Community Newsletter
June 2015
Contents
Royal visit to Ōhiwa
Royal visit to Ōhiwa
One of the less famous, but equally rare, royals is visiting Ōhiwa. The Royal
spoonbill pictured below is one of a small flock of approximately 20 birds that was
spotted at both Ōhiwa and the Whakatāne Harbours.
‘Rivers to Ocean’ field trip 24 June
Nukuhou Care Group 1000th
celebration
Towards a pest free harbour
Waiōtahe School efforts pay off
Mangrove project progress
Royal spoonbills were first seen in the harbour in 2009. Since then their numbers
have steadily increased and this year the flock was seen at various locations in the
harbour. The same group has also visited the Whakatāne Estuary. A small number
of birds from Australia first began breeding in New Zealand as recently as 1949 but
have now become a common sight at many estuaries around the country when
they disperse from their winter breeding colonies.
Heritage trail underway
Cycle Trail expansion
Nukuhou River works
Upcoming events
Book your place on the
‘Rivers to Ocean’ field
trip on 24 June from
10am to 2:30pm
Places are limited, so if
you’re interested, please
RSVP to Tim Senior on 0800
884 881, extn 6010 or email
tim.senior@boprc.govt.nz
This newsletter is brought to you by
the Ōhiwa Harbour Strategy
Coordination Group (OHSCG), which
is a partnership between Bay of
Plenty Regional Council, Whakatāne
and Ōpōtiki District Councils,
Department of Conservation,
Upokorehe, Whakatōhea, Tūhoe (Te
Kaaku) and Ngāti Awa.
Mike Collins spotted this rare and regal visitor, the Royal
spoonbill, on the Ōhiwa mudflats.
Spoonbills feed on small invertebrates and fish by sweeping their bills in smooth
sideways arcs. Interestingly, they feed at night as much as by day as they rely on
touch to detect food.
This group is responsible for
implementing actions from the Ōhiwa
Harbour Strategy (OHS) and keeping
the community informed.
Add your voice
Your feedback is welcomed. If you
would like to share your stories or
find out more about any of the
projects in this newsletter, please
contact the coordinator of the Ōhiwa
Harbour Strategy implementation,
Tim Senior, at the Bay of Plenty
Regional Council. Email
tim.senior@boprc.govt.nz or phone
0800 884 880.
Perhaps surprisingly for such a large, long-legged
bird, Royal spoonbills often roost in groups high up in
trees. This photo was taken by a resident of Ōhope at
one of the tiny islets behind Ohakana Island (thanks to
Hal Wrathall).
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‘Rivers to Ocean’ field trip 24 June
Nukuhou Care Group 1000th celebration
A mid-winter field trip is planned for farmers and residents
from around Ōhiwa and its catchment. Leaving by bus from
Tauwhare Pa at 9.45am, we will be visiting three places of
interest with a BBQ lunch provided along the way. (Tauwhare
Pa car park is between the Harbour Rd turnoff and the Oyster
Farm).
The Nukuhou Salt Marsh Care group members recently
celebrated the ‘1000th pest trapped’, which doesn’t include
the probably similar number that will have succumbed to their
poisoning programme. Another ‘1000 milestone’ is the
number of hours of voluntary work the group has put in
between the members over the last year.
The tour will guide participants to look at key issues and
actions in the catchment, from Ōhiwa harbour to Nukuhou.
Members of the Nukuhou Saltmarsh Care Group celebrate their
trapping success after reaching the1000th pest milestone.
After leaving Tauwhare Pa, we will visit three sites, where
discussions will cover farm management, heritage
preservation, environmental and recreation management,
community action, and more.
Removal of rats from Uretara Island has led to a noticeable
increase in native seedlings. Steve Brightwell from the
Department of Conservation presented the group with a very
special cake in recognition of their hard work.
