Three volunteers spent several hours on the 3rd of April and 10th of April clearing an infestation of moth plant bordering the bush on Tenetahi Rd. The vines were massive and had obviously been there for a while but had somehow been missed by our team of volunteers. There are large patches of moth plant around Leigh and we are keen to control the various seed sources.

Our first official working bee for 2023 was held on 2 April when 8 enthusiastic volunteers worked for two hours on clearing weeds along the coastal end of Tenetahi Rd. While the plan was to continue attacking Jasmine which is strangling the bush, most of the time was spent on clearing a large area of blue morning glory. A contractor has sprayed the area twice and we plan to hold several follow-up working bees within the next few months.

We are midway through phase 3 of the pulse baiting programme. There has been a recent spike in rat numbers, apparently due to the wet summer which delayed the breeding season. Our trapping efforts were somewhat thwarted by the rain and slippery conditions, along with the slips caused by Cyclone Gabrielle which blocked a number of the tracks. All rather soul destroying but, on a positive note, one of the large slips above the Harbour took down a massive infestation of moth plant and other weeds which we had been unable to access.

Thanks to our volunteers Neil and Cheryl Sutherland, Kate McConnell, Martin Turner, Jan Sinclair and Margaret and James Young.