August 2008
by Robert Birks
I must admit that the idea of spending several months on a remote Pacific island conjured up romantic notions of living a Robinson Crusoe existence. However, the reality is slightly different...
Apart from being a nature reserve, Raoul is also an important weather station manned throughout the year. It is a reasonably sophisticated operation requiring machinery and buildings and all the other accoutrements of a civilised society, so life here is far from primitive.
We learn from the world as a whole, that much of species extinction is the result of loss or degradation of habitat. Raoul, despite its isolation and lack of commercial exploitation has suffered through human intervention, but there is an ambitious programme afoot to reverse this trend. Initially goats were eradicated, and this has been followed up more recently by the successful elimination of cats and rats. The most immediate and striking result of this has been the reestablishment of kakariki which we now see very frequently. It is hoped that this will extend to the reintroduction of ground nesting birds, so that Raoul will again become a major breeding ground for many species of seabirds. In conjunction with this, there is a programme to eliminate several species of introduced plants, which have the capability of significantly altering the endemic plant canopy, and this is where we volunteer workers make ourselves useful.
We get to know the composition of the plant canopy quite well seeing that we spend our days clambering through it. Mostly the native plants are recognised from similar mainland species, and luckily, there isn't an abundance of pricklies and stingers like bush lawyer and matagouri, which would cause blood loss and conjure up thoughts of munity as we scramble through the forest in search of targeted weed species. Of these latter, it is Brazilian Buttercup and Black Passion Vine that we are most conscious of because of their prolific seeding abilities. I know from hard experience that the old saying of "one year’s seeding, seven years weeding" rings very true, so it is very important to be rid of them in their seedling stages.
Physical ability and agility are essential for weeding. Not only are we scrambling through untracked bush, but also flat terrain is at a premium here on Raoul, and it often merges into the precipitous. Normally it’s the sort of country I would actively steer well clear from when out tramping, yet here we are actively grid searching the area for what are very small seedlings.
A good level of tolerance is also another requirement for life on the island, and this takes many forms. It starts very first thing each morning with the shrill morning chorus of pukeko, and then, if interested in gardening, it’s watching these same creatures lay one’s efforts to waste. Consequently the vege patch resembles Fort Knox. Then tolerance is required for the tedious monotony of weeding. Often it’s quite a highlight finding a weed, because, in practice, their distribution is rather limited, so perhaps the weeding programme is making progress. Then tolerance is required from one’s companions, because it is a team operation, and communication in the bush can be rather trying at times. So I pay tribute to my fellow weeders of the last five months for managing to keep their cool so well.
In conclusion, therefore, I must say that it has been a privilege to have lived and worked in such a unique environment, and I hope that on leaving here we can act as worthy ambassadors for Raoul.