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Walks, talks, and snorks..

Walks, Talks and Snorks on Rakino Island

March 6, 2021, 10am-2pm (ish)

As some of you may be aware, a marine ecological survey was conducted around Rakino Island in 2020, with the cost of the survey covered by a grant from the charitable trust Foundation North. The survey was undertaken in order to obtain scientifically robust baseline data from which environmental change can be evaluated; to identify areas that support high biodiversity and ecological functioning; to identify gaps is the knowledge base; to identify key threats to animal and plant life including things like invasive species and sedimentation; and to provide information that can help us look at ways we might establish environmental initiatives for the Island, such as restoration and protection.

The next stage of this survey is to share the information that has been gathered with the good people of Rakino at an event on January 16 (back up weather day January 23). Called Walks, Talks and Snorks, we have invited a few scientists and ecologists to visit the island to share their knowledge, and to help us better apreciate the wonders around us and as the title suggests, they will be taking interested parties on walks, while giving talks and even leading a guided snorkel of Sandy Bay. You will need your own equipment for this and be a confident snorkeller/swimmer and kids under 14 would need to be accompanied by an adult.

We are delighted to be welcoming:

Dr Tim Haggitt:

Tim Haggitt has 12 years of experience in marine consulting and research and provides specialist technical advice on marine community diversity and functioning; state of the environment reports; the design and application of monitoring programmes in order to detect and measure impacts and effects; audits of marine monitoring programmes and habitat restoration. Tim Haggitt is based in Leigh where he co-supervises students in marine ecology. Tim Haggitt’s core area of research expertise lies in subtidal rocky reef and soft sediment community ecology.Tim will talk about the survey, answer questions, clear up misapprehensions and then take interested parties on a guided snorkel at Sandy Bay. You will need to bring your own snorkel gear but this is a wonderful opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of our sea life.

Kerry Lukies: Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust

Kerry has always been passionate about marine conservation and the many animals that call the ocean home but her fascination for seabirds first began when working as a penguin keeper at Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium. Kerry recently finished her Master’s degree on the stress physiology and foraging ecology of Little Blue Penguins in the Hauraki Gulf and has since been working for the Northern NZ Seabird Trust. She works on a range of projects involving seabird conservation, research and restoration, mainly on the pest-free islands of the Hauraki Gulf but also on islands further north and Auckland’s mainland. Projects she has been working on recently include attaching GPS trackers to Little Blue Penguins to determine where they forage at sea and studying which light types used on vessels are most attractive to nocturnal seabirds in an attempt to minimise the rate of light-induced collisions.” Kerry will share her knowledge and passion for our seabirds.

Dr Tim Lovegrove, aka The Bird Whisperer. Regional Fauna advisor, Auckland Council Biodiversity team.

A regional fauna advisor in the council’s Biodiversity team, Tim Lovegrove is fondly dubbed ‘The Bird Whisperer’ and he can distinguish and identify many different bird languages by ear, and mimic their chatter through whistles and coos with the occasional help of lures made from forest grasses (which are especially useful for talking to little birds). Tim has guided the kōkako recovery project in the Hunua Ranges, helped set up Tāwharanui and Shakespear open sanctuaries and has been involved in bird conservation management and monitoring for over 30 years; his knowledge of the native bird world is vast. Tim is passionate about the work he does for the council and for the environment.

John MacKenzie – Rakino Island Nursery

Our very own botanical bright spark John MacKenzie will also give a scintillating talk down at the Rakino Nursery where he’ll explain the work that’s happening there and also how you can help keep Rakino clean and green, both through what you choose to plant and, just as importantly, what you stay on top of in the form of unwelcome weeds.

EDS Report on Protecting the Gulf Islands

This report https://eds.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/RMLR-Hauraki-Gulf-Report_FINAL-V2.pdf includes a case study on Rakino, here are the key issues it mentions:

Rākino is one of the few settled islands in New Zealand that is pest free and this creates an enormous opportunity to create a haven for biodiversity. The island is still mainly covered in kikuyu grass although there has been a more recent increase in indigenous planting and the establishment of a nursery on the island. Given the small number of owners of most of the grassed land on the island (including the 25 large lots), the council should consider working individually with them, to identify opportunities and incentives to encourage more extensive replanting. The current subdivision rules for the Rākino amenity area do this to some extent, through making provision for additional lots if replanting is undertaken, and this seems appropriate. However, given the high potential for further subdivision on the island already, replanting incentives should not simply be linked to subdivision. The island could also be a place to experiment with new styles and forms of building, encouraging those that fit within the landscape rather than dominate it (and potentially include this in the residential zone rules).Restoration should also be considered in the marine area surrounding the island, and as suggested in the case of Waiheke Island, this could be assisted through an integrated planning approach which considered both the island and the surrounding marine area in a specific section of the Auckland AUP.

