What's New

16 March, 2023

Hundreds take chance to learn about Pupuke

Flagstaff Team

Full immersion… Parents Jo and Ashley Taggart with Chase (5), Poppy (7) and instructor Wednesday Davis after snorkelling on Lake Pupuke during a recent awareness day about its condition. Story, more photos, page 12-13.

An estimated 500 people attended the Discover Pupukemoana day this month, taking the chance to learn about the environmentally degraded Lake Pupuke’s history and its place in the local ecosystem.

Pest busters… Pupuke Birdsong Project volunteers Hilary and Boyd Miller with the pod of an invasive moth plant, which are sometimes mistaken for chokos. The Pupuke Birdsong Project volunteers have also campaigned for 14 years about pest plants, including advising residents on get rid of them.

The Sunday 5 March event emphasised the need for the lake to be protected, with educational stalls providing information about the flora and fauna that live in and around it, and about ways of eradicating invasive pests.

Co-creators… Sarah Spurway and daughter Indie Douglas (7), with the woven bird they made during the Discover Pupukemoana event

Experience Marine Reserves took 110 keen snorkellers and 48 kayakers out on the water during the day, informing them about the effect weeds and pest fish are having on the lake.

A weaving workshop was also held and a fundraising stall was hosted by Takapuna Primary School.

Flaxing lyrical… Shelly Bell (right) schooled would-be weavers in the correct ways to work with harakeke

Stall team… Takapuna Primary School community group members (from left) Kate Waterworth, Cherrie Gao and Xiang Song

Bird brigade… Displaying their woven handiwork are (from left) Peggy Edwards, Larissa Lovell and Nellie Edwards

Pupuke Birdsong Project environmental coordinator, Tabitha Becroft said the event, hosted in collaboration with the Takapuna North Community Trust, was a major success, winning plenty of positive feedback from attendees.


Raising awareness … Pupuke Birdsong’s environ- mental coordinator Tabitha Becroft with a display case of feral wildlife

Wheely good fun… Claudia Schmidt with children Cooper and Braxton Tui who were on scooters at the event held outside the PumpHouse Theatre
On the water… Scores of people took the chance to explore the lake by kayak or in scuba sessions

“Everyone said please do it again next year, so we’re looking to see if this is something we could do annually,” she said.

Please consider supporting The Rangitoto Observer by clicking here: