During November there were 6 volunteer trips to Motuihe involving 206 volunteers and 63 Trust leaders trips. 

Upcoming volunteer trips
All full for volunteers but leaders welcome.
Wednesday 4 December
Friday 6 December
Wednesday 11 December
Friday 13 December

Nikki Kaye

We were very sad to hear of the passing of Nikki Kaye. As MP for Central Auckland she was very supportive of the Motuihe project and attended the kiwi release in 2009. (photo Julie Thomson)

Administration Opportunities
We are seeking volunteers to help with a variety of administration roles, please get in touch if you are able to help (operations@motuihe.org.nz).  Full training and ongoing support will be given.
 
Change of newsletter mail-out system
We are moving our mail-out database to a new system that will set us up for the future.  So that you continue to receive the newsletter, please follow this link:
https://motuihetrust.my.site.com/volunteer/s/weekend-volunteer
The first time you use the link, you will need to answer a few questions which will give us the information we need should you volunteer on the island - this is also the system we will be using for volunteers visiting the island next year.  If you wish to continue receiving the newsletter but don't wish to register, please email operations@motuihe.org.nz.

Fluttering Shearwaters
The fluttering shearwaters are doing well this year. There were 4 in the nesting boxes on 1 November and 1 egg could be seen. 




The charter boat Dreamweaver has become a very important transport option for the Motuihe project. Kirsty is always very obliging.

Trip Reports

1 November Dreamweaver trip
First of the many planned summer visits with beautiful weather seeing several volunteers going for a dip once their work was done and their ice cream polished off. 53 set off on the Dreamweaver (Hilti, ASB, Spark, BNZ and Electric Kiwi). Lois kindly met us with the tractor having arrived on Graeme’s boat with Colin and Stuart.
Phil F and Dina led the nursery team bagging up 109 totara, weeding and topping up other seedling bags as required and harvesting/planting up trays of Puawanga (clematis).
Stuart drove the equipment ladden tractor to the end of the spine track.  Lois and Phil S led the track clearing team to the right ending with c100m more track cleared. Stuart, Colin, Graeme and Simon took the left turn to revisit the area above Ohinerau.
The ‘flying wedge’ approach with Stuart blasting a track with the pole saw followed by weeding volunteers is paying dividends. We’re getting to places ordinary mortals cannot reach. This is the third major session in this area and it’s making a difference as evidenced by the woolly skeletons and withered moth runners.
Lunch in the nursery saw an assortment of BBQ/cut lunch/salad options with one lad from Hilti consuming the largest steak seen on the island since the stock departed. There was still time for Phil F to lead a specialist weeding team at the isthmus, another good beach clean and a dozen or so Ocean beach swimmers enjoying the northish facing protected sunny beach. Stuart sold $160 of ice creams before we enjoyed a calm return to Westhaven marina arriving safe and sound.
Simon Sheen


Volunteers work hard to clear the track down to the SE beaches. (photo Lois Badham)

The BBQ got plenty of use. (photo Lois Badham)

13 November Dreamweaver Trip
Volunteer groups from ASB and BDO along with Phil F and Simon made up the 43 on the Dreamweaver (10 from WSP having pulled out last week). Northerlys and the threat of drizzle made for a calm landing where Lois met us with the tractor, having come over on Graeme’s boat with Fiona and Colin.
The day was largely a repeat of the previous trip with Lois leading a track clearing team, Colin, Graeme and Simon introducing volunteers to the joys of weeding and Phil organising the nursery team: 300 hangehange and 100 pingao pricked out.
It turned out to be a reasonable day, staying dry and providing great working conditions. Major progress is evident above Ohinerau - dead woollies and moth everywhere.  There was time for groups to explore the island, play an energetic cricket match just off Wharf beach and for a groundsel weeding/beach clean session.
Once again thanks to the excellent Dreamweaver crew who got us home safe and sound.
Simon Sheen

The happy team from BDO.


Hard working track clearing team from ASB and BDO. (photo Lois Badham)

16 November Threatened Plants water taxi trip
We had a great trip over to Motuihe on Saturday 16 Nov, with ten hard-working volunteers. In the nursery Monica and Maggie sorted through our kākābeak seed trays and pricked out 58 new seedlings, while Phil applied his expert knowledge to upgrading the watering system to ensure that young plants survive the upcoming summer. A massive effort was made by the volunteers to clear gorse from a hillslope near the barge ramp, where we are planning to plant more kākābeak next year. Despite the prickles the team remained cheerful and did an amazing job clearing almost the whole hill. And a survey of the poroporo on Motuihe revealed a total of 12 plants. The rare plants team have been waiting with baited breath for the poroporo to flower in order to find out what species is growing on the island and we finally have the result. It turns out the Motuihe poroporo are Solanum aviculare, which is listed as nationally endangered! This is great news as our team can now monitor existing plants and propagate more to plant out. 
Bella Burgess

