Tiritiri Matangi -Island Sanctuary

Our coordinators were super lucky to take part in a Project Tongariro field trip to stay overnight on Tiritiri Matangi, a predator free island sanctuary off the coast of Auckland. It was pretty magical to get a feel of what Aotearoa would be like with no mammalian predators. We heard the haunting call of kokako. We saw flocks of popokotea, kākāriki, korimako, and hihi and we watched tieke look for bugs amongst the driftwood. At night we spotted kiwi, tuatara, and giant wētā punga. The really exciting this is that Tiritiri Matangi was once cleared and used as a farm, this vibrant forest is a restoration project! It gave us real hope to see how quickly our native bush can be restored, and that these unique species can be brought back to flourish if the conditions are right. If you ever get a chance to visit, take it!