Seen an increase in kākā hooning around the island? You're not the only one!

A day in the life of Chris Anderson: Field team technician for the rat pilot operational trials.

We're pleased to welcome Steve Cook as the Te Korowai o Waiheke Communications Manager, replacing Jessie who is finishing up this week.

As technology gets more and more advanced in the eradication arena, one of the key challenges for projects is how to process the large amounts of data collected. 

It has been another long summer day. The stones in the back garden have been warmed, and are now shaded by the slowly sinking sun. A tentative tail of an ornate skink flickers between the gaps, is it safe to come out? She pokes her rounded nose out from the safety of the leaf litter, the air is still and dense.

The island-wide stoat eradication team enjoyed learning about how to sex and age stoats based on the dimensions of their skulls from Dr Elaine Murphy when she was on Waiheke Island.

After over three months of servicing lines in the rat pilot operational trial, the field team have got to know the locals quite well. Always up for a yarn, team member Dylan Hinchey has got to know not just the residents in his area, but their pets too, getting the scoop on the ratters of the island.

The New Zealand Garden Bird Survey is the longest-running annual survey of biodiversity in the country. Not only does it encourage an appreciation of the diversity of beautiful birdlife on our doorstep, but it allows for members of the community, from tots to tīpuna, to actively contribute to vital conservation research. The data collected from Waiheke over the last 10 years tells a very interesting story.

We are shrouded by the night sky, a blanket of stars and satellites. The air is crisp and thick with salt, loose pebbles crunching underfoot as we make our way around the coastline. Over the sound of our slipping feet, I hear a rustle from the bushes beside me, the pampas grass seems alive and wiggling.

A huff of olive green streaks past me, bouncing back and forth between the mahoe. He is electric with energy as his plumage stands on end, the males surrounding all decorated with the same round and ruffled shape.

It’s dark out. As it is with the beginning of most of my adventures. I ventured down the trail towards a group of nikau by the edge of the wetland where earlier in the day I had spied the enormous web. Most enormous webs, it seems, are also home to enormous spiders.