NOVEMBER 2009
Carol and Abby
Names:
Carol and Abby
Occupations
Office Manager and High School Student
Why did you volunteer on Motutapu the first time?
(Carol) I wanted to find something interesting and worthwhile. Found an article in the 'Next; magazine and thought - 'I can do that'. I Have been hooked ever since.
(Abby) I wanted to do my share in helping the environment
What has been your most notable experience when volunteering on Motutapu so far?
(Carol) Sitting on the back of the flatbed pouring down with rain. Luckily my wet weather gear actually works!
(Abby) Sitting on the back of the truck and laughing at my mum when her hat blew into a stream!
How often have you guys volunteered on Motutapu?
Since around June 2009, every fortnight
Will you volunteer on Motutapu again?
(Carol)Yes, all the time
(Abby) Y E S !!
What would you say to to thers who might think about volunteering on Motutapu?
(Carol) Do it! It's really enjoyable, friendly people and to think that in 10 years time the trees you planted are part of the islands environment.
(Abby) Definitely try it. It's very worthwhile knowing you're doing something good for NZ. And everyone is so friendly!
OCTOBER 2009
The irrepressible Mr Ken Samson
Our thanks to the East and Bays Courier edition dated 9 October 2009 for permission to reprint their article
 Moth pods drive Ken Samson mad. So mad that he spends hours collecting them in the precious native plantings on the island of Motutapu. Mr Samson has a love-hate relationship with the choko-like pods.He gets quite irritated when he spots one even when out and about in Mission Bay where he lives.
He cannot bear to leave a single moth pod to burst and have the wind spread its hundreds of seeds far and wide.As a long-time volunteer for the Motutapu Restoration Trust on Motutapu Island, Mr Samson can spot a moth pod or its vine from miles away - such is his addiction to ridding the island of this weed.
Reaching up to six metres high, moth plant, araujia sericifera, is a vigorous exotic vine with a pretty white flower.It has the ability to compete with, smother and replace mature native trees.It is a problem in urban gardens, parks and other public areas where it can become the dominant species. Its milky white sap irritates the skin and the pods can be harmful if eaten.
It grows readily once the large pear-shaped pods split, revealing a mass of fluffy seeds that disperse in the wind.A native of Brazil and Argentina, it was brought to New Zealand in the 1880s as an ornamental plant and for its supposed ability to trap codling moths in its flowers.It proved ineffective but in the meantime it spread far and wide including on to Motutapu where it grew to plague proportions.
Moth plant is found in most neighbourhoods in Auckland.
Fortunately, some of the serious infestations on Motutapu are slowly becoming a thing of the past thanks to the determination of Mr Samson and a band of dedicated volunteers who work year round eradicating the weed. Mr Samson has successfully filled dozens and dozens of onion sacks with around 60 pods each - effectively stopping a whole generation of thousands of new moth plants from germinating in the rapidly growing native forest.
In spite of all the work of Mr Samson's team there is still more weed control to be done before the Motutapu forest can be rid of moth plant.Volunteers are urgently needed over the spring and summer to deal with any surviving plants before they flower and there is another crop of pods.
The Motutapu Restoration Trust holds a public volunteer day every first, third and fifth Sunday of the month all year.For more information contact Bridget on 524-5072, Belinda 522-0919 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Well done Ken !
SEPTEMBER 2009
Nanda McLaren
Name:
Nanda
Occupation:
IT Slave
Why did you volunteer on Motutapu the first time?
I spent several happy holidays at MOEC and wanted to give something back to the island
What has been your most notable experience when volunteering on Motutapu so far?
Planting trees in a bog under the guidance of an excited scientist
How often have you volunteered on Motutapu?
About 20 times over a few years
Will you volunteer on Motutapu again?Definitely!
Do you volunteer on your own or with a group?
Usually on my own, but sometimes I bring along a friend or family member
What would you say to others who might think about volunteering on Motutapu?
Try it - you'll be doing something really worthwhile
AUGUST 2009
Pakuranga College
Pakuranga College visited the island during August and helped plant landscape the DoC camp ground in Home Bay. They did a fantastic job. Ace Pakuranga College volunteer, Ben Dowdle (pictured centre left), wrote the following account
Motutapu Tree Planting
As we headed towards Motutapu aboard the Fullers ferry it seemed as though Pakuranga College might finally have a sunny tree planting day. We clutched our Esquires hot chocolates in our hands as the ferry moved throughout the Hauraki Gulf. We were heading out to Motutapu Island to help plant trees as part of the Motutapu Restoration Project. We were to be joined on that day by Auckland University Student Rotary, Pupuke student Rotary as well as many individuals who wanted to do their bit. Our group represented the Pakuranga College Environment Council.
