NW Face Otakamiro Point Muriwai 19 January 2025

 As some members will know immediately before Christmas, we were finally successful in obtaining Council permission to again use the NW Face launch site on Otakamiro Point at Muriwai.

However, it transpired that the track access that Council proposed we use was totally unworkable.

I subsequently met with Wallis one of the rangers, walked the area and proposed an alternative which involved cutting a new access through 90m of over head-high flax. Wallis obtained Council agreement to this proposal, and big thank you to the efforts of Wallis, Joe Ward, Evan & Janice Lamberton & Robo Robinson who helped cut this plus cleared an area of the previous launch site Tuesday 14 January.

Apart from issues arising out of last year’s cyclone which caused the Council to close public access to Muriwai, and only progressively reopen these, there is another reason Council has been loathe to again allow public access to Otakamiro Point:  For more than ten years it had been known that a small number of grey faced petrels nested in the small forested valley of Otakamiro Point. As a result of volunteer activity at pest control by locals, less human activity through Covid and the recent closure, the number of petrels is slowly increasing with a second species also now sighted. The petrels come ashore at night, nesting under the roots of the trees in the forested valley, pretty much exactly where humans are most likely to walk. Their breeding cycle means the petrels and/or chicks are present for two thirds of the year. Human activity and pests, including dogs, are the major deterrent to the petrels’ continued existence.

Hence the Council is trying to restrict public access to this area and why it is important that we stick to the new track delineated in the attached map. The start of this track is marked with a blue tape on the flax at the top of the left hand bank. From there the track continues west past the water tanks (photo 1) and up a short rise (photo 2) to where the new cut track starts, (photo 3 ), again marked with a blue tape. N.B. both ends of the track are deliberately poorly defined as the Council is keen that it doesn’t become heavily used by the public – please do not be tempted to cut back the vegetation at these entrances.

Over the time that the launch has been closed there has been substantial growth of flax and other vegetation. Council gave consent for some clearing to take place to re-establish the launch site, but please don’t carry out any major additional clearing given the amount of interest in the area by local conservationists, pest control volunteers, Council and Iwi. In particular, respect the kumara pits located at the rear of the launch site.

Any queries please contact

Tony Seaman

Council Liaison

tony@promoco.co.nz

0274 933023