Something different this time! Not a ranger diary but a volunteer diary, read on to find out what its like to be a 'feed out' volunteer on Whenua Hou from Bronwyn, Ross and Suzi our volunteer stars in November

We're this fortnight's kakapo feed-out volunteers and we thought you might like to read about a typical day in the life of a 'vollie' on Whenua Hou.

We start early-ish, any time from about 7am to 9 am, depending on how keen you are to get up.  After breakfast and making lunch, we get organised. We each have a separate feed-out run to do, ( different each day ), and start by weighing out the food for each of 8 - 10 kakapo into a hopper ( small portable food container ).  To each hopper we add the name of the kakapo it is intended for and put it in our feed-out bag.  When that's all done and we have added cleaning gear, water for the kakapo and lunch and water for ourselves, we load it all into our packs and set off. By now we are clad in lots of warm outdoor clothing, gaiters, and strong tramping boots.  All of these are essential to do battle with the elements on Whenua Hou.  A walking pole is a help too when negotiating the mud and on some of the steeper climbs.  The tracks here vary from boardwalk motorways to mud-wallows!  The full pack that we carry usually weighs 10 to 12kg at the beginning of the day.

Bronwyn insists on more detail about the mud, cos it's such a big part of the conversation at the the end of the day - who fell in it, how you avoided a particularly deep patch, or how you swung deftly over it!  This week we have had rain, hail and as we write this, it is snowing again.  Thankfully it is our day off and Ross who who did the extra South Bay run is safely back in the cosy warmth of the bunkhouse.  We knew he'd survive the snow because he's a Southern Man! Each day we have a different side of the island to do - Loop side or Summit side with the South Bay by one lucky person on the third day.  Light manual tasks for the other two like new mesh on boardwalk and today a spring clean of the kitchen.  

One of the delights of the island is the variety of vegetation we encounter on our daily runs.  As we ascend the island it changes from coastal mixed podocarp and broadleaf forest to open scrub on the open tops.  The coastal mix is dominated by tall, stately rimus, with totara, miro, rata, kamahi and an understorey of tree and ground ferns, beautiful mosses and lichens. Further up we get into areas of beautiful dracophyllum, southern rata, manuka, and ground ferns that give way to more stunted versions of the same on the tops, as well as clumps of Olearia colensoi with its large serrated leaves.   

Another of the delights here is the bird life. Not just the kakapo which are the most endearing of birds, but a host of other southern species, such as the endangered mohua or Yellowhead, Rifleman, tui, Bellbird, Tomtit, Yellow and Red-crowned kakariki and Brown Creeper.  The island is also the breeding ground of thousands of Mottled Petrels and a small number of Cook's petrels, but they return to the island after dusk, so we can only hear them flying over then or at dawn. Other island resident's seen at these times are hoiho or Yellow-eyed Penguins, Little Blue penguins that come ashore for the night. Fernbirds flit about in the undergrowth near the beach and there are two species of diving petrels that inhabit the sand dunes. Out to sea we can often see thousands of petrels and Sooty Shearwaters( titi ) between here and Stewart Island, often with albatross in attendance.

A typical track run starts with a nice easy warm-up along the valley boardwalk before turning onto another track and a trudge up the hill.  Just when you need a change of scene there's a side-track that winds gently along the side of a valley - in and out of muddy spots - til it connects to another similarly easy walk to the top of the hill with three feed-outs done along the way.  Each feed-out stop involves cleaning the kakapo feed platform, wiping out the  water bowl, replacing the empty food hopper and filling the water bowl with a fresh supply.  This is one of the most important aspects of the supplementary feed program as it is when the most physical contact occurs with the birds in terms of touching things they eat off so being extra cautious with picking up old food and clean is super-important! 

Nearer the top is another stretch of boardwalk, always a welcome rest for the leg muscles.  Soon it's back to normal track conditions and a clamber around mud-wallows and over fallen logs on our way to feed-outs near the south side of the island.  After the last feed-out and a bite of lunch, it's time for the long walk home.  It depends how fit you are and the length of your run for the day, but the full day out usually takes anywhere from 5 to 8 hours.  

At the end of the day, there's a welcome hot shower and delicious food to look forward to.  We take turns to cook dinner so there's a lot of variety.  We also tend to eat a lot!  Perhaps its all the exercise.  After dinner there are conversations about the kakapo, the island, and even politics, and usually and early night.  We need plenty of rest to get ready for the next day's feed-out run!  No snippet on the kakapo work can finish without our acknowledgment to the wonderful full-time kakapo rangers on the island.  They have welcomed us into their home with goodwill and good humour, and made our stay here all the richer for their company.  When they say a "wee way up the track" you can prepare yourself for a good walk!