Changing Tracks — Warblers Retreat

Covid-19, Day 7 , Wednesday 1 April 2020

Changing tracks, yes, many of us are going to be doing that in the future, but here at Warblers Retreat, we are changing tracks in a different way!

We have a couple of tracks at Warblers Retreat that we have created over the past couple of years so guests can exercise and can enjoy the serenity of our New Zealand forest. But, it would be great to extend them so that our guests and our neighbours could enjoy not only a good nature walk, but have a decent work out as well.

Existing tracks

Part of the tracks we have now were the original farm tracks that had been built years ago when the land was run as a farm. These tracks, were easy to find and are quite wide. We have a track called the goat track – only because that is exactly what it is; very up and down, and not easy to follow. If we could link this up with the main track, it would certainly extend the distance, but as it stands at the moment, I am the only one who walks it to check the bait stations for rats.

Exploring

So today, I got to do something I have been wanting to do for a long time…explore the bush to work out the best way to improve this track and to find out how we could extend it to make a longer walking track for our guests. My decision was to possibly extend the current goat track up into the neighbours and take it up the hill where we can create a track into the adjoining Reserve, where nobody goes. This part is a bit of a long term project though. There’s several neighbours who are keen on having a reasonable distance walking track throughout our neighbourhood that goes through the bush and along our private road, so it all makes sense to focus on new tracks.

Geo maps

The geo-maps on Auckland Council website are the best way to see what the contours are. So with map in hand, I decided to explore more in the neighbours place, (with their permission, of course!). I got a little way in and it was a mass of incredibly dense vegetation and pine trees that had been cut down and left. Most of these were taking a long time to break down, and a hell of a lot of effort to climb over. I made my way out, thinking, ‘na, not going there!’ Back to our place.

Dry undergrowth

We have had such a dry summer that a lot of the young undergrowth in the bush has died off. This means it’s a great time to re-navigate the goat track as it’s far easier to see the terrain. There’s been a large mound of wild ginger in the lower parts of this region that I have been aware of, but haven’t had the time to re-locate and deal to. Now thanks covid-19, I will get the time! I spotted the clump fairly quickly and in doing so, have managed to suss out a new route, but it will need a bit of work. Next project!!!

Company along the way

On doing so I was restocking the bait stations, that I have placed at varying intervals along the tracks. Much to my surprise, halfway along the goat track, I discovered I had company. There was movement in the undergrowth, and it wasn’t long before this little brown object moved very slowly just in front of my feet. A rat! It had obviously been feeding on the bait at some stage as it was very slow to move. It’s the third one we have spotted during the day in that state, so it just shows they are still about, and it’s important that we are vigilant in keeping up our pest control.

New plan, new project!

Didn’t take long! So with a new plan in my head, I will need to get back down and get into it with our trusty battery Stihl chainsaw and stihl pruning chainsaw with it’s carbon tipped blade which is brilliant as it doesn’t go blunt if you hit the dirt. Our friends Pete and Jude from Stihl Shop Silverdale, have supplied us with numerous Stihl toys over the years; I am sure we’re their favourite customers!

So watch this space for developments!

Wrap up

Out of the bush and into reality - seven days into the lock down and we are getting used to this new normal. 61 new cases today and 82 recovered. The cry out is for more testing, do we really know how bad it is when there’s new clusters of community contact happening?

Our fantastic neighbour asked if we would like any supplies from the Supermarket, and told us at driveway drinks, that there were loads of people in the carpark at Pak n Save, with everyone having to line up behind the lines which are 2m apart, to get in. He scrubbed that idea and went to New World, where it was a it quieter. The Government are focusing on trying to future plan for a wrecked economy coming out of the crisis, but nobody knows how long we are going to be in lockdown, let alone anything else. Our conversations with friends and family are that we are going to be in it for a lot longer than four weeks.

Well, if it’s longer than four weeks, Pare-dise isn’t a bad place to be!