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December 2011 Takahe ChicksTakahe parents Matariki and Hauhunga have once again hatched two chicks - the second year in a row. Unbanded RobinsThere are confirmed sigtings of unbanded robins on the maunga.
May 2011 Robins Return40 North Island robins captured in Pureora Forest and translocated to Maungatautari.
April 2011 More Hihi ArriveA further 40 juvenile hihi are collected from Tiritiri Matangi Island and released on to Maungatautari. These are all radio tagged for monitoring.
January 2011 Kiwi Tracking Dog 'Bella'Maungatautari has its own resident kiwi tracking dog thanks to the hard work of employee Mark Lammas and his dog Bella who have achieved full DOC certification. Bella successfully locates new chicks enabling them to be radio tagged for future electronic tracking.
November 2010 Twin Takahe ChicksTakahe parents Matariki and Hauhunga successfully hatch not one but two new chicks - an incredible feat for this critically endangered species which is renowned as being notoriously difficult to breed.
September 2010 Start of Kiwi Export ProgrammeThe export of three Maungatautari kiwi chicks marks the beginning of a programme that will see the return of many more kiwi to the forests; and establish Maungatautari as a valuable source for the supply of threatened species to other restoration projects.
June 2010 Volunteer Efforts QuantifiedAn assessment of volunteer hours indicates we have at least 30 full time equivalent volunteers working on the mountain every day of the week contributing an equivalent value of $1.2m - $1.5m per annum.
May 2010 Interactive Education Programme IntroducedThe Taonga Discovery programme for primary school students is introduced and proving popular with students challenged to observe and uncover treasured native plants and animals.
March 2010 New Takahe ArrivalAfter more than 3 years takahe pair Matariki and Hauhunga produce a chick, one of the most significant developments for the ecological island as well as being a major step forward for the survival of the species.
December 2009 First Kakariki HatchThree kakariki chicks hatch in the aviary on 1 December.
October 2009 Kakariki ReturnA pair of yellow-crowned kakariki is introduced to the Southern Enclosure aviary, signalling the start of a kakariki breeding programme. The captive birds were collected from the wildlife recovery centre at Lochmara in the Queen Charlotte Sound. Kakariki were last sighted on the mountain about 100 years ago.
August 2009 Service Track CompletionStage two of the service track up to the Maungatautari peak is finished adding to the first section completed over the previous four summers. The all weather track to Maungatautari peak will provide staff and volunteer access to pest monitoring lines and other work sites.
April 2009 Popokatea (Whitehead) Release60 popokatea released having been obtained as a bi-catch during the recent netting of hihi on Tiritiri Matangi Island. Like other reintroduced species, popokatea have not been seen on the mountain for many decades.
March 2009 Hihi Return to the Mountain59 hihi are flown by helicopter from Tiritiri Matangi Island to their new home on Maungatautari to mark a first return to the mainland for this species which was last seen in the Tararua ranges in 1883.
December 2008 Fuzzy Balls of FluffKaka on loan from Auckland Zoo hatch three chicks, the first to be born on the mountain for 50 years. It is hoped that, unlike previous reintroduced birds, these new chicks will remain in their birth vicinity.
10 December 2007 First Kiwi HatchIn another great project milestone, male chick Huatahi hatches in the Southern Enclosure - a symbol of a new Maungatautari.
11 November 2007 Matapihi OpenedThe Trust's environmental educational facility at Pukeatua is officially opened by Trudy Lloyd.
12 June 2007 Kaka ReleasedTwo male kaka (Mamaku and Rata) from Wellington Zoo are released temporarily into the aviary in the Southern Enclosure and later onto the mountain at large. Several more birds have since been reintroduced, some fitted with transmitters enabling their movements to be tracked.
5 April 2007 Kokopu Return HomeThree species of endangered native trout (shortjaw, giant and banded) are returned to the mountain after an absence of approximately 60 years. This is a world first release of banded kokopu back to the wild. Release was made possible with expert assistance from Waikato whitebait farmers Jan and Charles Mitchell and funding from the Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust.
1 November 2006 Pest Species Under AttackTwo Iroquois helicopters and a Robinson R44 guided by digital GPS units disperse brodifacoum laced cereal bait across the main mountain (not the two enclosures). Pest numbers are drastically reduced following this operation.
31 August 2006 47kms Pest Proof Fence CompletedAfter battling two wet Waikato winters, and working in difficult terrain too steep to stand upright on in some places, the XCluder team completes the longest multi-species pest proof fence in New Zealand.
15 June 2006 First Takahe Breeding PairA pair of critically endangered South Island takahe are released into the Tautari Wetland - the first to be introduced onto the North Island mainland. The North Island takahe species is extinct and only an estimated 260 South Island takahe remain.
May 2006 Ice-Age Relic Find on MaungatautariVolunteer Phil Brown finds approximately 100 mature silver beech. Two of the largest trees in the stand are around 86cm in diameter, suggesting they are probably several centuries old. These trees are relics from the Ice Age - it is suggested that silver beech would have been on the mountain when New Zealand drifted apart from Gondwanaland.
February 2006 Home for TakaheMore than 20 volunteers and supporters pool resources to fence and prepare for Takahe habitation in the Tautari Wetland; a 3 hectare valley close to the Southern Enclosure kindly gifted to the Trust by Taotao (Ted) and Carol Tauroa.
4 December 2005 Kiwi Calls on MaungatautariA small group of staff and volunteers hear kiwi calling in the Southern Enclosure - the first kiwi call on the mountain in 100 years!
23 July 2005 First Kiwi ReleasedA major project milestone - in an emotional ceremony four kiwi are released into pre-prepared burrows in the Northern Enclosure.
30 April 2004 Northern Enclosure Finished3,000 school children and supporters hold hands around the enclosure to celebrate its completion.
3 November 2003 Construction of the Pest Proof Fence BeginsIn wet conditions the XCluder team start constructing the pest proof fence to create the Northern Enclosure.
1 November 2003 Blessing the ProjectThe first sod is dug by Nania Mahuta, Dianne Yates and Martin Gallagher following a powhiri at Maungatautari Marae.
29 August 2001 Maungatautari Trust Deed SignedThis indicates that the project to eliminate the introduced mammalian pests and return the 'lost' species to the mountain is underway.
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View midway along the new track to Maungatautari peak Photo: Julie Milne
Hihi at bird feeder
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