We're Group 2, and consist of Ruby Hayvice, Pippa McCormack Wolf, and Troy Baker. We are all year 10 students at Kapiti College, and are in the Kapiti Island course for course week this term. Course week is a week where you get to study a topic of interest, ours includes the history and ecology of Kapiti Island, as well as learning how to blog as a way of documenting our learning and trips. Our group has two learning intentions to look into during the week, and are what our work will be relating back to. Our learning intentions are 'I am learning about the conservation that is taking place on Kapiti Island: Who, What, Why & How', and 'I am learning about Native species on Kapiti Island: Where, When, Who, What, Why & How.' Many dedicated teachers are involved with this course, and our class is a fun and happy environment. This means that we are all excited for the week that awaits, and will be blogging daily about our experiences.
28/11/16
Today we were introduced to the history of Kapiti Island by Mr Maxwell, and how the human life impacted the island by Mr Brannigan. The history of the island included Te Rauparahas life. He was the war leader and one of the chiefs of the Ngati Toa tribe, he was brutal, cunning, and fearless, and his life continues to cause controversy. He saved his tribe that was on the verge of extinction, by occupying Kapiti Island and using it as a fortress for war, and as a trading place for the Pakeha whalers, because of this, Ngati Toa thrived and became very powerful. Many events took place on Kapiti Island and the near places on the mainland, making NZ rich with Maori history that many don't know. The inhabitants of the island, including the pakeha and Ngati Toa, turned the island into farming land. The Europeans introduced many pests, including sheep, cattle, and goats for eating, possum for the fur trade, rats from the boats, and stoats to control pests which had gotten out of hand. These pests ate the native land and animals and have since been fully rid from the island, allowing the native flora and fauna to rejuvenate naturally.
29/11/16
Today we learnt about the history of Kapiti Island in depth by Mr Maxwell. It included many of Te Rauparahas stories and the actions of the Ngati Toa tribe. We also learnt about the wars, including the musket wars, conflict in the Waikato, the Wairau incident, and the battle of Wairoa. He took many lives cruelly but consequently saved his tribe, this is why he was so controversial. In the end, he was captured and arrested, he returned an old man and died 6 months later.
Our class then went for a beach walk, onto Paraparaumu beach where you can see the island clearly and is close to area's that experienced conflict. Here we were told stories of the happenings at the island by Mr Maxwell and Ms Magill. It again dawned on our group how little we knew of a place we had grown up in.After this, we bought a big bunch of hot chips, bread, and drinks, and had lunch with the class.
We were then introduced to the native and invasive species by Ms Symonds. We learnt about different species that lived or live in New Zealand, what they look like, how they behave, and how they affected or affect one another.
30/11/16
Today we learnt more about native and invasive species in depth and were introduced to conservation and what people are doing to keep NZ wildlife sustainable. We found out that our government wants to get rid of all pests by 2050, that's a huge claim but is necessary to save native species. It's extremely significant we remove pests like possums, rats, ferrets, mice, and stoats in New Zealand, as the damage done by them by killing and harming our native birds is very detrimental to our native species and native culture. Birds like Wekas and Kakas who's eggs are being taken by pests are dying out, their offsprings being taken by pests before they can be born and continue the cycle of reproduction themselves. This way, countless native species including the Kakapo and Kea are dying out, and becoming extinct. As a group, we researched 3 invasive species and 3 native species to find out more about the animals.
Native species:
New Zealand Pigeon - Also known as the Kereru, this bird is native to New Zealand. They are commonly referred to as Wood Pigeons; although they share the name with the Wood Pigeons in the northern hemisphere, they have many distinctive features that separate them from these birds. Wood Pigeons weigh about 550-850 grammes. Wood Pigeons are widely spread throughout New Zealand, residing in native forests and both rural and urban habitats. Their eyes, feet, and beaks are red, and their bodies are bluish green, and their bellies are white. Pigeons eat berries, and they contain alcohol that can actually cause Kereru to become drunk and fall out of trees. They are prey to animals such as cats and stoats, and their eggs are vulnerable to rats, possums, stoats, ferrets, and weasels. Kereru breed all year round, but they most commonly mate in September-April. Kereru can fly, but not very well.
