A very busy month this month with the release of wētāpunga taking up most of
the time. We also had a kiwi release, school groups, volunteer and many of the
normal jobs still needing to be done. The weather is definitely starting to cool and
with that comes the slow of visitors to the island. I have still been running into a
few people over the weekends coming to visit the Island which is great!

Wētāpunga
The big news for us is, of course, the successful wētāpunga translocation! Earlier
this month we received 450 wētāpunga from Ngāti Manuhiri which were reared at
Butterfly Creek, Auckland. This has been a mammoth program with many years
in the making. Jo Skyrme started the process during her time as ranger and it has
been a team effort since then with a funding application, permits, communication,
organisation and many other jobs being done to get this across the line. A big
thank you to everyone involved of course!
The day of the release went perfectly. We had approximately 70 people on the
island for the event. Ngāti Manuhiri, Butterfly Creek staff, and the wētāpunga were
welcomed on to the island by Te Parawhau. Following the pōwhiri Butterfly Creek
staff and Jo did a quick show and tell where people go to have a look at the
wētāpunga up close. The wētāpunga were transported from Auckland in bamboo
tubes, gauze blocking the ends of the tubes. The release itself was done by cabletying
the bamboo tubes to tree branches and then removing the gauze, allowing
the wētāpunga to leave the tube when comfortable (they are nocturnal).
If you are visiting the island during the day, keep an eye out for them in drooping
dead fronds of tree ferns, nīkau palms or cabbage trees.

Volunteer Day
The priority this month was to get the bait stations full as it is even more essential than before, to keep the mice population as low as possible for our new residents. Eight volunteers (plus two from Sea Cleaners!) came over and helped on the day. We managed to fill all the stations on the northern side of the island and four lines on the southern side. Unfortunately, the wet summer has resulted in a large amount of vegetation grown (Mexican devil) on the cut tracks on the southern side, resulting in slower movement through the lines.
Port Nikau Open Day
Port Nikau had an open day to advertise their new subdivision. As part of this day, they offered free boat trips to the public to visit Limestone Island. 88 people over the day visited the Island, landing on the jetty where I greeted them and gave a quick talk about the island and where they could visit with the time they had available. It was a good opportunity for people who had not been here before to visit.

Kiwi Release
We had four kiwi translocated off the island this month. Three were released at Whangārei Heads as part of a public release on a property. Before that they visited Parua Bay School where the students were able to get a close look at the birds while also learning about the importance of kiwi conservation and dog control.
The fourth kiwi was actually found buddied up with another kiwi while we caught the three birds for the first release. We took this opportunity to put a transmitter on him and collect him again at a later date. This enabled Whangārei Heads School to also get a look at a kiwi and listen to Todd’s talk. This kiwi was also released near the previous three. A good result all round!

Glenbervie School
66 people visited the Island from Glenbervie School this month. We walked the Island together, visiting the key sites where I would give a quick talk to them. The weather was cold but at least no rain!
Northtec Student
I have had a first-year student from Northtec helping me out over the last couple of weeks doing volunteer work as part of her course. She helped me fill the remaining bait stations on the southern side of the island which means the whole Island has now been completed.

Other goings on
A yacht had bottomed out just of the front of the Island, so I went out in the barge and tried to pull it out with another yacht. We had no luck so unfortunately, they had to wait until next high tide later that night!
The weed growth at the moment is incredible, likely I think, due to the wet summer. Moth plants seem to be sprouting in more spots than usual. This has been a priority as, of course, we do not want the pods popping and producing more plants.

That’s all for this month!
Bevan