Arcadia New Zealand

Conservation Volunteering On Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf, Auckland, New Zealand

Jaime Korner is studying Natural and Physical Sciences at Brandeis University and has just completed a semester abroad at University of Auckland.

On a lovely May morning, a group of us Auckland-Arcadians set out to do a bit of volunteer work by planting native tree species on Motuihe Island! We trudged down to Britomart at nine on a Sunday morning and hopped (or perhaps flopped) onto our ferry. The five of us girls – and student coordinator Georgia – enjoyed the views from the deck as we cruised around the Hauraki Gulf, dropped off some trampers and fellow tree planters at Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands. Besides watching the waves, we also had some excellent people-watching time as another group of Americans (much more recently arrived than us) gushed over the beauty of Auckland and the friendliness of New-Zealenders. We felt like true Kiwis listening to these tourists!

Though we were a small group, this made for some good catching up time on the ride over. Eventually we made it to Motuihe and met up with the other volunteers, walking together along the narrow crest of the island from the dock to the nursery. After picking out gloves (which I eschewed, going au naturel) we carried seedlings from the island's nursery to the tractor along with spades. The new trees got driven to their new home, getting the special treatment as we had to trek a little further to the planting site – but fortunately it was a beautiful warm day, especially for the end of autumn!

We jumped in and claimed our spades first (only partially to avoid having to carry all the seedlings up the hill) as well as our first trees and fertilizer tablets. Then the real work began – and it was harder than anticipated. Digging wasn't too bad...once you got through the ridiculously thick layers of tall grass on the hillside. Couple that with scoping out just the right locations for our baby trees (not too close to the established growth!) and it was no surprise the lunch they provide sounded so good.

We got a lot of trees in the ground with a bit of time to spare to cloud-gaze and snap some pics with the fruits of our labour. Somehow, though, most of the group had moved off into the bush, and on our attempts to find hem we befriended some Kiwi high schoolers who had a strange fixation on Macca's. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt though – we were all pretty ready to eat! The sausage sizzle they provided for volunteers was a sight for sore eyes – unless you're a vegetarian like myself! I made up for the lack of filling for my sandwiches by spending my time at the coffee table with Nescafé mochas and flat whites galore.

We joined most of the group for a nature walk, but perhaps fortunately, the school group turned back early. The six of us went on and saw saddlebacks, fantails, and all kinds of other bird life. We even stopped a few times to creep up to tuatara burrows, but no luck. We made a loop around the largest part of the island, listening to our guide talk about the history of the island, its wildlife, and conservation efforts with which we were there to help. Views of the gulf islands were spectacular, especially Waiheke – we definitely left inspired to pay them a visit. We returned to the nursery shed with just enough time to grab our gear and stroll back to the ferry, stopping briefly by the beach on the way.

Feeling much more awake and rewarded by our work, we made the most of our ferry journey back to Auckland with some quality banter and gossip. All in all, the Motuihe trip was a great way to spend a Sunday morning – some lovely girls' bonding time, helping reforest a beautiful area, and giving back to the place that's given us so much this semester.