Mahakirau Forest Sanctuary

06/10/2026

We have more than 1,000 rat cafés at Mahakirau, so choosing the right trap really matters.

Over the past decade alone, we’ve worked our way through half a dozen models. Some had plastic components that failed, some rusted rapidly, some were difficult to clean, and others raised concerns about how humanely they performed. Every replacement means more time in the field - and worse still, a poorly performing trap may miss the very rodents we’re trying to remove.

We’ve been using the D-Rat stainless steel trap and Rat Tek wax-based lure for a while, and reckon this combination is worth backing. The trap is robust, easy to service and has a finely tuned trigger with separate sensitivity settings for rats and mice. Beetles and snails also seem remarkably uninterested in eating the wax lure, so it’s lasting months rather than nights. We haven't caught any non target species - but the snails have sprung the trap from time to time - like across all models. The lure comes in 3 sizes - and we've used it in the bait well as well as behind the trap for extra scent.

Carol’s service at DeadRat has been impeccable too. If an issue arises, she’s quick to help resolve it - something that matters when you’re trying to keep a large network functioning effectively to protect threatened species.

The trap and lure cost more upfront. Across a network this size, though, it’s the longer equation that matters - longevity, fewer replacements, less labour and, most importantly, dependable performance where it counts.

Just sharing in case anyone else out there is on the same seemingly endless search for durability, efficacy and humane performance. So far, this combination looks very promising!

And if you’ve found something that’s working brilliantly in your own network, please share your constructive tips in the comments - good ideas are worth spreading. 🐀🔧🌿

29/09/2026

Keeping us connected - in more ways than one 🌿

Jason from QEII and I spent a couple of hours this morning with PowerCo’s contracted team, walking through the sensitivities around upcoming maintenance work beneath the power lines along our northern boundary.

This is an important line, helping keep Coromandel town and communities north and south along the western Coromandel connected and powered. But beneath it lies another rather special network - habitat for rare butterflies, geckos, kiwi and kauri, and quite possibly our native frogs too.

It’s genuinely heartening to see how willing these companies and their contractors are to listen, understand what lives here, and adapt essential work to minimise disturbance wherever possible. Keeping people connected while looking after the connections within nature - a little knowledge and collaboration can make such a difference.

We’ll be monitoring the area carefully before work begins - a little extra effort that may make all the difference for some of the small and easily overlooked lives beneath the lines.

🔎🌿 If you’d like to lend a hand with the monitoring, get in touch!

26/09/2026

Spring has found its way to warm our hearts.

Native daisy is flowering, clematis is turning the canopy white, and shining cuckoos have joined the chorus again.

This daisy (Brachyglottis kirkii var. kirkii) is Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable, with browsing by possums, goats [and deer] among the pressures it faces. Seeing it bloom is a small joy.

And those little notches on the leaves and petals? We can’t tell from the marks alone, but they make us wonder what other secretive, symbiotic lives are tucked into this spring scene...

20/09/2026

Another Forest Ringlet 🦋 publication - in time for this year’s flight period!

Ever wondered whether the Forest Ringlet you’ve spotted is male or female? Our latest paper with Andy Barker takes a close look at the features that can help tell them apart - particularly abdomen shape and those beautiful orange wing markings.

Hopefully it provides an inspired guide for those lucky enough to encounter this Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable butterfly this season - and perhaps encourages a few more well-photographed observations to find their way onto iNaturalist.

Happy hunting - with cameras, of course! 😉📸🦋

Download link: https://weta.ento.org.nz/index.php/weta/article/view/474

17/09/2026

An unexpected predator… ⁉ 🐸🐦

We spend a great deal of time investigating what introduced mammals are eating at Mahakirau - but mammals are far from the only predators our native wildlife has to contend with.

Recently we found a dead Archey’s frog in a rather unusual position - splayed across a tree root, with damaged toes, and missing brain - signs that immediately raised questions about how it had died.

So, as we often do when something doesn’t quite add up, we went looking for evidence.

A sample from the frog was sent for eDNA analysis and returned a positive result for blackbird (Turdus merula).

It doesn’t prove we witnessed the act of predation itself, but combined with the physical evidence it adds a fascinating piece to the puzzle. Members of the genus Turdus - including blackbirds and thrushes - are known to handle prey vigorously, including striking food against hard surfaces.

For a tiny, ancient, ground-dwelling frog quietly sharing the leaf litter with these familiar backyard passerines, it’s another reminder that predation can come from many directions.

And another reason we keep looking closely at who eats whom at Mahakirau. 🔎

16/09/2026

🙌 Quick action. Perfect result.

Frances, one of our landowners, spotted a stoat helping itself to a rat caught overnight on her driveway. She promptly cleared the trap and left the rat in place as bait.

Less than 10 minutes later… job done. One large male stoat removed.

Incredibly satisfying - particularly because Frances has kiwi living close by. If birds are nesting in the area, vulnerable young chicks won’t be far away now.

And Frances knows exactly what she’s protecting. Not long ago, she stepped onto her deck at 5.30am and heard an unfamiliar scuffling and sniffing in the still morning:

“I quickly went inside to get my torch and followed the sound… I couldn’t believe what I saw right near me - a little kiwi. I shook with excitement, could hardly breathe and my smile and delight was ear to ear…

I was barefoot in night attire, it was cold and wet underfoot, but who cares… It was the best moment of my entire life.”

- Frances, landowner, volunteer and very proud kiwi protector. 💚

A big thank you to Save the Kiwi Trust and QEII National Trust for supporting the purchase of DOC250 traps like this one - investment in productive trapping infrastructure that translates directly into taonga protection on the ground.

Sometimes predator control is thousands of hours of patient work. And sometimes ten minutes is all it takes to make a difference.

16/09/2026

dead or alive - our mahi has been gaining a load of attention lately!

More than 90% of tested ferrets contained frog DNA, raising conservation fears.

15/09/2026

We’ve been looking inside predators for years - and they continue to surprise us.

A great read from Predator Free NZ on what diet research is revealing about the extraordinary breadth of native species on the menu - and why understanding who eats whom matters for conservation.

DNA analysis of introduced predator stomachs shows their broad diets include native mosses, orchids, plus freshwater crayfish, eels and fish.

10/09/2026

Things get feisty on Critter Cam!

We’re accustomed to seeing members of the genus Turdus - blackbirds and thrushes - busily fossicking through the leaf litter. Familiar backyard passerines, perhaps, but this extraordinary little encounter reveals another side to these fiercely competitive and determined introduced birds.

There’s rather more to the humble Blackbird than meets the eye…

More on that soon. 👀🐸

09/09/2026

Intercepted at the border. 🐈🌿

Another feral cat caught on one of our remote boundary lines - and quite the view from the office!

This vista across the ranges gives a little perspective on just how isolated some of our traps are, and the ground we cover to keep them operating.

Right place, right time. One less skilled hunter making its way into the Sanctuary.