Some interesting quotes are included…

In the future, I hope things will stay the same as they are, with a lot more planting of trees supporting more varied and better bird life. I really do hope there is no commercialisation of the island.

RRA Meeting 25/10/20

The minutes as noted by the Anarchist Amanuensis.

RRA Meeting, October 25^th 2020 10am… a beautiful sunny day with the best part of it wasted on a 1hour 45 minute meeting that could easily have been wrapped up in an hour.

Presided over by Chairman Clews.

Apologies – Steve McCrone, Kevin Hester.

Past minutes – a brief overview

Thanks to Tom and Chris for sorting the picnic tables at Sandy Bay.

Nothing has happened about the memorial seat for Rob Everall.

The financial report was presented, not much activity. There has been a $25k grant from Foundation North which contributed to the baseline marine survey around Rakino Island..

The background to the marine survey and proposed reserve was outlined.

Elisabeth Easther presented the findings of the survey which can be read here : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bo3bZqMyQF2EALjrL8QeHPrLaHElnfYn/view?usp=sharing

The usual qualms and misinformation were addressed, yet again.

Chairman Clews said that no decisions would be made without a mandate from the islanders, and Elisabeth correctly observed that any marine reserve is enormously difficult to achieve, and there are literally thousands of recreational fishers that will oppose any such move.

As usual, there has been no progress made on the Rakino Community Hall. We would expect no less. It appears the Auckland City Council would prefer to have the ratepayers of Rakino take over control and maintenance of the Hall.

Bev presented the Fire Report.

The firelords went off for service; two came back, one did not, as it was claimed to be no longer viable. There was a long discussion about dry fire-fighting, and the unrealistic suggestion with regard to volunteer fire-fighting education.

At this stage:

*permit only status for fires.

*20 permits issued to date.

*please get a permit that lasts over several weeks so you can have a fire when the conditions are right.

*Have water and tools on hand in the unfortunate event that the fire gets out of hand.

*Notify the community via social media if you are having a permitted fire.

*The fire signs are to be updated.

Josh said the fire pump is broken.

There was a reminder from Chairman Clews that the Fire Officers position is voluntary, and the position must be respected. He threatened to ring the police if he got wind of any miscreant behaviour. He then went on to say that all voluntary positions must be respected, and are therefore not open to any robust criticism. It’s not the achievement or lack of that matters; it’s the volunteering to be on a committee that is important. There was some railing against people going off and doing things willy-nilly without committee consultation.

Chairman Clews then held forth for some time on his opinion that the Fire Brigade wanted no responsibility for Rakino Island’s fire-fighting equipment because of that hoary old chestnut ‘Health and Safety’. Happily Matt Maling kindly pointed out in his professional capacity as a lawyer that you are exempt from prosecution under the Health and Safety Act if you are a volunteer.

Discussion then commenced with regard to the placement of the water tank on DoC land, and the complaint that ensued. The water tank has been relocated to Hawkins land, but not without a considerable amount of time-wasting and double handling. There was a plea for people to ask questions first before complaining to authorities.

Many people appear to be unaware that there was an intention to place a water tank and utility shed at the top and center of the island on the AT land, as well as being unaware there was an intention to place a heli-pad in that area, specifically and only for the emergency Westpac Helicopter to use.

This is despite last year’s minutes being published for all to read.

There will be a generator to power a siren in event of an emergency that can be heard all over the island.

General business.

Les announced that he had been bit by a dog 3 weeks ago. He has also been bailed up by dogs and knocked over by a dog. Chairman Clews suggested that Les would be better off complaining to dog control than the Rakino Ratepayers meeting, but did not threaten to call dog control about miscreant dogs himself. There is general agreement in the community that we would like more dog control, but alas this is not a view shared by dog owners.

A $1000 dollar donation will be made to the Westpac Helicopter Trust.

A secretary is needed for the committee.

A list of mooring holders was requested.

Jo brought up the perennial issue of cars and speed, with a plea for everyone to slow down because of free-ranging children and dogs, and Mark quite correctly observed that the laws of physics still apply on Rakino even if people believe other laws don’t apply, and it is concerning to see the number of children riding around on vehicles as ‘hood ornaments’.

