Date:  10 June 2020

Wairēinga/Bridal Veil Falls, near Raglan, are managed by DOC. This popular location is a magnet for goats who are drawn to the tasty native plants growing on rocky outcrops.

DOC is closing the area for one day on Thursday 11 June to enable contractors to safely control the goats.

The popular track takes visitors down a short, pretty, native forest walk to view the plunging waters from above. Fifty-five metres below, the pool at the base of the falls is reached by a staircase.

“Goat control is very likely to happen around the waterfall, as this is where we keep receiving reports of goats,” says DOC Waikato Biodiversity Ranger, Cara Hansen. “It is such a popular area we need to close it to the public for the day to keep people safe.”

A two-person team from WR Curnow Contracting Limited will be hunting with suppressed firearms and dogs.

“We give out bow hunting permits here, but the goats have not been sufficiently controlled using this method. They are now damaging the fragile vegetation around the waterfall and throughout the reserve.”

As well as informing local hapū, schools, the i-Site and police, DOC erect a barrier at the track entrance and DOC rangers will be on hand to make sure no one enters while the control is underway.

Check the DOC website's Wairēinga/Bridal Veil Falls page for the latest information.

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