Taranaki’s only pest free sanctuary
Rotokare Scenic Reserve is a stunning 230ha forested hill-country catchment, with extensive wetlands and a 17.8ha natural lake. The mature tawa, rewarewa, and mahoe-dominated forest is home to kiwi, ruru/morepork, kārearea/NZ falcon, tūī, korimako/bellbird, kereru/wood pigeon, riroriro/grey warbler, miromiro/tomtit, tīeke/saddleback, popokatea/whitehead and toutouwai/North Island robin, plus a variety of other bird species. The lake edge habitat consists of raupō, flax, and pukatea/kahikatea swamp forest – home to notable avian fauna such as mātātā/fernbird, pūweto/spotless crake, and piscine fauna like tuna/eels and banded kōkopu in the streams and lake.
Our Vision
Rotokare will be a thriving natural ecosystem that benefits & inspires wider conservation efforts within the community and throughout the region
Our Mission
We will achieve the highest level of restoration, protection & enhancement of the indigenous ecosystem at Rotokare Scenic Reserve & beyond. We will actively involve the community & provide the best opportunities for education, recreation, inspiration, & environmental sustainability
“The Great Wall of Rotokare” - Barry Hartley
The Fence
Following the recommendation of a feasibility study (Oecologico, 2005), the trust began the challenging task of fundraising for a $1.9M pest-proof fence to circle the 8.2km reserve perimeter. Thanks to the overwhelming public and sponsor support received, Xcluder Fence Company began construction work on this customised fence in November 2006, taking just over two years to complete it. Not just any ordinary fence!
Unlike your standard stock or garden fence, this fence has special features that make it a barrier to unwanted pests:
Its height, close to 2m tall, stops jumping animals such as cats from getting over the top;
A fine stainless steel mesh (25mm x 6mm) is small enough to stop even baby mice from getting through;
A smooth, rolled hood prevents climbing animals like possums from getting a grip to climb over; and
A skirt that goes underground acts as a barrier to digging animals like rabbits and hares.
Rotokare's fence follows a ridgeline, making it less likely to be damaged by falling trees. This path ensures that the entire headwater catchment is enclosed within the fence, preventing any contaminants from entering the reserve from surrounding land.
The fence has a surveillance system with an electric tripwire which runs along the top of the fence; if a tree falls on the fence, the wire shorts itself on the metal pigtails through which it passes, and a text message informs the Site Manager of an obstruction. This system allows fast and efficient repairs to be made before any sneaky pests can get in!
Biodiversity
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Many native species have flourished in the absence of introduced mammalian predators. Other native wildlife has been actively translocated to Rotokare, either supplementing existing populations or returning species long absent from the Taranaki region, including Hihi (Stitchbird), Tieke (Saddleback), Toutouwai (North Island Robin), Titipounamu (Rifleman), Popokatea (Whitehead) and Pāteke (Brown Teal).
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Successful breeding and healthy populations within the reserve have allowed us to translocate wildlife to other sites. Between 2017 - 2019, around 100 Mātātā (Fernbird) from Rotokare were translocated to Pauatahanui and Mana Island. Under our partnership with Taranaki Kiwi Trust (Taranaki Kōhanga Kiwi at Rotokare), North Island Brown Kiwi have been annually translocated out of the reserve since 2020.
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Regular monitoring is undertaken to observe changes in sanctuary biodiversity including bird counts, kiwi call counts, mātātā and pūweto (spotless crake), lizard monitoring, and vegetation plots.
Some of Rotokare’s more vulnerable residents require management to support their success at the site, including supplementary feeding and breeding monitoring of the Hihi population.
Biosecurity
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The Rotokare community work hard to keep the site pest-free. Inked tracking cards are an important tool to help us detect and address any invaders.In particular, rodents are prone to stowing away in visiting vehicles, thus the regular deployment of tracking cards in 1500 tracking tunnels across the reserve is a vital monitoring tool for ongoing biosecurity.
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A trap network is present in the reserve, with active traps near high-risk areas such as public parking. Additional traps across the reserve are maintained to be quickly deployed in the event of a pest incursion. A further layer of trapping lies outside of the reserve as an additional defence mechanism, the Halo Project.
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While dogs are prohibited in the reserve, specially trained dogs are brought in for important tasks such as pest animal monitoring. Regular audits (usually two per year) are undertaken by skilled handlers and their trained conservation dogs. The teams sweep the reserve in search of pests that may not have been identified by internal monitoring.
Community
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Our volunteers are crucial to the success of the project. Their hard work and dedication are key to the success of the project. Volunteering is a rewarding experience - Interested? Learn more here.
We regularly accommodate working bees from workplaces or community groups who are looking to give back to the environment and community. Get in touch to discuss options.
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Rotokare offers a variety of environmental education programmes and supporting resource packs that provide a strong curriculum-linked, hands-on, and inspirational experience for early childhood through to senior secondary school students.
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Venturing through the forest is a totally different experience at night… with so many nocturnal creatures to view Rotokare offers public night tours (at a nominal fee) from July to September. Private groups (corporate, school, community) night tours are available by prior arrangement.
