Oruawharo Medlands Ecovision

 July Newsletter 2020

Dear fellow Oruawharo enviro-enthusiasts.

Despite nothing being as it used to, we at OME have been plugging away as if the big world outside of Aotea still is as it was, looking ahead and trying to beautify, care for and protect our local environment. I think we are all taking comfort in focusing on taking small, positive, local steps to try and secure a future where we will all be able to enjoy the simple things in life, such as the astounding beauty of the nature we are surrounded by.

We have some very exciting news to share with you all. Back in March we applied for funding from Department of Conservations community fund to cover a proposed 3 year project caring for the wetland to the north and the stream to the south of the beach. Earlier this month we learned we were successful and have secured a $70,812 grant for trapping, monitoring, weeding, planting, wasp control and running a Wai care program monitoring water quality and life in the streams. We are very grateful to DoC for seeing the potential in this project, and we are super excited to get started when the details have been finalised. Thank you to Cara Fraider and George Taylor from our local DoC office who have helped us on this journey so far. We look forward to working with you.


KAKARIKI SIGHTINGS               

                         
During lockdown we had a lovely distraction here in Medlands, with some very exotic visitors. Red crowned kakariki were spotted and heard by several individuals. They seemed to be hanging out in an Olive grove on Thomas road and stayed around for a couple of weeks. OME have started taking note of all unusual visitors to try and form a picture of possible annual trends, volume and changes over time. As you probably know, Okiwi has a resident kakariki population, so maybe a few of them just fancied a trip south for a little break. 

   ARCHAEOLOGY & HISTORY                                                                                        In June OME were lucky enough to persuade Don Prince, our Aotea archaeologist, to come and talk to a group of over 30 people, interested in our local human history. Don has undertaken extensive excavations at the southern end of Oruawharo bay, in an area called Whangaiti, where remains of 21 bodies were unearthed by a big storm in 2008. The bones were moved to a secure location where they were laid to rest for a second time. Don also told us about the pits on both Memory and Boatshed rocks that are believed to have been either food or water storage for tough times. Various Maori artifacts have been found in the Medlands area as well in different locations. Both Sugarloaf and Goat Hill were used as Pa sites. Lots of history to delve into and a good reminder to remember those who came before us and the importance of respecting and understanding their ties to the land we all take for granted today. 

MONITORING & TRAPPING POST COVID

Annamarie Clough is the “two to a trap” queen when it comes to the resident mouse population, so she is doing an outstanding job trying to keep the mice from taking over. We are finding lots of traps set off but empty, so we suspect feral cats are the culprits. On the odd occasion pigs have been at the traps for a free feed as well, but we have spotted cat paw prints in the sand, more or less following the trap lines trap to trap. While these visitors make it easier for us to empty the traps, although with no record of a catch to report, this trend will be a problem come nesting season for the birds, especially our ground nesting birds.
  

PLANTING DAY & WEEDING PREPARATION

On the 6th of June OME had a weeding day in our newly dedicated planting area alongside Waitematuku stream (as we have recently learned the southern stream is called) in preparation for the upcoming planting day. The date has been set for Sunday August 23rd and the area we have settled on for our first planting day is Auckland Council reserve, just before crossing the foot bridge. We are starting at 1 o'clock if you would like to lend a hand. There has already been some planting done in this area by Community Facilities some time ago and OME have established contact with CF to obtain permission for us to work together to care for and maintain this beautiful spot once we have got it looking even more appealing. Together we have picked some plants that will thrive in that area and we have received a very generous donation of healthy plants from the lovely people at the Aotea Community Nursery on Garden rd. We would like to see some small, informative signs in the area highlighting the plant species present and the birds you are likely to or very lucky to spot from this little piece of paradise. During the summer months there was a well documented sighting of an Australasian Bittern or Matuku right in the Waitematuku stream. This literally means water of, or estuary of the Matuku/Bittern. How appropriate & it rolls softly and beautifully off the tongue.
We look forward to you all visiting the area and hopefully enjoying the tranquil nature it boasts.

Remember to keep an eye on our Facebook page (Oruawharo Medlands Ecovision) for updates, great photos & general Medlands chat.

Have a lovely winter.
From the OME team.