Tui - Tuis are a non-endangered native species to New Zealand. One of the Tui’s most distinctive feature is their white, feather tuft beard. Tuis have brown eyes and a mix of green and brown feathers. Another distinctive trait of the Tui is that throughout songs, they stop to screech. Tuis can be very aggressive and stake out their territory. They live in the bush and suburban areas. Tuis are monogamous, and one pair of Tuis reproduce about 2-4 eggs every year. Tuis live for around 12 years overall and start breeding at about 2 years old. The chicks are fed at first by the female Tui and are later cared for by the male. Tuis are herbivores, and eat plants like nectar and honeydew, and are the most common pollinators of flowering plants. Some predators of the Tui include possums, rats, cats, stoats and ferrets.
Tomtit - Tomtits are small birds with black bodies, and some have yellow underbellies. They also have patches of white on their wings and tails. Tomtits let out short tweets and may tweet up to five times in quick succession. They can be found throughout all of New Zealand, and their main predator is ship rats, and also other introduced mammalian predators. Tomtits typically breed from September to February. Tomtits are vigorous in territorial defence, both males and females will try and scare off invasive birds or predators. Tomtits eat small invertebrates, such as spiders, beetles, and flies. They also occasionally eat small fruits, swallowing them whole.
Invasive species:
Cat - Cats were first introduced when they were brought onto boats to control the rats. Cats eat cat food. They are a predator that like to eat many endangered birds such as Kereru. They are a domesticated species that mainly live with humans, but some cats are feral, homeless, or otherwise not living with humans. Cats may live together in a household peacefully, but generally do not get along in the wild, and two domesticated cats meeting each other may fight. They move around by walking on four legs, and they have paws. Cats come in varying colours, such as black, white, brown, tabby, ginger, etc.
Rat - The first rats were carried to New Zealand 1250 AD by Polynesians, these are called Kiore rats. Kiore rats eat seeds, fruit, eggs, insects and lizards, and feed at night. They spend the daytime in burrows, and have been removed from all government-administered islands, however still live on the mainland. They have not been eradicated from the mainland due to cultural and scientific reasons, but the Kiore rats are not a protected species.
Stoat - Stoats were introduced to New Zealand in the 1880’s to help decrease our population of rabbits however, this plan backfired as the stoats found it was much easier to kill and eat native birds eggs, and they became predators and a threat to many of New Zealand’s species. Some of the other foods they eat include but is not limited to rodents, birds, rabbits, hares, possums, insects like wetas, lizards, crayfish, birds, fish and hedgehogs. Stoats can climb, swim and walk, which is a large part of why they’re such a big problem. Stoats can live practically anywhere, from forests to farms, to beaches and high altitude country. Stoats have become such a problem, the New Zealand government has put aside $6.6m in order to research them in the hopes of permanently eradicating stoats in New Zealand for good.
We also wrote haikus about the island as a creative writing exercise.
Gazing from on top
An isolated image
Nature's landscape
Te Rauparaha’s home
Built with conflict and respect
Wars left forgotten
From the grounds of sand
I stare past the flat water
In awe of the view
Breezing past are birds
Their sanctuary is still
The scream of tui shrill
1/12/16
Today was the first day of summer, and we travelled to Kapiti Island with the class. It was a beautiful day and we saw the sun come out as travelled by boat. We arrived on the beach and the water was so clean and blue, we saw penguins, black gulls, Tui, and jellyfish here. We went to the visitor's house and were introduced to the island by people who worked here, and were told about the many native species that lived here. We then hiked up the island for nearly two hours, spotting Kereru, Kaka, saddleback, Hihi, and Weka. It was hard at first but was an amazing walk. When we arrived at the summit it was a relief. The ocean was flat and stretched further than we could see, where it merged with the blue sky. We had lunch then made our way back down, running down the island in 35 minutes. Hot, sweaty, and tired, we dove into the sea and lay on the hot rocks. It was truly beautiful and was a great way to see where and what we had been actually studying. 
Type of killing
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Pros
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Cons
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Trapping
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Hunting
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Poisoning
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Chemical Castration
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Biological Warfare
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1080
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