and shrubs. These volunteers formed the “spade brigade” and used pointed spades to plant seedlings that had germinated in the island’s nursery. It’s great to see people coming together to preserve the natural environment. Thanks to the vision of the Neil Mitchell and John Craig who thought of the idea and to the efforts of the volunteers.
The Tiritiri Matangi project changed the way conservation was done in New Zealand. Previously, only a select group of privileged scientists were involved in conservation efforts, which mostly took place in remote areas. However, this project paved the way for community-led-conservation, making it possible for everyone to be involved in conservation.
Below are the before and after photos showing the forest growth.
View from coronary hill looking north
Supporters on their way to the island
Lighthouse from Wattle Valley
Looking east over Fisherman's Bay
Top of the Wharf Road
View from the lighthouse
View from the lighthouse
Before photo - 1984, Mel Galbraith digging steps along the Wattle Track
Click on the image to visit the Auckland Museum article - A spade, a saddleback, and thousands of trees
Click on the image to read more about Tiritiri Matangi Biodiversity Plan
Click on the image to find out more about Tiritiri Matangi: A Model of Conservation - Anne Rimmer
#conservation #auckland #regeneration #TāmakiMakaurau #nature #planting