ANZAC Day - 2016

ANZAC day coincided with a trip for us to Pukawa with Hannah and Tasman, two of our granddaughters. It also coincided with Hannah's need to attend an ANZAC parade in order to get one of her Girl Guide badges. What to do?

We occasionally go to ANZAC services but this was a must. So we found out what was on at the south end of Taupo Moana. There was a dawn service at Waihi, a special remembrance at the Tokaanu Anglican Church and a civic parade in Turangi. Believe it or not we did the lot!

Granny Smith and Hannah 0430 hrs

Waihi Marae at Dawn

Guard at the Cenotaph

Speeches During Morning Tea at Waihi Marae

 An early rise saw us at Waihi. In the first greying of the dawn we assembled and the rank and file marched onto the Marae and halted before the wharenui - the moon shone down - the lone bugler's sound arose from the darkness. There was just enough light to see your knees. The local ladies looked after us with morning tea in the wharekai and we watched the sun come up over Taupo.

We called at the Waihi church for the remembrance service to one of the local Maori slain in WW1. Then it was time to return to the 'hut' for breakfast. It was here that granddad decided that actually marching in the civic parade at 10am was what Hannah really had to do for her guide badge. And so we returned to the east and Hannah, accompanied by granddad and wearing her great-granddad's WW2 medals, marched with the troops. At the RSA where the order to halt was given we listened to the speeches and at the end Hannah, Tasman, Granny and Granddad placed their poppies on the cenotaph. Then it was ice cream time - as granddad couldn't find any rum.

Windows at Tokaanu Church

For Hannah especially it was quite an intense experience.

Girl Guide

Pukawa Wildlife Management Trust

In my second post I mentioned the special nature of Pukawa, on the southern shores of Lake Taupo, as a New Zealand site of some historical significance.  One of the endearing features of Pukawa is the rich bird life and its renowned dawn chorus.

Before the arrival of the early Maori and European settlers, Aotearoa/New Zealand had no predatory mammals and birds never developed any innate survival strategies such as multiple large clutches of eggs - and, because they never had the need, the power of evasive flight was either lost or never developed in many species.  So the birds became prey to the carnivores, rodents, mustelids and possums which were introduced by the settlers. Many species are now extinct.

At Pukawa a group of locals, led by Jean Stanley and her husband Russell, systematically set about ridding the local area of many of these pests. The area does not have a pest proof boundary fence and the low numbers of pests have been achieved by trapping and poisoning within and about the area using anticoagulant poisons. So far (2020) over 12000 predators have been trapped in our 100 hectares and, because of the effects of our poisoning campaign, that figure represents only a proportion of the predators eliminated.  It has certainly tipped the balance back in favour of the birds as witnessed by the birdsong. The trust also carries out some weed control and replanting of indigenous flora. In 2018, after several years of low tracking tunnel results we introduced a "trapping only" policy. Regrettably the last six six-monthly tracking tunnel indices have increased (0, 3, 3, 10, 15, 23%) and we are presently considering reintroducing anticoagulant poisoning as a pulse for a short while.

The work has been assisted by the generous donations of local property owners and visitors as well as grants from some funding agencies. The Pukawa Wildlife Management Trust was established later in 2007 to provide governance and support in various ways.  The results have been spectacular and the bird-life and bird-song are a joy to all who visit the area.  The work continues and when we visit Pukawa it is common for us to find tui, kereru and bellbirds visiting our bird bath two at a time.  Paradise indeed.

We hope that one day the PWMT work will become financially independent, being able to maintain the work without the reliance on funding organisations for routine replacement and maintenance costs. One day we may be able to reintroduce species that have been lost to the area. Already, robins have reintroduced themselves and have been slowly increasing in number and distribution.

Dawn Chorus From Above Pukawa

Yachting on Taupo

A year or so ago Catherine and I took our Kestrel yacht out with the idea of circumnavigating Lake Taupo.  We took three days over the journey, had two nights on board and never went ashore. And, we never tacked once, gybing the whole way about the lake. We only had one time when we nearly had trouble. A strong wind on a starboard reach had us struggling to clear Whakamoenga Point. Although we couldn't afford to go too close to them, some of the western cliffs with their sparse vegetation, old black beeches and coloured patinas were quite spectacular.

First Night Aboard

Sunset First Night

We had a few swims from the moored yacht and the pohutakawa flowers on Motutaiko were magnificent. Over the last hour, Catherine, who had been decidedly dubious about the sailing skills of her husband was heard to ask when we were going out again!  The weather had been great for sailing.

Cliff on Western Bays

Approaching Motutaiko