My Account
The world outside the sanctuary has changed dramatically in the last few months, but not that much changed inside it.
The lockdown meant that all volunteering stopped and rangers were constrained in what they could do, but fortunately predators missed their chance to invade in force. There were a few rat incursions and one stoat may still be at large, but by and large nature ran the sanctuary very well all by herself.
As I write, we are in Level 2 and volunteering is still limited to essential tasks that can be done by one or two volunteers, so there is a steadily building backlog of work to be done. The biggest task coming up fast is the annual planting out, the bulk of which is normally completed on the scheduled public days. This year those dates are June 21 and July 19 and 29. For a while we were expecting these to be cancelled, but now they are going ahead with a limit on numbers so you have to pre-book (our website and facebook pages tell you how).
Groups of 10 or more are also welcome to negotiate their own planting session, preferably on a weekday. So, if you need to work off a bit of stress and do something physical and rewarding, please do come and help. If you would like to help out on other tasks please watch our website to see when this is to start again.
The planned re-introduction of hihi (stitchbirds) is also going ahead, as it can be accomplished both within the Covid-19 restrictions and within the allowable timeframe before the birds start breeding. Their feeding stations and nest boxes are all ready so if all else goes to plan this should happen in July, with 40 birds being brought over from Tiritiri Matangi. At least one of the feeding stations will be accessible from a track so you should soon be able to see these attractive birds up close.
The sanctuary will then be home to five rare native species – whitehead (popokatea), little spotted kiwi (pukupuku), saddleback (tieke), North Island robin (toutouwai) and stitchbirds (hihi) – all of which arrived since 2015. I won’t say this brings to an end our relocation programme, but for a while at least SOSSI’s focus is likely to switch to improving public education and enjoyment of our gem of a park.
Our Shakespear Explorer app has proved to be popular and successful, and the next project is a part-sculptural and part-information hub at Te Haruhi Bay. While this is a joint project with Auckland Council, it does not have any funding for it, so expect this to be a multi-year project while we try to raise what is needed.
As I am standing down from my role on SOSSI I would like to send personal thanks to those of you who have helped make the Shakespear Open Sanctuary such a success, with a special thanks to Hibiscus Matters. It is an endless project so it will forever need the support of our community, as it will always bring us rewards.
Note: Although this is Peter’s final SOSSI column, Hibiscus Matters hopes to work with another member of SOSSI so that the column can continue.
