A tagged monarch butterfly. If you see one, report it online. Photo / Anna Barnett
The tagging of monarchs in New Zealand began shortly after the formation of the Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust in 2005-06.
By 2007, widespread tagging was under way and continued for 13 years.
Both anecdotal evidence and tagging data suggested that most monarchs overwintered near the area where they eclosed (emerged from their chrysalises).
Enthusiasts in the Bay of Islands are on the lookout for butterflies that have been tagged. Rebecca van Dijk from Kerikeri said if you see a monarch with a little white sticker on it, you have hit the jackpot.
“I started tagging in February and if you see a tagged monarch, it’d be awesome if you could report it. The easiest way to read the tag is to take a photo of it, then zoom in as they are tiny.
“I never knew this existed until about a month ago and I’m a bit obsessed now,” she said.
Reports of overwintering sites around New Zealand are at present sketchy. Pawson and Berndt researched monarchs overwintering in Christchurch in the early 2000s and the information was utilised by the Christchurch City Council to create a map showing major overwintering locations.
Since the earthquake in 2011 however, many of these overwintering locations have changed.
Each tag has a unique code number, prefixed by two or three letters indicating the year. The tags are linked to a short form of the butterfly trust’s website, www.mb.org.nz.
Former Russell resident, and known as the “Butterfly Lady”, is Jacqui Knight. She said at this time of the year people up and down the country are looking out for tagged monarchs.
“The butterflies might stop by your garden for a drink of nectar. All you need is a swan plant and access to a computer.”
Pork Pie Charity Run
The Pork Pie Charity Run is a biennial fundraising road trip for Mini lovers, based loosely on the route taken by the Blondini Gang in the original Goodbye Pork Pie movie.
The first run in 2009 saw 36 teams travel from Kaitāia to Invercargill over five days. Since then the event has grown with participation reaching 50 cars.
In 2023, the teams raised over $417,000 for KidsCan by taking on the ultimate Kiwi road trip challenge and now they’re back for more.
This year teams will once again hop in their Minis starting from Paihia, ending in Invercargill and covering nearly 2500km of New Zealand’s toughest and yet most beautiful terrain.
The first day the run leaves the Scenic Hotel in Paihia on April 4 and arrives in National Park. They then head to Wellington with a ferry ride to Picton before arriving in Kaikōura. From there they go to Hokitika and arrive in Cromwell before finishing off with a black-tie dinner in Invercargill.
They’ll face everything from treacherous potholes, endless straights, steep mountain passes and urban traffic chaos all with one goal, to raise funds for KidsCan while having a blast along the way.
Back for a second time is Shona Beckham and her husband Warren Denholm with their trusty 850 Mini. They will be accompanied by a support team who happen to be in Minis too, as are most of the organisers.
It means early starts and long driving days but in 2021 they raised $9000. This year they want to up that to $10,000. They have called on corporate acquaintances and have “embarrassed everyone they can into donating some money”, said Warren.
The run in 2021 raised $350,000 overall for KidsCan and this year organisers are hoping to raise $500,000.
Proctor Library gets a makeover
The Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board has advised regular users of the Proctor Library in Kerikeri that refurbishment work is about to start in the library precincts.
The intention of the work is to combine the Kerikeri Service Centre, which is currently in the John Butler Building in Kerikeri Rd, and incorporate it into the library. It is estimated the move will save approximately $250,000 over the next five years.
According to council, this sum is the approximate annual rent (times five) it pays for the ground floor space occupied by the service centre. For commercial sensitivity reasons, the sum is rounded down to the nearest whole figure.
The sum is only the saving made by surrendering the lease and does not include other associated costs such as insurance and repairs.
A “pop-up” library for essential services such as collections and drop-offs and an internet kiosk will operate from the community meeting room near the Citizens Advice Bureau.
After-school programmes will run from the Plunket Rooms on Kerikeri Rd during the closure, thanks to the support of the Kerikeri Plunket Clinic.
JP clinics will move to a meeting room at the service centre’s existing location which is on the ground floor of John Butler Centre and run at the usual time – Wednesdays 11am to 1pm. The toy library will be closed during the works.
The work is expected to be finished by Easter 2025.
A Trick of the Light in a Suitcase
The Pōneke-based theatre company Trick of the Light is bringing a production called The Suitcase Show to Kerikeri’s Turner Centre.
It’s a series of short stories, each one told out of a suitcase, if you can imagine that. It’s been called “dark, spiky and comic”.
The staging of the show runs from lo-fi shadow play to wireless projection, from dancing disembodied hands to narratives that crackle from a 1970s stereo suitcase.
While it might be tiny in scale, the production touches on climate change, love, death, travel and secrets that are carried within us. For example, an autocrat finds himself on the run from their own shadow, an astronaut turns the telescope back on earth and back in time.
The writer and performer, Ralph McCubbin Howell, says the show draws on the strange experience of travel “and the stories and surprises that might be found inside a suitcase”.
The show reunites award-winning artists Hannah Smith with Ralph McCubbin Howell and longtime collaborator Tane Upjohn-Beatson.
Trick of the Light is known for crafting imaginative and engaging shows and intricate narratives. The company has spent the last decade touring works such as The Griegol, The Road That Wasn’t There and Tröll from Aotearoa to Australia, Canada, USA and South Africa.
In 2024 the company toured the UK, China and across New Zealand and successful performances at the Edinburgh Fringe.
The Suitcase Show, Friday, March 14 at Turner Centre, 8pm. www.turnercentgre.co.nz
Bocky Boo Gelato opened in Whangārei in 2019 and quickly became a local favourite.