The Ōkārito Kayaks gorsebusters project has been overwhelmed with volunteers who have turned up to help weed clearing around Ōkārito lagoon.
Baz Hughes, who runs the business, put the call out in January for people to have a free six- day kayaking adventure in exchange for clearing gorse and weeds.
Baz Hughes briefing volunteers at Ōkārito. Photo: Ōkārito Facebook page
Monday was day 1 of the project.
Ōkārito is New Zealand’s largest unmodified coastal wetland with abundant bird life and surrounding lowland forest. Ōkārito is west of Franz Joseph about 130km south of Hokitika.
When Hughes spoke to Jesse Mulligan in March he was hoping for 20 to 40 volunteers to pitch in and help, he says over 150 people responded.
And they’ve come from all over the country and from all walks of life, he says.
“One couple from the Hawke’s Bay came all the way down they said they haven’t had a holiday in two years and they saw this and just thought it was the perfect way to get out into an environment and to give something back to it.
“We have farmers, we’ve have students, ex-forestry workers it’s been a pretty big range. One guy said he’d lost his job as a result of Covid and saw this as a good way to do something positive.”
The response has presented some challenges, he says.
“We had in mind a capacity of 40 people we could support to do this, to give you some perspective our whole town has a population of about 40 people.
“So, doubling the town’s population for the week was a challenge.”
On the busiest day of the week they will have about 60 people working on and around the lagoon, and Hughes says they had to turn away some people as the logistics of hosting so many was beyond the capacity of the small, remote settlement.
“We do hope that this will have legs that we might be able to do this in the future and universally everyone has said yes let us know how you’re going.”
Photo: DOC
He estimates the week’s work will contribute about 300 work days on and around the edge of the lagoon.
“That will make a major impact long term in the health of this water way here, it is already quite a special environment. It is surrounded by the most stunning National Park.”
The efforts to clear weeds from the lagoon dovetails with a recent announcement that the region will be made the largest predator free block in the whole country, he says.
The whole community has swung behind the project and is helping to host and feed the volunteers, he says.
“It’s kind of scary the amount of home baking that may be arriving in the next few days.”