Clearing gorse for a new planting site above the ramp (photo Monica Cotter)

Red Boat trip Sunday 17 November
This was a very busy trip with lots of work achieved. Lois and Wes (so good to see Wes back) took 11 volunteers out track clearing. They managed to clear 300 metres of the Link track going towards Calypso Bay. Hazel, Bernard. Barbara and Denise worked in the nursery weeding and fertilizing 150 Pigeon Wood and 300 Kahikatea. Denise also managed to clear some of the tractor road below the Ranger's house and open the Kiosk for some ice cream sales. Fiona did some painting and Ian installed the lock on the shower. Three project groups travelled out with us. Julie's camera grid group of 8 managed to get round all the cameras doing battery and card changes. The gecko group of 3 found 28 geckos to measure and record, and the Penguin group of 6 saw 3 penguins in 2 burrows. Whew! For me personally it was great to have such a successful day for the last Sunday volunteer day that I will be organizing.
Fiona Alexander

Wes was soon back into the hard stuff. (photo Claire Ferguson)

Tuesday 19 November Dreamweaver trip
Something of a ‘rinse and repeat’ as 60 volunteers (WSP, Auckland University & BDO )set out on the Dreamweaver including Phil F, Jill B, Phil S and Simon. Lois met us with the tractor having come out with Stuart, Fiona and Colin. 
Nursery: 
A good day with quite a team  who carried out some precise work before sitting down to extract spinifex seed prior to lunch.
Every pingao seedling, from both the shade house and the glasshouse, was run across the potting bench to be either weeded or pricked. out. Those plants that were infested with pohutukawa were found to be sturdy enough to tolerate their root balls being broken down and the pohutukawa seedlings removed prior to rebagging.
Thank you Jill B. for assisting at a time when it looked as though the projects might have to be abandoned due to finding too few PB3/4. A packet was found at the bottom of the woolsack holding the used PB3/4.  345 pingao were added to last week's tally of 100.
The spinifex heads yielded, on both last Saturday and today's preparation, enough seed to sow three trays now located in the plastic house.
The current layout of sprinklers and drippers in the nursery appears to be working. It was pleasing to arrive and find the plants moist but not saturated. There is now quite a network of pipes so to make life easier each line has its specific coloured tape. Simply follow the coloured tape out to the section of the nursery being watered by any one controller back in the hot house.
Jill B.  followed up Lois' Saturday harvest of clematis. 4-5 buckets of seed  and fluff have now been collected. Once we can confirm that 60-100 seeds in the nursery have germinated I think it would be the time to scatter the remaining seed across the island.
Stuart, Colin and Simon had another crack with enthusiastic volunteers at the slopes above Ohinerau. It’s clear that these continuous visits have made a huge difference to an area that was a real weed mess.
Track clearing team cleared the final 230 metres of track to Calypso Bay intersection. 
Jill kindly opened the ice cream parlour and a few souls had a swim. Dreamweaver did us proud as we had a clear run home all safe and sound.
Simon Sheen


WSP group (photo Lois Badham)


BDO group (photo Lois Badham)

Auckland University group (photo Lois Badham)

Calypso Bay looking very tropical (photo Lois Badham)

Friday 29 November Dreamweaver Trip
Summer. Two days early. 51 of us set off on the Dreamweaver with teams from Forsyth Barr, Spark and FCB along with Phil F and S, Frances, Dina and Simon. John (Doc boat) met us with the tractor. Graeme brought over Colin and Lois.
We split into nursery, track clearing and weeding groups:
Nursery: 193 Pingao, 66 Kowhai and 98 Puriri pricked out. The sprinkler system in the shade house is now finished.
Track Clearing: The team of 13 completed approx 220 metres of the southern side Billy Goat midway track to the northern side. This will greatly assist access for the mower and tractor to the fluttering shearwater site. It was heavily overgrown. The team headed down to Calypso Bay for a cooling dip after they had finished and did a bit of track trimming of Billy Goat track on their way back to the woolshed for lunch.
Weeding:
Another Woolly thumping session this time down the hill past Bald Knob. Graeme led the charge with the pole saw and that allowed the rest of the team to get stuck in. Another huge effort in hot conditions.
To say our guests enjoyed themselves might go someway towards what was a simply a lovely day in a special place. A prompt get away was given an element of mirth when the dozen or so on the bow (enjoying the sun) found out what driving into a SW feels like. They got wet. No matter we all returned to pier Z safe and sound.
Simon Sheen


Forsyth Barr Team (photo Lois Badham)

Track clearing team (photo Lois Badham)