Sarah Webb volunteered to be committee secretary.

Sheryl spoke about the new rules that apply around the inorganic collection; you must book in with the council, and you must keep the rubbish on your property.

Do not put it on the berms.

There is to be no illegal dumping, thank you.

>At this point I, the Anarchist Amanuensis, wish to make a couple of points about rubbish that were not discussed at the meeting, because I didn’t really notice until I went to place my recycling and household waste in the bins on Monday.

Firstly, not all plastics are recyclable. If you have a broken old plastic thing, chances are, it is not recyclable and should in all likelihood be put in the household waste bin.

If you take your empty bottles to the recycling bin in a plastic supermarket bag, put the bottles in the recycling, and the plastic bag in the household waste bin.

If you have used nappies or used feminine hygiene products to dispose of, for goodness sakes, scrape off the poo, wrap them up, put them in a bag, and then place them in the household waste bin. It is really unfair to subject Tom and the rubbish volunteers to gross things like dirty nappies.

We have the enormous privilege of a predator-free island, so either bury or compost your food scraps, because there are no rodents. Don’t put them in the bins if possible.

More possibility for recycling paper and cardboard would also be appreciated by keen recyclers.

Always remember; everything that comes onto the island eventually has to be removed…

Meeting closed 11.45 am

Many thanks to the provider of sausage rolls and the top notch chocolate brownies. You rock!

Moth Plant

Moth plant is a swine of a pest plant.

It’s a vigorous grower, shade tolerant, and capable of smothering our regenerating bush if allowed to run rampant. It’s pink-white flowers are easily visible in the trees between December and May. In autumn and winter it’s pale green choko-like pods form. The pods carry up to 1000 dandelion-like seeds which can travel several kilometers once the pods have dried and split.

On Gulf islands land-owners are legally required to remove moth plant, and this is best done well prior to the pods splitting.

The sap is a sticky irritant, so protective clothing in the form of gloves and arm covering is a good idea. If the infestation is minor, the seedlings can be pulled out and left to die. If the flowering vines have climbed into the trees, the vines can be cut off near the ground and painted with Picloram gel, a stump paint which works well on moth plant.

If pods have formed, they need to be removed from the vines, and bagged up to be taken away.

The sites of removal need to be revisited in order to follow up on infestations. It’s an on-going task.

There is a small team of intrepid moth plant removers on Rakino who gather a couple of times a year to try and tackle the moth plant problem in the reserves, but also on private land if required. If you’re willing to volunteer a couple of hours on a long weekend a couple of times a year, the moth plant removal team will almost certainly come and help out with your infestation, and you’ll be justly rewarded for your efforts with an expertly cooked sausage courtesy of Kevin Wragge. Delicious! 🙂

Planting to attract birds.

On my most recent island visit I got some feedback that people were looking to do some winter planting on their patches of land to attract our local bird-life, and were looking for advice on how best to achieve that. I’m no expert, and would always advise chatting to Rakino Nursery manager John MacKenzie before embarking on an ambitious planting plan, but here is a bit of basic information to get started with.

Below is a chart of native birds we see on Rakino, and their favoured foods. The nectar feeders prefer insects at nesting time, as they feed their young insectivorous protein. Planting insect attracting shrubs and trees like manuka and kanuka will ensure you always have insect-gobbling fantails and grey warblers flitting through your garden, and will also provide nourishment for the young’uns of nectar feeders. We watched a tui bashing a large stick insect senseless against a tree down at Sandy Bay in preparation for a tui family feast..

Another very good reason to plant manuka/kanuka is that it’s a great habitat for geckoes and skinks. The jury is out on whether we have geckoes on Rakino or not, but we definitely have a number of native skinks. Muhlenbeckia is also a very good habitat for lizards, and John is currently germinating muhlenbeckia seeds due to popular demand.

I have noticed that kakariki love flax seeds, so I would definitely advise the planting of harakeke if you love tui, bellbirds, and are hoping for kakariki to visit, as I am. Aside from this, it’s a great firebreak, and will self germinate readily.

species	nectar	fruit & seeds	foliage	insects
tui	*	*		*
waxeye	*	*		*
grey warbler				*
fantail				*
king-fisher				*
bellbird	*	*		*
kaka	*	*		*
kakariki		*		*
wood pigeon kereru		*	*

A few Rakino birds and their diet, in no particular order.

