Date Time
Historic Hooker Hut reopens
The hut, which first opened in 1910 and is the oldest in the National Park, was removed from its previous site above the crumbling moraine wall of the receding Tasman Glacier by helicopter in 2015.
It was stored in Twizel until its restoration by contractor Recreation Construction and flown back into a much more accessible location about two hours walk into the Hooker Valley.
DOC Aoraki Operations Manager Sally Jones says it’s fantastic to have the hut back in the national park where it can be well-used by visitors.
“The refurbished hut will open up the opportunity for a wide range of people to experience a night in the pristine alpine environment of Aoraki.”
Date Time
Tongariro Alpine Crossing – be prepared for winter conditions 29 April
It has been a great season for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Tongariro Northern Circuit. Many kiwis have enjoyed the great weather in Tongariro this summer, with New Zealanders enthusiastically exploring their own backyard in lieu of overseas travel.
Now that autumn has arrived and we are experiencing much colder weather, DOC Tongariro Operations Manager Connie Norgate wants visitors to be aware that there will be a reduction in facilities and services on track, including on-site Rangers, Hut Rangers and volunteers.
“As winter conditions like sub-zero temperatures and snow and ice set in, alpine skills and equipment are essential to complete the Tongariro Alpine Crossing from now until November.”
Date Time
Hunters’ camaraderie to fore as Pureora competition returns
The popular hunting competition is organised by the Department of Conservation’s Maniapoto District but was cancelled last year due to the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.
DOC’s Maniapoto District Operations Manager Graham Kimber says Sunday’s prizegiving saw 44 red deer heads entered for judging, while the new pig hunting category resulted in one young hunter taking away a $500 prize.
The deer heads were scored using the Douglas Score system, with local resident Joe Webb the main prize winner, presenting a head which scored 295.25 points. The Douglas Score is a system for measuring and evaluating antlers, horns and tusks of New Zealand big game animals by symmetrical size.
Date Time
Shark sightings in Tauranga – beachgoers urged to be vigilant
DOC says there continues to be regular sightings and encounters with great whites in the Tauranga area and DOC Marine Technical Advisor Clinton Duffy says people travelling to the beach for the Easter weekend need to be aware of the marine animals seen around our coastlines.
“When we’re visiting the ocean, we need to be vigilant and aware of what’s happening around us,” he says.
“Sharks can come close to the shoreline and if you are heading out on or into the water, you need to exercise caution.”
Melting glaciers could be triggering a ‘feedback process’ that causes further climate change, according to new research.
An international research team led by the University has for the first time linked glacier-fed mountain rivers with higher rates of plant material decomposition, a major process in the global carbon cycle.
As mountain glaciers melt, water is channelled into rivers downstream. But with global warming accelerating the loss of glaciers, rivers have warmer water temperatures and are less prone to variable water flow and sediment movement. These conditions are then much more favourable for fungi to establish and grow.
Fungi living in these rivers decompose organic matter such as plant leaves and wood, eventually leading to the release of carbon dioxide into the air. The process a key part of global river carbon cycling has now been measured in 57 rivers in six mountain ranges across the world, in Austria, Ecuador, France, New Zealand, Norway and the Unit