KEY POINTS:
On New Zealand's protected island reserves there is an emerging new breed of Department of Conservation ranger.
The not-so-lone rangers are a far cry from the hermit cliches of the past.
Often young and techno-savvy, the sociable rangers are all-rounders and take the public advocacy side of
their role seriously.
Among them are 32-year-old Shane McInnes who is the senior ranger on Hauturu - or Little Barrier Island, in the Hauraki Gulf - and
his partner, and the island's deputy ranger, 29-year-old Liz Whitwell.
The pair once spent a year on remote Raoul Island, about 1000 kilometres north- east of the North Island where the boat which took them there would return a year later, with a visit from the Navy if they were lucky.
Mr McInnes admits fitting back into society after such an experience can be a challenge.
"My parents picked me up and I was gripping the car door as they did 50km per hour down Fanshawe Street ... everything just seemed so much more fast paced."
But now on Hauturu, 22km off the mainland, the pair are frequently visited despite the strict protocols governing what was New Zealand's first nature reserve, where permits are required to land.
A key role for Mr McInnes is to ensure that the permitted visitors bring no biosecurity risks to the island like weeds or vermin.
Bags, clothing and shoes are carefully inspected in a $120,000 quarantine facility. It's a large sealed shed so if a mouse or rat did make it that far it would be trapped inside. He also runs regular patrols around the island and checks tracking tunnels every couple of months.
"We have had a few scares like people seeing something brown and furry running through the grass - if a mouse or rat is found on the island then it's full warfare."
Mr McInnes trained in parks recreation and tourism management and the public interaction aspect of the job is critical.
"You have to be someone that can get on with lots of people ... the days of a grumpy ranger gone bush or sandal-wearing hermit have gone."
Visitors to Hauturu include researchers, trampers, tradespeople and even abseiling groups who help with weed control on cliff faces.
"You need to be able to relate just as much with a boat mechanic as a bird lover."
And even when the visitors have gone the couple is far from isolated, compared to rangers of old, with cellphone coverage, television and the internet, which even allows for online supermarket shopping.
Mr McInnes admits he doesn't really need a lot of human interaction.
"I got socialising out of my system years ago."
What's more, the island is such a playground, offering fishing and diving, that he and Ms Whitwell plan to spend half of their four weeks' annual leave on the island over summer just so they can relax and enjoy the place.
The appeal of simple island life harks back to when Mr McInnes was a 10 year old, visiting his grandparents who were custodians of Mansion House on Kawau Island. But he says island life does require self motivation.
"We keep a list of jobs that need to be done like maintenance."
Mr McInnes comes with a range of practical skills - for instance, the former water taxi driver is adept at handling the Doc runabout in what can be big seas.
"I've been around boats most of my life and it definitely helps out."
Other challenges include working with a "human sling" - dangling from a helicopter to access steep sections of land requiring weed spraying.
He also looks after the resident tuatara, the babies and adults kept in enclosures on the island.
Mr McInnes feeds them with locusts, crickets and moth larvae from a bio-supplies company in Birkenhead.
"There's no ordinary day."
ISLAND LIFE
* Little Barrier or Hauturu (the wind's resting post) was New Zealand's first nature reserve.
* The 3083ha volcanic island was declared a reserve for the preservation of native fauna in 1895.
* Its first permanent curator was appointed in January 1897 and ever since a caretaker or ranger has been constantly in residence.
* Situated 22km from Cape Rodney.
* Highest point is Mt Hauturu, 722m above sea level.
* Roughly circular and heavily forested, home to 400 native plant species.
* Free of cats and rats.
* Threatened species include wetapunga (NZ's largest insect), hihi (stitchbird), kokako and tieke (saddleback).
* Includes 10 fortified pa sites, and several wahi tapu or burial sites.
