First+Field+Trip




My First Field Trip to the Hikurangi Swamp

With the support and guidance of DOC field worker Fiona Watson, and NorthTec scientists, Olly Ball and Steve Pohe, I began my search for the elusive black mudfish by taking a trip out to the Hikurangi Swamp on February 10. The main objective of the field trip was to scope Zones 1 and a small part of Zone 5 for possible sites to trap mudfish when the water returns over the next few months. We split into pairs and used a GPS to record the two different routes we took. Olly and I were "unlucky" enough to take the very scrubby track and only identified three possible trapping sites. At times the bush was very dense, requiring us to push our way through the undergrowth - thankfully we were equipped with a compass because it would have been impossible to find our way out without one. Whereas, Steve and Fiona walked over a more open area of Zone 1 which they felt could be good mudfish habitat and an area well worth trapping.