Wednesday 9th to Tuesday 15th May – A week of volunteering and exploring

Just a very nice picture of the new temporary gaff

Wednesday 9^th May – volunteering in the Hunua Ranges.

Some of the DOC traps were extremely old and rusty

Despite being in a new location this week, I was given the opportunity to prove myself by heading out alone for the first time on a tramp! I was determined not to let the team down nor myself.  Off I went with 4kgs of extra weight in the form of bait.  Okay, so they’d given me an easy public track to follow, but that meant that the bait stations were well-hidden out of view so finding them was the challenge.  They were up steep side banks or tucked in deep undergrowth. There were also the Department of Conservation (DOC) traps to check.   

 

I had four dead rats to contend with.  The old, crusty ones weren’t so bad but the fresher, juicy ones writhing with maggots were not too pleasant!  Then, one of the DOC traps was nowhere to be found despite a marker telling me that it should be there.  How frustrating? I spent ages looking for the thing but had to admit defeat in the end.  Luckily, I got some back-up to come and look with me and no one else could find the thing either, so it wasn’t just me. 

As a reward I have been given my very own Park Volunteer shirt (left) so now it looks like I’m official and they feel assured that I am going to keep turning up. It may have been an easier track, but with all the climbing and delving off into the undergrowth, my Fitbit told me I’d walked nearly 8km and done the equivalent of 84 floors. I was exhausted.

The reward for climbing all that way - the view of Cossey's reservoir

Thursday 10^th May – Bird rescue.

Today was my third and last official training day. I was left much to my own devices, but I regularly needed to ask questions to check that I was going along the right lines with what I was doing. I was keen to find out about the difference in procedure for an afternoon shift as that was what I have discussed working with the volunteer co-ordinator, mostly due to the commuting issues. It took me an hour and a half to make it in again this morning through dense fog and queuing traffic. But it sounds like the centre only need people in the mornings, especially at this time of year when it is quieter (apparently).  The majority of the cleaning gets done in the mornings.  The afternoon is just topping up food and doing some extra tidying up. So, I’ve decided that I can tolerate the commute if it’s only once a week. I just need to have a regular day that I am helping on, so that I can commit to other projects.  So, I offered to cover a day when they are short next week and I’m back next Thursday.

Friday 11^th May – Miranda Shore Bird centre.

Having another search around the volunteer websites I had discovered that we are only just over half an hour away from an internationally renowned shore bird sanctuary. And they need volunteers to help out, not only at the centre itself but also in the hides along the shore line.  Today was looking overcast so I drove out there mid-morning to beat the rain. But sadly, this meant that it was nowhere near high tide, when the largest volume of birds would have been present.  There wasn’t another person anywhere near the centre.  I spoke to the guy there. It didn’t look to me like they were desperate for volunteers at the moment! He told me where I could park my car and go for a walk by the shore but strongly advised to hang around until high tide in the afternoon when I would be likely to see so much more. I didn’t need much persuading to string out my visit. 

A pied stilt

It may have been a little gloomy for taking photos, but I tried my best. There were still numerous pied stilts on the sand (right) and godwits (below) and there was a hide by an inshore lagoon with a variety of ducks and swans to view. 

Godwits

Black swans and ducks on the inner lagoon

 

Grey teal

Close-up of Goldfinches and, below, golden flashes as a flock passes by

I headed back to the centre for a cup of tea and a break. By the time I got back to the hides it was just about two hours before high tide…. Premium bird watching time! 

I’d only taken a banana with me for a snack, so by the time 2pm came around my stomach was urging me to head home but I will definitely be back on a brighter day and a lot nearer to high tide!

Simon had arranged a night out in Pukekohe with some of his soon-to-be-colleagues. I drove and collected Angie, Huihana and her husband Steve.  We went into the Monarch which turned out to be much more of a restaurant than the bar it looked like from outside.  We had a reservation for twelve at Bazza’s Steakhouse in Pukekohe.  The food was lovely, so Simon was especially relieved to know that we’ve got a good and conveniently close Steakhouse. Everyone was stuffed but we managed to persuade people to continue the night by heading to the Ed Street bar where a covers band was butchering some classic rock anthems!  It was time to give everyone a lift home, which we extended by inviting ourselves into Huihana and Steve’s place for some more late-night darts action.  I had shockingly bad form. But it was still fun, and I won’t be the one with a headache in the morning!

