The Fledglings of Birds

Some folks may have seen Children of Men, an excellent movie set in the future when a section of England is the only place on earth still protected from the violence of the hordes and the ravages of climate change across the rest of planet earth. In the movie there is a huge fence to protect the last privileged humans...

So today we visited the Maungatautari Ecological Island (meaning suspended mountain or mountain of upright rock in Maori), an ancient volcano thrusting skyward in the middle of the pastureland of the Waikato, not far from Hamilton. Maungatautari is a parallel universe to Children of Men, only the hordes are the invasive mammals on the outside and the endangered species of New Zealand birds are the privileged on the inside. To protect the birds there are 47 kms of enormous metal fence (8500 3-metre metal fence posts), which resembles a fence that surrounds a maximum security prison. The holes in the fence are no more than 6 mm wide, because a baby mouse is 8 mm. Below ground the fence forms an L, 3 metres high and going a metre horizontal underground on the outside to stop digging rodents. On the outside top is a reverse overhang to stop climbers. On the very top is a solar electric wire so that if a tree falls on the wire, it shorts and automatically sends a text to the fence security person saying the fence integrity has been compromised. Security has 90 minutes to respond as video cameras along the fence line show there is an invasive mammal trying to get in every 90 minutes on average (possum, rat, stoat, ferret, etc.).

Given all of this, the 3400 hectare forested volcano is pest (mammal) free except for small populations of mice. As the result, the forests are exploding with growth and they have reintroduced populations of endangered birds that are now breeding. In a couple of cases there is only one other place in the wild where this is occurring for these species. We saw a Hihi today, of which there are believed to be only about 250 alive. They have 40 Kiwi and there were 10 new chicks this spring (your fall). Also there are a number of Kaka, an endangered North Island parrot and close relative of the Kea, the South Island mountain parrot, which is believed to be the smartest bird on earth. It is quite magical to enter through the security fence. To enter from the wide-open car park and field area, first, push a button and the metal door opens into the biosecurity holding cage. Shut the first door and you can push the button to open the second door that allows you to leave the holding cage and enter the dark rainforest full of multitudes of different plant species and birds. It is a world of pre-European contact.

 A Kaka at a feeding station (sorry, I missed the Hihi with the camera)

So what does this all mean? It is unbelievable that a non-profit organization has raised more than 20 million dollars to protect and restore this huge, magical place, and admission is free! It is an amazing tribute to what people (Pakeha and Maori) can accomplish to protect and restore nature.

               Stairway to Heaven (the Tree Tops)

                                              Looking down into the treetops (these are large trees)

There are hundreds of volunteers and an amazing human story behind it all, with both great ups and downs, full of passion, charisma, hope, faith, injustice and malevolence (that human/community story is too long and complicated to tell here). This is a dramatic feature film waiting for a filmmaker (Evan?). Shall we call it the Fledglings of Birds? Of course then one has to scratch one’s head and think that all this has to be done to protect an ecological island against the idiocy of colonialism and human stupidity. The mammals are here because the British purposefully brought them. They felt that Aotearoa was uncivilized and undeveloped. It needed to have mammals to be more like “home”… hmm, now is it coincidental that in Children of Men the last bastion of a “civilized” and privileged lifestyle was protected behind metal fences in England?

P.S. To learn more about Maungatautari, check out www.maungatrust.org. Read the news links on the recent introduction of North Island Robins and Kokaka.

One of hundreds of volunteers showing off a mouse tracking sheet 

which monitors population size. The tracking ink sheet goes in a 

dark tube with bait and the mice run through to get the food. 

Population estimates are based on the percent of tubes tramped 

through on a given night

You've Got to Love the Huts!

The forecast was iffy, and the sky was outright drippy, when we set out off to Angelus Hut above the beautiful Nelson Lakes, South Island in mid November. A steep uphill slog for the first two hours or so, up through an increasingly thick but short beech forest. Mist swirling and dripping a heavily on us, our view of the lake below disappeared and then the rain set in. No worries, we ducked into a handy little rock shelter at the tree line, had lunch and waited. 

Luck was with us, for the rain finally stopped and we set off across a huge ridge when out of the mist ahead emerged two friendly Kiwis who were just leaving an old dilapidated ski hut which had been a popular winter attraction years ago. It used to have a rope tow but that had been taken out years ago. The rope tow was handy in the old days because after hiking two hours up the steep incline  up to the ski hut through the snow, carrying their skis, the skiers were understandably tired, and really appointed the luxury of a rope tow! The neat thing was that a community group had just purchased the old building, and were renovating it into a shelter for school groups to use as they tramped in the mountains. They had just helicoptered in a new septic tank and a small bulldozer to do some site work...No big deal. Just a fun day volunteering their time to help kids learn to appreciate their natural world. New Zealanders love the outdoors, and the kids do too!

We tramped in and out of the mist with less and less visibility, knowing that we were missing some pretty spectacular views. Oh well, maybe we would see them next day. Mist turned to rain, and the next two hours were wet, wet, wet. Our feet were soaked because in addition to the rain, we we walking above the snow line in last year's snow and it was drenched. Finally we crested the ridge, and saw below a cute little hut. A half hour later we were inside, hanging up our wet clothes above a cute little wood stove, chatting with the rest of the trampers there. There were about 11 others at the hut. Three New Zealanders, three from Austria, five  or six from Australia. 

Oh I should explain the hut system. There are probably hundreds of huts throughout the country owned and run by the Dept of Conservation. They cost anywhere from five -thirty-five dollars per person  per night. Most of the huts are  unattended, so it is all on the honour system. You put your chits in a little metal box and make yourself at home. There is a a great space for cooking, big tables for communal eating, and then usually 1-2 separate dorm rooms for sleeping. The dorms have huge bunk beds, with each level of the bunk able to sleep 8-10 people or so. There are mattresses on the bunks, so all you need is a sleeping bag. Well, sometimes it helps to have ear plugs, because some people snore, but if you are tired enough, it does not bother you to be sleeping on the top bunk next to several other strangers sawing logs in their sleep.

The toilet facilities are outdoors, this time they were up a very muddy hill on a really windy knoll above the hut. Sturdy little port-a-potties bolted to the rocks.  They  are helicoptered out and replaced as necessary! Water? The water is collected via a sophisticated system of eave troughs which drain into huge tanks next to the huts. The water drains into the sinks by gravity, and they never run out of water because it rains so much!

The only rule about the huts is that you need to keep them clean and tidy, with counters cleaned, and floors swept each day so the next batch of trampers can enjoy them.  And believe me there will be trampers every day, regardless of the weather. Does the hut system work? Yes! Everyone pays their little chits into the box, and they dutifully clean the hut before leaving. Quite a remarkable system. If you want to tent, instead of sleeping inside, the fee is about half the hut fee, and you get to use the cooking space, toilets, water etc. This trip we chose the hut because there was still 3-4 feet of snow around the hut, and tenting would have been too wet (never mind the fact that it was raining!)

 

Great company with the other trampers that night and the next, and a welcome sky which cleared that  night, giving us  a lovely couple of days more. The views on the return were incredible, well worth the wait. Thank you New Zealand and New Zealanders for having such incredibly good hut and trail systems.