Below is a list of some of the trees that are generally available to purchase at the plant nursery. Many are currently sold out but I’ll share the link so you can see for yourselves what’s available. The list below isn’t comprehensive, just an indication.

species	fruit & seed	nectar	insects
nikau	*
taraire	*
karamu c. robusta	*
taupata c. repens	*
cabbage tree	*	*
pigeon-wood	*
tawapou	*
kawakawa	*
mahoe	*
harakeke flax	*	*
five-finger	*
kowhai		*
puriri	*	*
karo	*	*
kanuka			*
manuka			*

Rakino Nursery trees that provide food for birds.

Most of the above trees are also attractive to insects, but manuka and kanuka are specifically attractive, and flower frequently.

I’d also like to give a plug to the humble bottlebrush, or callistemon. It’s an Australian native, and not available at the nursery, but it’s irresistible to bellbirds, and bees, and flowers readily. If you are bringing bottlebrush over from the mainland, please ensure you place it in a bucket of water and soak it thoroughly in order to avoid any nasties like plague skink eggs being inadvertantly transported also. I soak any plants I’m transporting overnight, such is my level of paranoia about pests.

I’ll defer to John MacKenzie with regard to what to plant and where; some trees don’t like wet feet, some dislike the dry, others are comfortable almost anywhere. Manuka, harakeke, karamu, taupata, karo, and five-finger make great regenerative ‘nursery’ plants and are very forgiving. A hard to kill plant is a good plant. They’ll provide shelter and shade for more temperamental trees.

The other thing to keep in mind is that once you have a few trees in the ground and the birds are visiting, they will spread the seeds they are eating through the digestion process, and many will germinate successfully.

Happy planting!

https://www.rakinoisland.org/nursery

Photo credit- Jennie Cruse

Local Focus: Rakino Island Plant Nursery.

Over Queen’s Birthday Weekend we visited Rakino for the first time since lockdown ended with the daunting mission ahead of planting forty more trees at 9 Woody Bay Rd.

Our aim is to try and smother the tenacious kikuyu grass with shade-casting trees in order to ensure we never have to spend any time mowing grass on Rakino. Unbelievably, neighbour Barry who keeps his considerable lawn immaculate has yet to volunteer his mowing services, and when I mentioned it to all-round handyman Josh, he quickly said “Absolutely not”, so I figure my plan is best.

Winter is the time to get your trees in the ground on Rakino, as it can dry out considerably over summer, so we got our order in early to John MacKenzie, and he delivered all the trees I’d ordered, with a few extra assorted five finger and coprosma. All were duly planted, and I hope they’re thriving with the recent soakings…

The initiative for the development of the Rakino native plant nursery came from the current day trustees, the Thomas family, environmental stalwart John MacKenzie and his wife Carolyn, and Kevin Wragge.

The nursery was started back in 2015, with funding for it’s establishment secured in part from Auckland Cities Environmental Initiatives Fund and also a significant contribution made by the Thomas’, financially, transport, and construction-wise. It’s located on land generously provided by Stephen and Stacey Thomas at a peppercorn rental of $1 per year.

Today it’s a not-for-profit charitable trust; all the sales generated are returned for the upkeep of the nursery; the ongoing costs of pots and potting mix are not inconsiderable. It’s managed and operated by John, with able assistance from Carolyn. They toil ceaselessly to ensure we have trees available for planting, at very inexpensive prices, I might add.

The objective of the nursery is to support the regeneration of Rakino’s denuded environment by offering for sale plants which have been eco-sourced by John. Most of the seeds are sourced on island where possible, but if not they are sourced from Motutapu and Motuihe. As a last resort seed is sourced from the wider Auckland ecological area. This ensures bio-diversity values with genetic adaptation which affords better survival and growth prospects. It also mitigates transportation and bio-security issues. One of the big concerns about trees brought in from the mainland is the possibility that they might harbour nasties like plague skinks, or noxious weeds like asparagus fern.

**Karo seedlings waiting to be potted up.**

We were very fortunate to have ordered 15 of John’s large eco-sourced kowhai trees, a variant which is unique to Rakino Island. There may still be a small number available from the nursery, but I believe they were a popular purchase this year. I can’t wait till they begin to flower; I might be able to tempt some of John and Carolyn’s flock of tui Hulk-wards if I’m lucky.

The nursery also relies heavily on community volunteers, and community participation. Water to sustain the nursery is kindly provided by the Wihongi family, and permanent residents such as Kevin Hester volunteer for watering duty. I’ve only been available once to volunteer for re-potting duty, but it was a fun activity, and a good opportunity to meet some other islanders. Kevin Wragge wore his best gardening jersey and was a real sport about the compliments he received from all of us.