Tuesday 15^th May – Kirk’s Bush and Margan’s Bush walks and a dance class?!

The beautiful ancient woodland of Kirk's Bush

This was something I’d seen on the noticeboard at the Botanic Gardens, a ranger-guided walk around two reserves close to us, only about twenty-five minutes’ drive away. So close, but I still managed to be late due to morning rush-hour traffic. Luckily, my efforts were surpassed by a staff member from the Botanic Gardens who was even later than me!

Apologies having been made, our small group set off on foot, firstly around Kirk’s Bush, a small protected ‘pocket’ on ancient woodland within the small town of Rosehill. I’m more of a birder than someone who takes a keen interest in trees and plants, but as foliage doesn’t move about as much, this is what was mostly discussed during the walk. It was an impressively dense and lush woodland with numerous interesting shapes and colours of fungi to spot:

 

It was a very sedate stroll over a small range. We then car-shared to the second location, Margan’s bush, which was hidden within a residential area, the pathway into it being a narrow slip of land between two properties that would be easily missed. This was a more strenuous walk due to some sharp inclines and declines. Again, the forest was lush and filled with exotic species of tree and unique smells of the forest to please our senses (left). It was good to have company out on a walk and visit reserves that I probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise. 

I didn’t feel overly exhausted from my morning’s activities but that was probably a good thing. I had volunteered to keep Huihana company at a Ceroc dancing class tonight! Well, I figure as a newcomer to the area I need to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity to meet new people and integrate myself into the community. But this was something I have never tried before.  Huihana picked me up and we headed to the community centre in Pukekohe. Huihana had tried it once before the previous week and was recognised by some of the regulars.  Everyone was very friendly and there was a good age range. It wasn’t long before we formed a circle to start learning the evening’s steps. I had been worried about being made to ‘be’ a man, being quite tall and to make up for the natural surplus of females in the class. But I needn’t have worried. Luckily, there were a couple of women who were keen to learn the male steps for a competition they were preparing for, so I got to be female after all.  It was strange. I’m not sure if it’s a British thing or maybe it’s just me with issues about my personal space, but it felt totally alien to be standing facing a complete stranger and holding his or her hands! I should mention that, on the table as you entered the door, there was a very conspicuous can of deodorant, some hand gel and breath mints on display. There may of well been a sign asking us to sort any personal hygiene issues out! It made me chuckle.  Having never tried any of these moves before, we were asked to try it out with our partner before moving straight on to the next victim (I mean dancer). It was so fast I barely had the chance to cock it up once before I made my apology and ran off to my next partner!

I’m not sure if I felt warm from embarrassment at the proximity to other humans, or from the steps themselves, but it was definitely a good workout. It quickly became apparent quickly how much of a difference it made if the male half of your duo knew what they were doing. Despite being a complete novice, if the male dancer was confident and experienced in all things Ceroc it felt like we were doing the steps right (though I’m not sure how it looked!). You just have to be a little subservient and let them lead and you end up facing in the right direction. Just. As the hour progressed, we gradually learnt more moves and linked them together until the instructor decided that we were capable of busting some moves to music.  I was not a natural. 

After the lesson there was a period when we could go ‘freestyle’ before the next class, the experts, turned up.  Huihana and I were spun around by some of the regulars who showed us some more flamboyant moves:

Huihana being taught some moves

I was laughing and smiling, but mostly when I was watching others dance rather than awkwardly trying to act gracefully myself. I had an enjoyable time, but I’m not sure it will be something that I choose to pursue regularly. I think it would take me a while to get over my qualms about excessive human contact. Maybe that’s an issue that I should face head-on…. But I might leave it for another time?!