Also recently, a stand of unwanted willow trees growing along
the North West side of the Nukuhou Saltmarsh was poisoned
over summer. Once the trees have died and collapsed, native
vegetation will re-colonise the area under the watchful eyes of
the group.
Towards a pest free harbour
Recently, several harbour-side residents expressed interest in
carrying out pest control on and around their properties.
There are now quite large areas of the harbour margins and
nearby bush areas where rats, stoats and possums are kept
to very low levels. Small groups of residents getting together
can have a huge impact on pests, stimulating thriving harbour
wildlife. Each pest removed potentially allows another nest full
of chicks to successfully fledge. The individual work and time
commitment for such projects by may be very small, but it can
make a big difference.
The tour will finish back at Tauwhare Pa at 2.30pm.
Book your place on the ‘Rivers to Ocean’ field
trip on 24 June from 10am to 2:30pm
Keen to beat the animal pests at your place?
Places are limited, so if you’re interested, please
RSVP to Tim Senior on 0800 884 881, extn 6010 or
email tim.senior@boprc.govt.nz
Give Tim Senior a call 0800 884 881 extn 6010, or
email tim.senior@boprc.govt.nz
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Community Newsletter
June 2015
Waiōtahe School efforts pay off
Mangrove project progress
Over the past decade, the ever-changing harbour currents
have eroded the northern side of Whangakopikopiko (Tern)
Island. As a result, many very old kanuka trees have
disappeared into the tide.
Last summer, volunteers led by Upokorehe removed small
seedlings that had grown back in previously cleared areas in
the eastern side of the harbour. It’s time now to move to the
Wainui and Paparoa areas on the western side of the
harbour. There are some places here where seedling
mangroves are spreading very rapidly.
The Whangakopikopiko kanuka trees are quite different from
the common mainland variety (Kunzea robusta) and are the
same species as those found in Thornton’s dunes (Kunzea
toelkenii). They were probably once widespread along the
eastern Bay of Plenty coast.
If you live around Wainui and Paparoa Road areas and
would like to get involved for a few hours of mangrove
removal now and again, give Tim Senior a call on 0800 881,
ext 6010, or email tim.senior@boprc.govt.nz.
Heritage trail underway
Now that a revamp of signage around the harbour is well
underway, it’s timely to extend this work to incorporate the
long-planned Ōhiwa Harbour heritage trail. The first stage of
the trail will focus on ten sites of interest around the harbour
during the 2015-2016 year. Stage one will encompass the
natural heritage theme. Two other themes, recent history and
Māori heritage, will be developed in the subsequent two
years. The Māori heritage stage of the project will be
developed in conjunction with local iwi.
Erosion ravaged kanuka on the shores of
Whangakopikopiko Island in the Ōhiwa Harbour.
The project involves providing interpretation signage about
interesting aspects of the harbour and will also improve
access and parking at the chosen sites.
Eight years ago, Meg Collins from the local care group
enlisted the help of Waiōtahe School students to collect seed
from the trees, propagate seedlings and then plant them on
the island to replace the lost trees.
A clear message from the research into recreation around the
harbour, and from workshops held to develop a refreshed
Ōhiwa Strategy document, is that visitors and locals alike are
keen to learn more about the harbour.
Now, many of those special ‘Waiōtahe trees’ have survived
and reached around 1.5 metres in height. Thanks to the
students’ project and the care groups’ removal of rabbits from
the island, it is beginning to return to its former glory. Thanks
Waiōtahe School!
Cycle Trail expansion
Ōpōtiki District Council (ODC) has made a consent
application to extend the Ōhiwa harbour-side trail from the
new whakaruruhau (shelter) recently built at the Ōhiwa Spit to
Bryan’s Beach behind the sand dunes.
It’s hoped that this will form another part of the Eastern Bay
cycle route. The latest step in the progress of this project is
that, if successful, this trail will provide links with Whakatāne
and Kawerau, and ultimately perhaps with Rotorua. The trail
could become another local tourist attraction and make a
significant contribution to the Eastern Bay economy.
