MOTUTAPU VOLUNTEER DAY

Last Friday a group of us gathered up our gumboots and headed off to Motutapu to do some "Weed Busting"! In the heart of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, Motutapu (linked by causeway to Rangitoto) is New Zealand's best volunteering destination according to Bridget and Ken, avid conservationists and our guides for the day. Volunteer work for The Motutapu Restoration Trust includes tree planting, conservation, beach cleanups and other volunteer activities on this beautiful island throughout the year. The aim is to restore the island's natural heritage, and 16 years of planting native trees and eradicating pests and weeds have them well on their way. Our day started off with a ferry ride to Rangitoto with lots of tourists who were about to enjoy a pleasant stroll up the volcano on the gorgeous sunny morning. We, however, clambered into the back of a ute and bounced about as we were drove across to Motutapu. Once we arrived we donned a mix of long sleeve shirts, overalls, gumboots and work gloves and headed for the steepest hill our trusty guides could find. Battling through gorse and knee deep grass, we eventually came to an area full of Moth Weed. This weed strangles the native trees that have been planted – it is a fast-growing, vigorous, perennial climber with milky sap and twining, scrambling stems which are very very strong (as Jo and I found out when we tried pulling a heavily tangled branch away from a tree covered in the weed). Our main goal was to collect bags of the avocado-shaped pods which contain 500-800 seeds each to stop them spreading. After a couple of solid hours work in the hot sun, and covered in sap and biddy-bids, we rolled down the hill for lunch on the beach overlooking Waiheke. A well deserved break! The afternoon's effort was focused in the trees where the weed had grown up through the canopy. We hacked off a few branches and pulled the vines out from their roots then collected up more pods. Ken braved the heights and climbed to the top of one tree and threw the pods down to us. Barring a few scratches, bites and a bump on the head we all came out the other side exhausted but happy. All in all it was a very rewarding day out of the office, and we collected 8-9 bags of Moth Weed pods, stopping the spread of tens of thousands of seeds. Check out the pictures from the day on the Porter Novelli Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=152425598106717&aid=68455. For more information about The Motutapu Restoration Trust and to find out how to volunteer visit www.motutapu.org.nz/.