■ Hukutaia Domain calls for more volunteers to help look after this fascinating place, writes Tanja Rother.

Every first Monday of the month, weather permitting, a group of dedicated volunteers meet at the Hukutaia Domain to carry out maintenance work on the special plants’ “rockery” garden and tracks.

Removing pest plants and nurturing young native trees as well as controlling rodents are also on the usual to do list.

At 10am work stops to enjoy morning tea while sharing the latest news and discussing what work needs to be done next.

There might be discussion about planning a night walk to view the invertebrates living there (such as last week’s He Pō Hikoi Ki Hukutaia as part of Ōpōtiki’s Matariki programme) or hosting a proposed visit by a group of school children.

An intensive trapping operation is always in progress to stop predators such as mustelids, possums, rats, mice and hedgehogs from eating the vegetation and preying on birds, their nests, and invertebrates.

Members of the Care Group take turns at making weekly visits to the Domain to check and rebait all the traps.

This 4.5-hectare virgin native forest has a remarkable history. More than hundred years ago, when Edward Massey Hutchinson farmed the land, the ancient pūriri tree, Taketakerau, was rediscovered.

The tree’s significance was recognised and the surrounding land consequently set aside. The public domain first appeared on a survey map in 1919.

Over the succeeding years, local amateur botanists Norman Potts and Marc Heginbotham gathered plants from throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and its offshore islands to plant in the domain.

They added to the existing original native bush and created one of the most biodiverse places in the district – an “island” in a highly modified landscape and a unique window into Aotearoa’s natural environment prior to human settlement.

Whether you are into ancient native trees, the many birds, colourful fungi, or interesting invertebrates, including rō, the stick insect, and night creatures like the wētā, there is so much to see, hear, and experience.

There is so much to learn too from a great bunch of people, many of whom have been part of the group for decades and have a wealth of knowledge.

Those involved in the ongoing care and management of Hukutaia Domain include Te Upokorehe, Whakatōhea, the Ōpōtiki District Council, the Regional Council and the Hukutaia Domain Care Group, who are all keen to protect this special Ōpōtiki taonga for future generations.

For over 100 years Ōpōtiki locals and tangata whenua have been looking after Hukutaia Domain, visited by thousands of visitors from the district, throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas every year. Volunteering at Hukutaia Domain is versatile, fun and so rewarding.

For more information on the history of the domain since 1918, see Hukutaia Domain.

The history of a local treasure, a book published by Lorna Aikman and Tanja Rother in 2022. For the whole family, check out Marnie Anstis’ Taketakerau, the Millenium Tree (2011).

The Hukutaia Domain Care Group working bees are held every first Monday of the month, 9am to 12pm. If you wish to join the group and help maintain this magnificent taonga please contact the Ōpōtiki isite at ph 07 315 3031.