2019 saw the first year of significant sales from the nursery to enthusiastic islanders; it is envisaged the nursery could potentially assist in the regeneration of other Gulf Islands, such as our neighbours The Noises.

The Rakino Nursery is a significant and valued part of our island culture. The regeneration of the bush habitat is a huge and on-going project. As the trees start to grow and flower we’re noticing more birds visiting and hopefully breeding on island. There are increasing reports of kaka, kakariki, and kereru. I recall being excited at spotting a couple of bellbirds at Albie’s place about thirteen years ago; they’re now regulars all over the island.

The Nursery also hosts events as fundraisers to generate income to plough back into nursery development. ‘Nursery Rhymes’ was an inspired idea held earlier this year on a stage set down by the nursery with a beaut bush backdrop, featuring Jennie Cruse, Stacey Thomas, Tom Donaldson, a star turn by Amanda Frecker, and the ‘kino kids showcasing their choreographed dancing skills.

If you’re considering some tree planting, and I hope you are, I recommend contacting the Rakino Nursery to organise a time to talk to John about plants that are suitable for your site. Visits are by appointment only.

https://www.rakinoisland.org/nursery

Gulf Adventures

Kevin Hester

I was born in Auckland /Tamaki Makaurau, so I have been playing in the adjacent Hauraki Gulf all my life.

I commenced my sailing career in the Gulf in the 1980’s before going on to compete in a few hundred yacht races, for a period on the coastal classic record holder Split Enz ( photo above) and I have completed 16 ocean passages, over half as skipper, on yachts between 37 ft and 70 ft.

I sailed around the island, played on the beaches and scuba dived the coast for 2 decades, waited until the prices took off, duh, then was roped into buying a share in a 10 acre block. That’s when the real Rakino Island experience for me commenced.
Simon Mark-Brown called me one day and said “We’ve just bought the most amazing 10 acres on Rakino Island”. I replied whose we? Simon replied “You and Ulli, me and Louise and Helen Taylor.” I replied with something like WTF and Simon said “Come around and we can discuss it, bring your cheque book!” The adventure commenced!

In 2002 we built a house in Swanson and transported it complete, with beds made, pantry full and cold beers in the fridge. Rakino has never been the same since!
Henry Backhouse Smith and all my mates built the house for me and relocated it to Maori Garden Bay. Henry got the ‘Rakino bug’, relocated another home here and is now a respected member of the community providing building services between fishing and diving adventures.

In 2015, I moved permanently to Rakino where I now conduct research on the unfolding climate and extinction crisis.
I have a monthly radio show on the Progressive Radio Network which is broadcast out of New York. The show is called Nature Bats Last. The 130 + episodes can be found at the Nature Bats Last archive at PRN.FM

Early this year I was interviewed on Radio Waiheke about life on Rakino Island. https://waihekeradio.org.nz/podcast/rakino-island/?fbclid=IwAR1JqWz1G7FRON10MaLye1y8OBouFv9w4qQhjcj44KfWmZ8vtcrfpabghPg

I have visited 50 countries in my life and I have the incredible good fortune to be able to live wherever I want on the planet. I am living in exactly that place.
Rakino attracts a unique type of person. Irrespective of how much money anyone has the only people who last the course on our beloved rock are folks who are prepared to carry their food, alcohol and luggage and embrace the reality of limited resources. I believe no parent could do more for their children than give them the Rakino Island experience.
I’m currently volunteering at the Rakino Island Nursery on an island wide rewilding project; https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=688736654615318&ref=br_rs

**Photo credit of the aerial shot of Rakino Island goes to Scott Peters.**

Before the Wallis Reserve

My Rakino

Hard to imagine the time frames between the images is less than twenty years.

The land is DOC and comprises seven odd acres.

I’m not sure why Linley and I started planting. The Mackenzie clans’ efforts and enthusiasm would have been a factor as they had begun to plant another DOC Reserve abutting Woody Bay Road. Their building platform is visible in one of the photographs.

For what ever reason we decided it would be wise to get formal approval to plant and which I was able to refer to at a later date when challenged as to our intentions.

We began by mowing and planting the area that had been cleared. Tracks were created so that in time a bush walk would be possible.

**Kevin on the business end of a lawn mower**

Thousands of plants were brought over on Warren Sinclair’s boat; either purchased or grown from seedlings at our home in the city. Our friend Brian brought over two thousand in his fully ladened Mercedes long wheel base van one year.

