Our young friends and regular volunteers, Joshua, Naina and Yazdy spent a wet Saturday at CUE Haven helping us out with a variety of tasks.  All three have been volunteering at CUE Haven for several years and we really appreciate their many contributions.

We spent some time catching up over morning tea (and waiting for the rain to let up).  Thomas gave a safety briefing and described the plan for the day.

Over the past few months, we’ve been working on renovating the old milking shed/nursery into a secure storage area.  The work is wrapping up and the first task we requested the team to tackle was to help carry the timber we use to build walking tracks and benches from the car park where it had been stored into the new shed.

Back in January this year, Joshua and Naina had helped carry the timber out of the old shed.

Conditions today were a bit different!

It was a wet and messy job but in a couple of hours the team managed to clear the car park of timber and get it all into the shed where it will be dry and out of the way.

We then advised the team that we wanted them each to plant a tree to commemorate their special connection to us and CUE Haven.  Each team member planted a toatoa, a beautiful long living endemic tree, well suited to the habitat.

We headed out to the field and each team member found a place to plant their tree.

We then moved on to the third task and we saved the biggest challenge for last.

Since the storms of 2023, we have been having issues with the stream near the junction of the Taraire and the Rewarewa tracks.  Last year, after another heavy rain storm, the bridge connecting the two tracks fell down and we relocated the bridge further upstream while also moving the track back slightly and installing safety railings and retaining timber.

However, after another heavy rain storm in June this year, the stream rose even higher and collapsed the bank further.

Although at this point we don’t think there is a risk of further erosion based on the stream configuration, we decided that the best long term approach would be to reroute the Rewarewa track to higher ground.

Thomas and the team studied the area to identify a feasible track detour, and evaluated alternatives for a new trail away from the erosion prone area.

One they agreed on the route of the new track section, they went to work with loppers, spades and rakes to clear the track.

Thanks to the team’s efforts, we now have an alternate route in place.  Future teams will work to form the track and install side boards and any needed steps and metaling.

After a cold and wet but very productive day, we headed back, cleaned up and then had a relaxing lunch.

A very big thank you to Josh for organising the day.

Josh, Naina and Yazdy – Our heartfelt thanks for once again giving up your Saturday and working so hard despite the weather.  As always, we enjoyed spending time with you all and working with you and we so appreciate your help.  You accomplished a lot and have made a major contribution to CUE Haven. Future teams will finish off the track you’ve started and we look forward to seeing you all again to check it out later this summer.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!