16/06/2026
A big thank you to RIDE Holidays and their clients, who are supporting Motu Trails Charitable Trust with ten DOC200 traps for our Pakihi Track trapline.
We'll be getting these new traps and putting them out on-track soon.
We have traplines on both the Dunes Trail and Pakihi Track, all entirely volunteer run. And no poison involved.
On the Dunes Trail, Peter cycles the trail several times a week, checking/clearing 46 DOC200 traps. In the last three months alone, these traps have caught 70 rats, five weasels, and one stoat.
On Pakihi Track, Gary tramps up to the hut every few weeks, checking/clearing 39 DOC200 traps, plus two AT220s. In the last three months, these traps have caught 67 rats, nine stoats, two weasels, and several possums.
With RIDE Holidays' generous support, we'll soon have a total of 51 traps on Pakihi Track. Add to that, Whakatōhea Tiaki Taiao have a DOC200 trapline on the full top half of the track. Shout out also to Bay Conservation Alliance who have regularly funded Motu Trails Trust with Erayse bait, and have funded some of our existing Pakihi traps.
Pakihi valley has NI robin/toutouwai, tomtit/miromiro, whitehead/pōpokotea, kiwi, whio/blue duck, longtail cuckoo, etc, while the Dunes Trail area has a range of shore and other birds. Tracks enable trapping, and when people who use tracks provide traps, there's great synergy between recreation and conservation.
Ngā Haerenga Great Rides of New Zealand
