ApriL 2026

As we enter our colder months (still blessed by our usual brilliant weather!), some of our regular volunteers head off for warmer, if not sunnier, destinations. Which means we might be a bit light on person-power, especially right at the moment for our fortnightly village trapping operation. 

It’s our work on the traplines threaded around the village that helps keep our local manu population thriving, and our early mornings filled with song. Our village lines are generally just a few kilometers long, over easy terrain and following good tracks. 

Generally we meet at 10am every second Wednesday, and it’s a great way to get a dose of exercise to begin the day, and to meet up with fellow villagers. If you feel you could lend a hand from time to time, or become one of our regulars, please do give Pip a call on 0275211130. She’ll be delighted to hear from you! 

Our big operation over the last fortnight saw 6 of our volunteers helicopter up to Upper Travers and Blue Lake Huts, for our regular trapping line maintenance trips down the Travers and Sabine Valleys. Wendy and Richard tackled the latter, while Mark and Sarnim, Graham and Nigel, took on the Travers. 

The reason for doubling up numbers on the Travers was to have a team come down the untracked side of the river - generally the true right - to assess the terrain for possible additional trapping lines, as additional protection for the proposed whio (blue duck) translocation first on the Travers (with attention turning to the Sabine later on). So, while Sarnim and Mark attended to the trapping lines, Nigel and Graham hit the untracked wilderness - except, to their happy surprise, they discovered a long stretch of old track on the true right from the bridge (2km below Upper Travers hut) to about level with Travers Falls (or about 2km). This track has the potential to facilitate the deployment of a new trapping line, if the decision is made to proceed. 

Although Wendy is looking at her collection of old maps to see if there is any indication of this old track, we were completely surprised to find it. Does anyone have any knowledge of it? We’d be glad to know, in particular if it might go below Travers Falls on the true right. 

Our volunteers have attended to all our other lines on schedule. 

Friends of Rotoiti are always on the lookout for new volunteers and funding support! You can contact us at friendsofrotoiti@gmail.com or call or text the chair, Wayne Sowman, on 0272385597.