This year, we’re partnering with Ngāti Kuia and Forest & Bird to support biodiversity in Te Hoiere, Pelorus Bridge.

Every registered Te Araroa walker contributes $10 towards nature regeneration. This year the funding will help protect the critically endangered pekapeka (long-tailed bat). Predation by rats, stoats, and possums remains the greatest threat, as these predators target roosting bats and vulnerable juveniles.

Forest & Bird’s Te Hoiere Bat Recovery Project has run a volunteer trapping program in Te Hoiere since 2010 and are now enhancing its impact with AT220 self-resetting traps in a high-density grid. This year’s Te Araroa funding will help expand this critical trapping network.

If you’re staying at the Pelorus Bridge Campground, make sure to visit the Ngāti Kuia Kaitiaki, who can lend you a bat detector device to listen for pekapeka in the evenings.

Stay tuned in the new year for more opportunities to support nature regeneration while enjoying your time at the campground!

Photo Credit: Colin O’Donnell