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Wellington's Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
Dorothy - 07/05/04
Right in the heart of Wellington the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary sited in
a former reservoir catchment offers city dwellers and visitors the
chance to walk in New Zealand native bush that still covers much of the
Wellington hillsides. More than that because of its predator-proof
fence walkers may see any of a number of rare birds which can be found
mainly on protected offshore islands but can survive on the mainland in
this protected environment, such as the saddleback and the little
spotted kiwi. Such an environment is vital for New Zealand's flightless
birds like the kiwi and the weka which are especially vulnerable in
areas where predators can attack them.
The history of the Karori Valley
It is thought that Maori used the valley only for the collection of
food, including bird hunting. In the 1830s Taranaki Maori controlled the
area. Edward Jerningham Wakefield described a number of Maori tracks in
the valley which were followed by Europeans clearing the area. They
could live in the bush in the valley for days at a time. The diet of
early settlers in the valley was monotonous but Maori showed them how to
find different food. They caught and sold eels and the fruit of the
native fuchsia (kotukutuku) which could be made into delicious pies.
Maori also used snares to catch native pigeons or kaka and bartered with
them for Europeans' goods. Later Europeans farmed in the valley after
burning off the bush. Farming continued until 1906. Part of the western
slopes was too steep for farming and was left for the bush to
regenerate. The best bush in the sanctuary is in this area.
In June 1869 gold was discovered in the Kaiwharawhara Stream and
residents took up claims in the area, but the interest was short lived.
Quartz mining was also tried but with little profit to be made this
phase in the valley's history was also brief.
With the growth of Wellington a dependable water supply was needed, and
in 1871 the Wellington Waterworks Act designated 228 acres of farmland
to be taken over for the development of a reservoir.
In 1872 the lower reservoir was built using an earth dam, the first in
Wellington and possibly the first in New Zealand. In 1873 a Gothic style
tower was built to control the water outlet.
The Governor General of the time was granted fishing rights on the lower
dam and the historic shed was used to house his boat.
To cope with Wellington's increasing water needs in 1906 building of a
second dam began This gravity arch dam was finished in 1908, but in
1991 it was decommissioned because of possible earthquake risk. With
the building of an enclosed water supply at Johnsonville use of the
lower reservoir also ceased in 1998.
Predator-proof fencing needed in changing the area to a wildlife
sanctuary
Essential to the protection of the wildlife is the exclusion of
predators. A perimeter fence extends for 8.6 kilometres around the area
and is designed to keep out non-native mammals including possums, cats,
stoats, rats and mice. Extensive testing of the predators' ability to
dig, tunnel, climb and jump was done prior to the construction of the
fence.
Walking inside the sanctuary
There is a choice of tracks depending on visitors' fitness and available
time.
A short distance along the track inside the sanctuary there is a clear
area to the left of the track where information is displayed about birds
protected in the area. Each screen has a photograph of the bird, its
conservation status, a description of its habits, and a button to press
for a recording of its call. These recordings are beautifully clear. I
could easily have believed that the bird was singing on a branch above
me.
The comments are very interesting and informative. The names in brackets
are the Maori names for birds often referred to by other names.
Tui
"Conservation status - not threatened
"Noisy in song, noisy in flight, the white-tufted tui enjoys making its
presence known. Wide ranging birds, tui sometimes fly twenty to thirty
kilometres for seasonal food. A notch in an outer feather of each wing
gives tui a noisy, whirring flight they use as a weapon in defending
their territories. They are one of New Zealand's most vocal birds,
performing an extraordinary one-bird duet of melodious clear notes, with
extra various percussive clicks, grunts, and wheezes."
Kaka
"Conservation status - nationally endangered
"Kaka are large for a parrot, unusually melodic, and patient hunters. A
kaka will often spend hours tearing away at a branch with its large beak
just for one beetle. They love to show off their flying skills,
seemingly for the fun of it. As well as traditional harsh parrot
screeches and 'skraarks' their calls include melodic whistles with
gurgles, grunts and more. Kaka are often about at night calling noisily
and disturbing their neighbours."
Little spotted kiwi (pukupuku)
"Conservation status - restricted range
"New Zealand's smallest but stroppiest kiwi, flightless and nocturnal.
Female kiwi often duet with their males, mostly just after dark, and
usually led by the more vocal male. His is a series of high-pitched
rising whistles, hers a lower chirr. Kiwi call more often outside the
breeding season. It is either to bond with their partner or to warn off
invaders."
Other birds featured in this series of displays include
- the North Island robin (toutouwai), perky and inquisitive
- the morepork, New Zealand's elusive classic owl, brown with piercing
eyes
- the bellbird, (korimako) small olive green bird with blazing red eyes
- the North Island saddleback (tieke), glossy black with striking
chestnut saddles and orange wattles
- North Island weka, flightless, small, brown and inquisitive
- Kawau - sharp-eyed shag which dives for fish or catches them on the
surface of the water
A short distance further along the track a sign points to the site of
the Morning Star goldmine which operated from 1869 to 1873.
Next are cavities cut from tree trunks to hold special containers for
weta to live in. Small doors can be opened to view the weta.
In a clearing a little further on, a large log cut from the trunk of a
pine tree provides a great place for children to play but has additional
interest as the rings visible on the cut surface have their dates
recorded to indicate the rate of growth of the tree.
Kaka at play
Just before the track began to climb to the upper lake we saw an
impressive display of kaka feeding on ripe berries on a dogwood tree and
flying exuberantly from one part of the tree to another, with loud calls
to each other.
Standing on the crest of the upper dam visitors can appreciate the
extent of the bush on the sides of the valley and when the light is
right and the waters are still the reflections add to the beauty of the
view.
Returning to the starting point the track follows the stream and a short
side track takes walkers to the wetlands at the upper end of the lake.
Here we saw water birds including scaup and paradise shelducks.
On our return to the visitor centre we were able to have any questions
answered by the helpful and well-informed staff on duty.
On our next visit we plan to book to join one of the guided nocturnal
tours to hear the bird calls at night.
Information for visitors
For guided tour bookings call (04) 920 9200.
For other information call the visitor infoline (04) 920 2222
or visit the website www.sanctuary.org,nz
Published with permission from NZine
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