Richard Nichol and I (Dale Shirtliff) boarded Mataara 2 at 7.15am Saturday 3rd June. Richard is an ecologist and works on the West Coast. Richard had not been to Mana before and it was clear the trip was a highlight for him.
After the biosecurity check and a cup of tea Richard and I headed up to the fluttering shearwater site. The stand-in ranger Jane had dropped off the 20 replacement burrow lids, drill etc at the site. I worked on replacing the 20 rotted lids. Richard fitted the cows ear tag numbers to each of the 101 lids.
The weather on that Saturday was superb. Great views of the South Island including snow-capped Tapuae o uenuku. We finished at this site and moved on to the white-faced storm petrel site as there were tags for those burrows too.
The forecast changed and it was decided that Richard and I would leave the island at around 10am on Sunday. Although the trip was shortened the main tasks planned were covered which made the trip worthwhile. A shortened but successful weekend trip.