News
Our public news is posted on our facebook page, for which you you can see the text feed below. If you want more you can join SOSSI and get our quarterly newsletter, or become a volunteer to get regular ranger updates as well.
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SOSSI (Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society Inc)
This page is run by SOSSI, the volunteer group working with Auckland Council to care for Shakespear Open Sanctuary. Join us today, more info: www.sossi.org.nz.
To report operation issues on the park, please contact Auckland Council Rangers on 09 3010101
Look out for the cygnets at Te Haruhi Bay! They’re going to get a surprise with all the Interschools Cross Country kids here today 😬
You might have noticed committee member Maj mention this initiative in her latest Hibiscus Matters column. ![]()
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If you or someone you know borders the park, please get in touch with the team at Forest & Bird’s Pest Free Hibiscus Coast Project to see how you can help further protect our wetlands here at Shakespear. ![]()
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Auckland Parks
Well we do love our dotterels here at Shakespear, but so many birds, so few votes! Which 5 get your vote in #birdoftheyear2024? ![]()
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Cast your vote at www.birdoftheyear.org.nz
So many birds and only 5 votes in Forest & Bird’s Bird of the Year 2024! Like Auckland Zoo we love our tieke but there are so many amazing birds to choose from, especially with all our amazing reintroduced species. ![]()
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Which get your vote?![]()
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www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/
Have you been lucky enough to spot wētāpunga right here at Shakespear?🟠 Wētāpunga | Deinacrida heteracantha![]()
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Wētāpunga is a New Zealand’s giant wētā species and the biggest of this type. When fully grown they can even be heavier than a mouse or sparrow.![]()
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Once widespread throughout Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier, their distribution decreased until they were only naturally found on Hauturu (Little Barrier Island). Did you know that since 2012, Auckland Zoo has bred and released more than 6,000 wētāpunga onto pest-free islands in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf to ensure the future of this endangered species?![]()
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During the day, they usually hide in dead foliage, such as the drooping dead fronds of tree ferns, nīkau palms, or cabbage trees. At night, they leave their resting places to move around in trees or on the ground. Adult wētāpunga only live for about 6-9 months, during which time they mate repeatedly. The females lay many groups of eggs in soft soil on the forest floor.![]()
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▶ What now?![]()
These wētāpunga deserve to be back where they belong, on other island sanctuaries in the Hauraki Gulf. The Wētā Recovery Group’s plan is to establish several populations around the gulf, ensuring the survival of the species and their long term security. By using captive breeding we can now improve the chances of the species surviving in the event of a catastrophe on Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier that would have otherwise wiped them out forever.![]()
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▶ How you can help![]()
You can also make a difference by becoming members of the community groups in the gulf like the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi who are key to the ecological restoration of these islands. You can also help by being careful when you visit special ‘Treasure Islands’ like Tiritiri Matangi. Wētāpunga need islands free of mammalian predators to survive.
Come and join our friends at Forest & Bird as they explore the Okoromai Bay wetlands on Sunday.
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