Two trips have been arranged on the weekends of 29-30 June and 6-7 July. Numbers on these trips are strictly limited, so those wishing to take part should email David McIntyre (mcintyre@math.auckland.ac.nz) to reserve a place. We will provide transport from Auckland to Tiritiri Matangi early on the Saturday morning, food and bedding for the bunk-style accommodation on the island, and transport back on the Sunday afternoon. The exact cost is yet to be finalised but will be between NZ$130 and NZ$150 (approximately US$57 to US$67: see the Currency Converter for conversion to other currencies). Participants will be expected to spend a few hours working: on previous trips the work has ranged from digging paths and laying gravel to bedding out native plants in the nursery. As mentioned above, the accommodation is on bunks in dormitories with 4-6 people in each room.
Tiritiri Matangi is an island just off the coast 30 km north of central Auckland. It is a sanctuary for native birds and other wildlife. Several rare and endangered species have been introduced there, and are thriving in the replanted native bush. Most famously, the takahe, for many years thought to be extinct, has a healthy population of 20. Another species once classified as "severely endangered" is the saddleback, which now has a population of 600 or so on the island. The saddleback is the species discussed in Richard Dawkins's book The Selfish Gene: each valley has a "signature" call, and when juveniles leave one valley to settle in another they adopt the call of their new home.
For more information on Tiritiri Matangi, see this site.
David McIntyre