World Wetlands Day - Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People

World Wetlands Day is held on February 2nd each year and marks the date when the Convention on Wetlands was adopted back in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The theme of this year's event is "Healthy Weatlands, Healthy People". Wetlands used to be viewed as smelly, unproductive spaces to be drained and converted to other uses as quickly as possible. In the past few decades this view has slowly changed as humans have realized that wetlands protect us from coastal erosion and storm surges, help store water and release it slowly thereby mitigating the impact of floods, improve water quality, are a storehouse for a variety of flora and fauna including species that we eat and use for medicine. Indeed, the health of humans and wetlands is inextricably linked.

I LOVE wetlands and celebrated by attending a pateke release. Pateke, or New Zealand brown teal, is an endangered duck species. Pateke used to be one of the most numerous birds in New Zealand prior to human arrival and could be found from the northern to southern tip, from sea level to 700 m. But a combination of habitat loss and arrival of mammalian predators means that now only between 1,000-2,000 birds survive in the wild.


Pateke call wetlands home, but unfortunately 98% of wetlands in New Zealand have been lost. To put this into perspective the US states of California and Ohio have also lost over 90% of their wetlands. In contrast, Europe has lost about 60%.

Even if Pateke manage to find and set up shop in the remaining New Zealand wetlands their chicks inevitably fall prey to a suite of introduced predators - stoats, ferrets, weasels, and feral cats. Fortunately there are a few mainland islands, such as Tawharanui and Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, in New Zealand which are free of these pests. And as long as pests are kept at bay, pateke are known to be very rapid breeders.


The pateke release was a magical even because it brought so many people together for a great cause: from the Auckland Regional Council who had the forsight to acquire Tawharanui Regional Park in the 1970's, to the local school children who learned about the pateke and created artwork, to the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary volunteers whose hard work and dedication ensure the park remains predator free, to the captive breeders to reared the birds from chicks to adults, to Banrock Station wines who provided funding for the release, to the Department of Conservation recovery team who developed the methods for raising and successfully releasing the birds, and to the kapa haka group from Mahurangi College who delighted us with their welcoming songs.

Environmental issues can often seem so daunting, but people CAN make a difference. Businesses, national government, school kids, volunteers, and local government came together to make the wetlands at Tawharanui a bit healthier. We waited with anticipation for the park staff to open the lids and release the birds into their new home. I'm sure the ducks were eager too after being cooped up in boxes and flying (by plane) from Christchurch to Auckland. As the ducks glided into the still water and the audience glowed with delight, I'm sure I wasn't the only one hoping that the 20 pateke soon increase to many, many more!

Several feeder stations had been set up in the wetland to temporarily provide the pateke with food as they adapted to their new setting. But within moments of their release the pateke were paddling along the stream and dabbling for food at the water's edge.

Northland

The stunning coastlines, clear water, warm climate, and numerous off-shore islands make the Bay of Islands, New Zealand a popular vacation spot for both Kiwis and tourists. Unfortunately our visit to Pahia, in the center of the Bay of Islands, coincided with rainy overcast weather which made water and beach activities out of the question. Large waves churned up the sand turning the normally deep blue waters orange-brown. However, we soon discovered that the history of the area is as equally impressive as its scenery. Northland is where Polynesians first settled in New Zealand, Europeans first made contact with Maori, and the Treaty of Waitangi between Britain and Maori chiefs was signed.

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 by the British Crown and 500 Maori chiefs just down the street from our hostel. This treaty forms the basis of Maori relations to this day. We visited the treaty grounds which are complete with a beautiful nature trail winding trough coastal vegetation and mangrove forest. We were especially impressed with the Maori meting house and 12 ton waka (war canoe) carved to mark the 100 year anniversary of the treaty.

We headed further north to see Cape Reinga, which is not quite the most northern point of mainland New Zealand, but comes awfully close. The 20 km gravel road combined with misty rugged hills, massive sand dunes, and the expansive sea created an end-of-the-world feel. No wonder why this cape is the entrance to the Maori Underworld – the jumping off point for souls who travel back to Hawaiiki (Polynesia). This 23,000 hectare group of four reserves hold 700 recorded Maori archaeological sites - including forts (pa) and food storage pits. We felt honoured to be visiting the most important cultural heritage site in New Zealand.

We descended to Tapotupotu Bay, whose steep coastal cliffs, pounding surf, and lush almost tropical feeling vegetation made for an absolutely beautiful camping spot. After registering for a campsite we started a 4 km coastal hike towards the cape. The pounding surf and wind-shorn vegetation dominated the landscape. The track we walked along was a bit deceptive at times. Strong waves and currents had eroded the sea-ward side of the hills. As we neared the hill tops, instead of seeing the other half of the hill there was a steep drop into black volcanic rocks and frothing sea water with a few pohutukawa trees eking out an existence.

The exhilarating climb made the lonely Cape Reinga lighthouse, which stands watch over both the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean, all the more spectacular. Visitors who had driven directly to the cape filtered through quickly, as if they weren’t very impressed by the surroundings. Arriving at Cape Reinga by foot allowed us to really appreciate the stunning coastal views. As the wind picked up and misty clouds descended over the hills we made our way back to camp. We pitched our tent on the leeward side of a pohutukawa tree and were glad that we didn’t get blown away.

The next morning, we lingered at our campsite and walked along the tidal bay until early afternoon. Just before leaving Cape Reinga we stopped off to see the sand dunes we had noticed the day before. Neither of us had ever seen such huge sand dunes (80 meters high) – deposited by coastal currents over tens of thousands of years. A crystal clear stream separates the Sahara-like dunes from lush deep-green forest.

The last leg of our journey took us to the Waipoua Forest – home of the largest kauri trees in New Zealand. Kauri trees are a type of conifer and they used to dominate New Zealand’s northern forests. Their wood was prized for making sailing ships and furniture and now only a fraction of these forest type remains. Waipoua is the only sizable kauri forest in all of New Zealand.

As we rounded the path the afternoon sunlight lit up the trunk of Tane Mahuta – the oldest of all kauri trees (2000 years+) and our jaws dropped in amazement. We had to strain our necks just to see the crown which was loaded with epiphytes. The cathedral grove, deep in the hushed forest, contained twelve massive kauri. We sat in silence soaking up the sacred atmosphere of these ancient and voluminous (5 meter diameter) trees.