While on the ferry, our teacher, Ms Arnold got talking with an Italian tourist headed for Rangitoto. Ms Arnold told him her nephew had visited Italy to play Rugby. He said he knew him. What a small world! Next thing he knew he was part of the Motutapu Tree planting group. Once Ms Arnold had finished recruiting tourists we were at the wharf and heading to our site.
The planting was in the Home Bay campground to provide shade and shelter for the people that flock to the campground during summer to enjoy the beautiful Island. For the first time in many years of island volunteer planting, the Trust organisers had arranged a site which was flat, a short walk from the wharf and right next to shelter. This made a welcome relief from some of the rather more vertical sites of previous years. After introductions from the people in charge of the trust there was a short demo where it was discovered that the ground was a shingle base which made for rather difficult digging, sadly for this demo there was no "here's one I've prepared earlier." We split into pairs to begin planting, there were 900 plants and 40 volunteers which worked out to 23 trees each.
The Motutapu restoration Project is a very exciting initiative. Many Islands in the Hauraki Gulf are replanting retired farmland and carrying out Pest eradication programmes. The Motutapu project is different, it is by far the biggest restoration project in the Hauraki Gulf and quite possibly the largest island restoration project currently ongoing anywhere in the world. Motutapu also has a rich military history having been a military base with guns emplacments during World War Two. The aim is to replant a third of the Island in natives and this is well under way with the help of many volunteer days like ours.
When we were there Motutapu was undergoing an intensive rat eradication programme which is hoped to be the final push towards making Motutapu a pest free haven for wildlife. We were to discover that Tree Planting is a social event, with many of the different student bodies mucking in together while the Motutapu trust trustees told stories of the Islands history and answered the many questions.
We had lunch on the beach and a short lived game of Beach soccer before heading back to the last native trees still without a home. It was less than an hour to finish and we were relieved and proud to have finished planting so many trees. It was off to the homestead for a Barbecue, hot drinks and last minute mingle. Then, keeping in tradition with the many previous planting days Pakuranga had been to, it began to rain, just as we were about to head for the ferry. The ferry pulled up and we made a dash for the wharf, thankful the site was so close this time.
We returned slightly wetter and certainly proud of our achievement. We will be returning next year, if not earlier. We believe the work of the Motutapu Restoration trust is a fantastic cause to spend a day planting trees for. It sure was fun, even though the weather didn't hold, but what do you expect?
Reporter Ben Dowdle
JULY 2009
Claire Solomon
Conservation work on Motutapu Island gives Claire a sense of achievement - and a sanctuary to escape to.
Claire has been volunteering with us since November 2008. Next Magazine recently ran an article about her activities with us on the island as part of their 'Living Simply' series. We are delighted that Next are happy for us to use some of their material for our 'Volunteer of the Month' series.
Conserve what we have
After a week indoors as the University of Auckland advertising and promotions manager, Claire Solomon is itching to give her green fingers a workout. And she does: Not in her
own backyard but in Auckland's.Out in the Hauraki Gulf, next to younger cousin Rangitoto, Motutapu ( sacred ) Island is slowly reclaiming its natural landscape, with a little help from its friends. Working with DoC, the Motutapu Restoration Trust has over the past 15 years (among other achievements) planted more than 400,000 native trees and plants, built a nursery to raise seedlings, controlled pests, collected seeds and cleared thousands of weeds. It's an unremitting task and someone's got to do the dirty work.
After returning from overseas and "looking to do something meaningful", Claire signed up as a volunteer in November. One of the much needed workers on Motutapu's public volunteer days (every first, third and fifth Sunday), Claire trades a lazy Sunday at home in Remuera for some hard graft on Motutapu at least once a month. She was there a lot over the summer, mainly tending seedlings. "That's my favourite bit."
Marrying her love of gardening and interest in conservation, the work gives Claire a sense of achievement and contribution to the world. "It's a big task we've been set, but you can already see the benefits out there."
Here you can see Claire getting her first taste of winter planting; other seasons are reserved for nursery work and weeding. As well as meeting new people, Claire enjoys escaping for a day. " Motutapu is close to the city but it's like you're in a different world. It helps me see the bigger picture..."
Special thanks to writer Sarah Lang and photographers Nicola Edmonds and Tony Nyberg.
p.s....
Yes, we believe volunteering on Motutapu and creating a sanctuary for some of New Zealand's best loved endangered species is certainly glamorous and we absolutely agree that Claire looks gorgeous; however, our recommendations on what clothing the rest of us should wear when we come out to work the island can be found here
|
Get Involved 