Whakatāne District Council is also investigating the possibility
of building a cycle trail from Tauwhare Pa to Burma Road to
complete a cycling circuit that incorporates Pohutukawa
Avenue and Maraetotara Road.
A community-planting programme initiated by Meg Collins
(pictured) and Waiōtahe School has seen a dramatic
improvement in the Kanuka population on
Whangakopikopiko Island.
ODC has put in an application to the New Zealand Cycle
Trails (NZCT) to extend the Motu Trails infrastructure from
Ōpōtiki through to the Ōhiwa Spit.
The school is now looking at another long-term project around
the harbour – watch this space!
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The best time to listen for kiwi is up to two hours after dark
and just before dawn.
Nukuhou River works
For over a decade, with the support of BOPRC, farmers have
been working to improve water quality in the Nukuhou River
catchment by fencing the river and its tributaries, removing
the old trees that were falling into the river and replanting with
natives or shrub willows wherever possible.
Want to hear what kiwi calls sound like? Download the kiwi
calls at http://www.whakatanekiwi.org.nz/about-new-zealandkiwi/whakarongo-mai.asp
Upcoming events
If you’ve driven along SH2 recently, you will have noticed the
latest work in this programme on two farms. This has involved
the careful placement of rock on the outside of river bends
and re-contouring of the inside in an effort to reduce the
erosion of the river banks. It is hoped that, in the long term,
this will help reduce sediment flowing into the harbour.
Kiwi night walks
Want to hear kiwi calling in the wild? Join the Whakatane Kiwi
Trust Kiwi night walks - every Friday evening during June.
Contact admin@whakatanekiwi.org.nz
Onekawa Te Mawhai Regional Park planting day
10am, Sunday, July 12th. A BBQ will follow the planting. This
is a great opportunity to find out a bit more about your local
regional park, add your contribution to its enhancement, get a
bit of healthy exercise and catch up with a few other local
folks over a cuppa.
‘Rivers to Ocean’ educational bus tour
Wednesday, 24th June . Meet: 9:45 at Tauwhare Pa, Ōhope.
Depart: 10am Sharp. Finish: 2:30 pm at Tauwhare Pa,
Ōhope.
A BIG THANK YOU!
* To the Ōhiwa resident who kindly replaced the
barriers at the end of Ōhiwa Harbour Road on the
Ōhiwa Spit. The dune plants and dotterels will
thank you too
Similar work was recently undertaken by ODC in the
Matekerepu Gorge, in this case to protect the road from
undermining by the river.
* To the resident who thoughtfully cut the strangling
wire mesh from the trunks of some Pohutukawa
trees at the Loop Rd boat ramp
Want to hear kiwi calling?
It is currently kiwi mating season (April to June) and so an
ideal time to listen for kiwi calling and to gather information
about population numbers and extent.
Kiwi call at night to mark territory and stay in touch with their
mate. On still nights, their distinctive, piercing calls can travel
more than one kilometre.
* To all the folks who got out on to the beaches
after cyclone Pam and picked up plastic and other
debris
‘Kiwi listening’ has kicked off at Pukeruru (near the Ōhiwa
Boat Ramp) to assess the population there; over many years,
local residents have heard what may be a male kiwi calling.
Tawa Kingi from the Department of Conservation in Ōpōtiki is
leading this project initiated by local residents.
* To those keeping us up to date on the number
and whereabouts of black swans in the harbour
The male North Island brown kiwi call is an upward shrill,
single note, repeated about 15-20 times. The female is a
lower-pitched, coarse rasping cry, also repeated about 15-20
times.
* To all those who do all the good work around the
catchment and harbour and thereby keep us
supplied with plenty of stories!
Male kiwi calls can easily be confused with morepork (ruru),
pukeko and other nocturnal animals, but the morepork call is
usually lower in tone and only repeated seven to 10 times.
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