Hutt Gorge Trapping Fund
The Hutt Valley Canoe Club are trapping predators along Te Awa Kairangi (Hutt River), to bring back native birds to the upper gorge between Kaitoke and Te Marua.
We started in 2022 installing twin set DOC 200 trap boxes, funded through a grant from Greater Wellington Regional Council. These are installed above the floodline along the gorge between Kaitoke and Te Marua. This is an area that cannot be accessed on foot, it needs a whitewater paddler with a degree of skill to safely navigate through the Grade 3 waters. Since the initial installation we’ve added more traps including a trial of highly automated traps (AT220) that keep working away until they need a battery charge or lure topping up once every 3 to 6 months. These have been a real success and are well suited to both the steep sided terrain of the gorge and lower frequency of maintenance visits expected in such an environment. Our members a volunteer their time and use their own kayaks and packrafts or the club duckies to take new traps into the area and to maintain our existing traps.
We are hearing from people that they are noticing more bird life in the gorge. We’re hoping to one day see whio (blue ducks) return to the river, and any increase in birdlife is not only enjoyable but an essential component for the native forest to germinate and regenerate.
If you’d like to support our mahi and chip in for traps, bait or safety gear, you can donate via our Givealittle account here.
If you’re a competent Grade 3 paddler and you’d like to get involved, join our club!
