Earthsea Gallery

The Tata Islands Motu and Ngawhiti just off Tata Beach are well loved landmarks on the Golden Bay coastline. These islands provide sheltered anchorage for yachties, a kayaking destination for locals and visitors and a nesting and roosting habitat for Spotted Shags. These Islands are managed by DOC and are part of the Abel Tasman National Park but little has done been to keep them pest free unlike the more high profile islands of the national park, Tonga and Adele. For various reasons Spotted Shag numbers are in decline. Three years ago Peter laid a trap-line across both of the islands. Every 4-6 weeks we clamber up the steep sides and across the rough limestone terrain to empty and reset the traps. Tata Beach locals monitor stoat traps on coastline and many residents participate in backyard trapping. Hopefully by reducing the pest population the breeding colony of Spotted Shags will begin to flourish again.