Kauri ambassadors gear up for deployment at top walking tracks

Thursday, 19 December 2019

There is no cure for kauri dieback, and the disease kills most if not all the kauri it infects.

Holidaymakers wanting to spend time walking under the canopy of New Zealand's native flora this summer will need to make sure their hygiene is up to stratch.

The Department of Conservation is gearing up for the close to one million people who travel to the Coromandel Peninsula and Northern Bay of Plenty over summer and planning for the impact that could have on the spread of kauri dieback.

Walkers enjoying tracks on the Coromandel and Kaimai Ranges will likely encounter Department of Conservation and iwi 'track ambassadors' who will be spreading the word on how to prevent the spread of kauri dieback disease.

There is no cure for kauri dieback, and the disease kills most if not all the kauri it infects. It can be spread by just a pinhead of soil.

The joint initiative is between the DoC Tauranga, Hauraki and Whitianga offices, working together with iwi, Waikato Regional Council and Thames-Coromandel District Council, community groups and businesses.

DoC kauri protection ranger Chris Twemlow said during the summer, almost one million people travel to the Coromandel Peninsula and Northern Bay of Plenty to enjoy the holiday break, with many visiting the kauri forests.

DoC and iwi track ambassadors will be at high-use tracks including the Kauaeranga Valley and The Waiau Kauri Grove, between December 27 and January 5.

The ambassadors will be encouraging the correct use of hygiene stations and will be sharing information on how best to protect kauri.

'When people enter the kauri forests, we ask them to do so with regard for the health of the bush and the ancient trees that live there. We can all do this by following the hygiene practices in place and staying on the open tracks,' Twemlow said.

Ongoing work by DOC and local councils to upgrade and maintain walking tracks and install new hygiene stations has allowed these unique areas to remain open to the public.

'It's easy to help protect our kauri and prevent the spread of kauri dieback disease. It's all part of our Tiaki Promise to help Papatūānuku (earth) thrive'.