Back to Blog

Preservation of Otama Reserve Village Pa Site

The Otama Reserve Group is very happy to have achieved its goal to preserve and protect the Village Pa Site -te wāhi tapu - an historical site on the beach reserve. Originally this site was used by Ngati Hei as the site for a village. Subsequently it has been used for - grazing, camping and more recently for parking and as a viewing point. To protect and respect this special site going forward a decision was made in partnership with Ngāti Hei , DOC and the archaeological experts, to form earth...

WORK UNDERWAY TO PROTECT HISTORIC SITE AT OTAMA

Protecting the area’s environmental and historical heritage has inspired a community-led initiative at an important public space at Otama. Paul Kington from the Otama Reserves Group says learning more about the history of the village reserve currently managed by the Department of Conservation prompted the action. “The Otama Reserves Group recently formed earth mounds around the reserve to protect the historic pa site,” he says. “This was done in conjunction with DOC and all materials and...

NZ Dotterel RY-YW

Photograph taken by Lianne Dalziel, Otama beach 2021Over the December 2020/Jan 2021 breeding season, a banded NZ dotterel was sighted on Otama Beach, which is very exciting! Her name is RY-YW (Red/Yellow-Yellow/White) and she is 26 years old, which makes her a’ senior citizen in the New Zealand dotterel world’. This bird, a female, was originally banded as a chick in November 1994 at Opoutere, Coromandel Peninsula. As most juvenile NZD dotterel, she spent the next few years wandering the coa...

“Bush to beach” corridor the aim for Otama Reserves Group

A vision of a “bush to beach” corridor free of weeds and pests is driving the efforts of eastern Coromandel’s Otama Reserves Group (ORG). The group has received $13,000  in the latest round of the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Community Fund grants, which ORG Acting Chair Paul Kington says will be used to develop a robust restoration plan for the wetland reserves it is already working in – alongside partners Waikato Regional Council and DOC. “We identified very early on tha...

Pampas Eradication on Otama Reserves

As part of our weed control programme on the Otama Reserves the ORG engaged the services of Remnant Restorations last year to eradicate Pampas Grass as well as other weeds such as Agapanthus and Blackberry on its reserves including the main domain, sand dune and wetland reserves. Remnant Restorations undertakes grid spray environmental weed control and this will be an ongoing programme funded by DOC.The Otama Reserves are home to several nationally and locally significant plant and fauna species...

Results of Predator Trapping at Otama

The Otama Reserves Group implemented a local predator control programme on the Otama Reserves and private landholdings. This initiative began in 2018 with the establishment of a trapline encompassing the 5 reserves and landowner property and has resulted in the trapping of 348 predators to date. These have been mainly hedgehogs, possums, pigs, rats , stoats and feral cats. The kills are humane and total 175 in 2018, 152 in 2019 and 21 so far in 2020. Myna and Magpie traps are also now being util...

Matuku (Bittern) Released into the Otama Wetland

A rescued Matuku – Hurepo (Australasian Bittern) was released into the Otama Wetland Reserve on the 26 of March by DOC Ranger Troy McDonald and Paul Kington from the Otama Reserves Group. The Matuku has been cared for by Annemieke Kregting from Kuaotunu Bird Rescue who looks after native birds that are found unwell and distressed, with the aim to release them back into the wild when recovered. The Matuku was found in Tairua on the 12 of March very emaciated and missing some flight fe...

Otama Reserves Group on an exciting journey

Paul Kington, chairman of the Otama Reserves Group, is not only excited about their progress the past 12 months, he is also keenly looking towards the future. “We’ve recently become an incorporated society and we’re seeing the impact our predator control efforts have on the reserves in and around Otama Beach, especially the Otama wetland,” he says. “Bitterns are among the birds we spot more often at the wetland now. In a way the bittern became our mascot.”The group is responsible for...

Dune Weeding on Otama Beach Dunes Reserve

DOC organised a weeding day on the Otama Beach Sand Dunes Reserve on the 28th of February inviting local community volunteers to participate. This initiative was mainly to target Lupins to reduce infestation over the dunes area.There was an excellent turnout of 12 volunteers and 10 staff from DOC. Wearing hats, sunblock and safety vests we spread out over the dunes in a grid pattern to ensure good ground coverage. We spent 6 hours pulling out Lupins and learning about some of the rare ...

Bittern Sighted at Otama Wetland

A large female Australasian Bittern (Matuku Hurepo) has been spotted nesting this summer at Otama Wetlands. This is exciting because Bitterns are rarely seen and their conservation status is nationally critical. Bitterns are large birds with light and brown streaks in their plumage which helps them blend into the raupo wetland grasses and reeds. If approached they exhibit secretive behaviour and are known for their distinctive “freeze pose” straightening themselves up and pointing ...

Torea-pango (Oyster Catcher) Chick Killed by Dog on Otama Beach

Sadly, our Torea-pango (Oyster Catcher) chick – the first surviving one in 5 years was killed by a dog on Sunday the 2nd of February. This is very disappointing as the ORG and DOC put a lot of time and effort to protect the area’s native bird’s  fledglings from predators in the sand dune, lagoon area and wetland. An extensive trap line is set up and monitored regularly along the sand dune and reserves including the wetland, and DOC has a designated ranger Lisa Kearney who monitor...

Traps Stolen from Otama Trap Line

The ORG is extremely disappointed to see that 5 of our trapshave been stolen from our predator trap line near the lagoon entrance.A lot of effort by community members has gone into setting up an extensive trap line to reduce the predators of the native bird species living in the lagoon, wetland and sand dune reserves and we are beginning to see an increase in bird activity in the area.This initiative has resulted in the trapping of 348 predators to date since its inception in 2018.The ORG had to...

New Fence is Up At Otama Wetland Boundary!

We are very pleased to announce that after lease renewal negotiation with DOC and the local farmer a new boundary fence has been erected at the wetland boundary.This is a very important step forward for our wetland restoration as it will keep stock out of the wetland. This will prevent further damage to estuarine vegetation from trampling and grazing and improve water quality by eliminating pollution with faecal matter. It will also reduce the effect of pugging which creates habitat for mos...

Kua Tupu Te Pa Harakeke – The Flax Plantation is Growing

With the help of the Kuaotunu and Otama communities an area on the demain at Otama has been cleared of agapanthus and blackberry and has been replanted with various varieties of heritage Harakeke to establish a Pa Harakeke – a flax plantation which will be utilised by local weavers. Harakeke is the Maori name for swamp flax, the species Phormium Tenex. Heritage varieties of Harakeke were donated by the Auckland Botanical Gardens and include Meneene, Ngaro, Te Mata, Makaweroa, Mawaru and Raumoa...

“Degraded” wetland unacceptable for Otama Reserves Group

In addition to looking after several reserves in the Otama Beach area, the Otama Reserves Group (ORG) is also working on restoring the health of the wetland in the area. “In a relatively recent Environment Court decision, the Otama wetland was described as ‘degraded,’” says Paul Kington, chairman of the ORG. “We don’t really know who decides when a wetland is degraded and what the requirements are, but it was an unacceptable comment and we just couldn’t let it go.“There’s a lot...

New Stair Access at Otama Beach

New stair access to Otama Beach on the demain has been built by the local community and ORG in collaboration with DOC. The purpose of the new stairs is to improve access to the beach and to redirect foot traffic away from the roots of one of the large pohutakawa trees on the bank which was on the previous access path. We are hoping that our efforts will prolong the life of this very old tree.  One of the many reasons that Otama is so beautiful is that pohutakawa trees grow along the cl...