The 2026 / 2027 season has started! Contractors (Wildwood - Rose and Reuben) and volunteers M and T started work in TMBSR today. We work as a team of 4 early in the season so as to maximise control, during spring, of pest plants that would be a problem later in the season. Resource allocation and timing is key!
Today we worked in Ngai Tai and Polygons A and B.
It was warm and the bush is already very dry underfoot.
We were mainly controlling asparagus and gorse but moth, pampas, ginger, mexican devil and tobacco were also controlled en route. All the ginger was grubbed out and brought out and put into a rubbish bin;
Of note:
- bait line A on pink lower loop needs a jolly good cut back and remarking;
- single asparagus seedlings were most prolific in the area immediately adjacent to CW's boundary, because its blanket asparagus the other side of the boundary;
- moth seed banks seem to have calmed down but rain might start a whole new batch of seeds off (needs watching);
Track logs as below, Rose's tracking system didn't work on one run. One moth plant hot spot waypointed and marked with double pink flagging tape around the edge.
Each colour represents a day. 8 days in November, 2 per week. Starting at the southern end of TMBSR working north, hitting off the major hotspots, polygons and areas M has identified as priorities from her audits. At the end of the month we can look back and see how we did. On blue and green days we will probably get most of willow valley covered off too. 
Left to right: Liam, Kylee, Kellie Rae, Damien, Norm, Reuben (Pouteria and Wildwood) and Fiona photographed under ancient pohutukawa, Pohutukawa Ridge, Te Matuku Bay Scenic Reserve.
