©Sjaan Bowie
Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust
©Lorna Doogan
“We held our first Tahuna Torea Kayak Day in celebration of World Fish Migration Day on Saturday 21st May. 50 people joined us in exploring the Tāmaki Estuary by kayak with Auckland Sea Kayaks. On the water Whitebait Connection- Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust shared stories of the amazing migrations some of our native fish need to undertake in order to complete their lifecycle and the many challenges they face on these perilous journeys, including in stream barriers, invasive pests, loss of spawning habitat, climate change and much more. Participants also learnt about the local restoration work being carried out in their community and how to get involved in order to become kaitiaki of their own backyard. In addition to kayaking participants were treated to an informative guided walk by local conservationist Shaun Lee, witnessed the multitude of shore and sea birds that feed around the estuary and learnt how to harvest and weave harakeke by talented kairaranga Shelley and Jodi-Ann. A big thank you to our event funders Ōrākei Local Board, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and The Bobby Stafford-Bush Foundation as well as our awesome group of volunteers who helped the day run smoothly.”
