Pollen Island Guided Walk & Beach Cleanup 2021

*** SUBJECT TO COVID LEVEL CHANGES ***
Our group's annual Pollen Island guided nature walk and beach cleanup is back in 2021 to celebrate the month of Seaweek. This is a four hour-long low-tide round trip on foot through a remarkable and scenic wilderness area in the heart of urban Auckland. We will be visiting the Motu Manawa - Pollen Island Marine Reserve and historic Pollen Island Scientific Reserve on this journey, with educational commentary and opportunities for shorebird and wader spotting provided along the way.

Birds we may see en route include fernbird, banded rail, New Zealand dotterel, banded dotterel, godwit, red knot, royal spoonbill, and gull species.

At Pollen Island we will bag up plastic wastes toxic to birds for later collection (rubbish bags are provided). We stop for lunch on the island. Please bring your own sunblock and other sun and wind protection, hand sanitizer, and lunch refreshments, including adequate drinking water.

The walk requires a reasonable degree of physical fitness and in parts crosses thick tidal mud. Gumboots or sturdy walking boots are a mandatory requirement for all participants for safety reasons. Light or open footwear is not safe or acceptable for this trip. Children 10+ years old are welcome if supervised at all times by their parents or guardians, have the required footwear, and are capable of independent walking for four hours. We will be around water at parts and potentially hazardous materials. There is no toilet facility during the walk and the area is exposed to the elements.

We start mid-morning and finish mid-afternoon. Guest places on this trip are strictly limited to keep the visiting party to a manageable size within a sensitive ecological area. Please email motumanawa@gmail.com to register interest and receive further details, including exact initial meeting point, via RSVP reply.

Gold coin donations appreciated to help us to continue to promote environmentally-themed community events.