Later on, with the advent of the Council Environmental Initiative Fund we successfully applied for funding and reached an agreement that DOC would transport the plants to Rakino. It was quite a logistical task to load and then get those plants from the wharf to site. We enlisted the assistance of Council and DOC staff to assist with transportation and planting. It was an out of sight out of mind effort as far as the Rakino community was concerned. Council and DOC realized that we were serious and got to know Rakino and its critical location in the Gulf Island chain. That support was invaluable.

One year we returned a few weeks after a mammoth planting session to find that some kind soul had pulled out every single plant. We have our suspicions as to whom the perpetrator/s were.

With planting of this land, which we named as the Wallis Reserve (Wallis is our daughter and first came to Rakino when she was less than two weeks old) approaching an end we turned our attention to the walk way to West Bay.

That is another story for another day.

Councils support was then sought to establish the Rakino Native Plant Nursery which meant we could mitigate biosecurity, biodiversity and transportation considerations. Income generated from sales could then be reinvested back into the regeneration of Rakino’s badly neglected flora and fauna.

The subsequent buy in and transformation of Rakino as depicted by planting and birdlife is a legacy that not everyone has the privilege of being involved with.

Mention must be made of the MacKenzie and Thomas family’s involvement.

Kevin Wragge

**Current day, looking to the west. Twenty year old plantings on the left.**

**MacKenzie plantings, looking to the west.**

Birds of Rakino

A few beaut photos of Rakino’s birdlife taken by Jennie Cruse.

**Plumptious kereru in a pohutukawa tree.**

**Watchful Kotare perching on coprosma.**

**Waxies on the wing, feasting on figs.**

**Oystercatcher wearing a plague-doctor beak.**

**One of the multitudes of fledgling Tui.**

**Alert Mr. Tui, guarding his flax patch.**

Rocklife

My Rakino, wow. Where to start? At the beginning seems as good a place as any. Prior to moving to Rakino I had spent a couple of years reinventing my life as I was very unhappy. With support of family I stopped doing things in my life that were excruciatingly tedious and started to become quite selfish for myself. I’d been through an amicable relationship breakup and was looking for a shelter in the Auckland region. Being quite a cheapskate and not a man who has been successful financially I looked up “Cheapest options” on trademe and a beachfront property was available for $80/week in an Auckland suburb called Rakino. I’ve always been a water baby so my curiosity was piqued. A conversation with a landlord had me heading out to sea. The place was elegant in its simplicity and I refer to it as a plywood box on stilts. It sat beneath an ancient pohutukawa and looked out West to the enchanting Woody bay. The long drop toilet was an ex red phone booth which I affectionately named the “Turdis”. Rakino felt to me as a place to heal and have time to delight in the little things.

**Community donations for a fine repast**.

One could be sold on the exquisite natural beauty but there was more. The community embraced me and rolled out the red carpet. I grew up in a farming community with much neighborly love and this was something I’d missed along the way making tribes of similar and like minded people in large urban centers. Their pace of living was on my frequency and like myself Rakinoites cherished liberty and an absence of rules. The only real rule in the community I could discern was don’t be an asshole. In a small community if one is a prick the voodoo comes back real quick. I knew I was in love with this place and people immediately. People say the locals are crazy, eccentric or like characters from “Twin Peaks”. To me this is ignorance borne of an insecurity in others expressing their natural joy, delight, playfulness and freedom. People sometimes think we are hermetic folk and it’s true we value our own space. One of the phrases used when one doesn’t want humans about is, “I’m caving”. This is a particularly polite way of saying, I love ya but f**k off. We are also very social and create very festive events, share bathwater, have morning cuppas before our various toils, and “sundowners” which is taking a few magic potions and having a laugh, dance and song as the sun treats us to a mystical beauty over and over again.

Rakino has made me strong which has empowered me to pursue and realise dreams and for a change, be there for others as they go through their own struggles. We work hard on Rakino to keep the peace and yes it’s not always harmony in the community. These tiffs between each other are known as the “Gulf Wars”. Mostly they are resolved and usually with friends making sure we can see the others perspective. We don’t all necessarily enjoy each others company but when one needs help from trivial to desperate, it’s always there. I’ve lived in communities where fear and mistrust dominates. It’s awful and our community is vigilant in combating crime and less serious frictions. This creates a secure environment for our community to not have to waste energy on defences. I am hopeful that in our little puddle perhaps this will seep into mainstream New Zealand because, it works.

Dylan Hinchey