The Ōpoutere Ratepayers & Residents Association (ORRA) extends the warmest seasonal wishes to the whole community – bring on a wonderful summer and a happy 2025 for us all!

It has been a good year for the ORRA team – mangrove working bees and our usual trapping beat have kept us busy (and grubby). We have purchased another five of the highly effective AT220 resetting traps for use on private land around the village. They are designed and made in Aotearoa and have proven to be very appealing to rats and possums. The traps cost $565 each and we are grateful to the Department of Conservation for funding to purchase them. Alongside the resetting traps we are also replacing old stoat and rat traps that have been battered by the elements on the beach – again thanks to DOC for funding to keep this equipment safe and effective. Further funds have been used for non-toxic lures to make our traps more interesting to our target species (looking at you rats, mustelids, mice and hedgehogs). To date we have taken 1140 mammalian predators out of the environment! 
If you are one of our backyard trappers don’t hesitate to get in touch at opouteretrapping1@gmail.com if you need a replacement snap trap on your property – we still have a few left that were purchased with funding from the Whangamatā Community Board.

Trapping volunteers are needed! Please email chair@orra.org.nz if you’d like to join our merry band of trap checkers. It’s wonderful exercise and so satisfying when you find an exterminated varmint in a trap – we provide gear, training and company for anyone who is keen. 

Mangrove seedling control: ORRA collaborated with the Wharekawa Catchment Care Group to hold the line against this year’s onslaught of mangrove seedlings. Through a series of WRC-consented winter working bees the thick carpet of green seedlings has visibly thinned. Thanks to everyone who did their bit to keep the waterways open and to preserve the native grass and sedge habitats that are home to precious birdlife. We networked with the Whangamata Harbour Care group and shared tools with them as well as enjoying their company out on the mudflats. Thanks to Waikato Regional Council for supplying new tools and to all our working bee attendees – see you next autumn!

ORRA AGM 
The Ōpoutere Ratepayers & Residents will hold their Annual General Meeting at 9.30am Thursday 2nd January 2025 in the Opoutere Community Hall. The agenda has been mailed out to all ORRA members and will be posted on the noticeboard.
Treasurer Needed
Our current treasurer, Galina Hayes, is stepping down. We thank her for her work and would like to invite another keen person to join the ORRA committee in this role. It’s not an onerous job and there is plenty of institutional knowledge on the committee to provide support – please contact us on chair@orra.org.nz if you have any questions. 

Ōpoutere Regatta
The annual regatta will be held this summer on Saturday January 4 at 11.30am, with prizegiving in the Michael King Reserve at 5.30pm, BYO picnic.
It’s a great day for the whole community to gather in Bruce’s Bay for the little kids’ bucket race then the swimming and kayak races for all age groups. The competition gets fierce during the infamous (and brutally physical) family kayak relay. Thanks to the regatta team for keeping this lovely tradition going.

New Year, New House – Let’s Party!
The most talked-about house in Ōpoutere is finally finished! (I am sure we’ve all done the drive-by). Gavin and Shan are inviting you all to view the works and celebrate their new house at 19 Ngāhere Terrace for a New Year’s Eve Party. They are very thankful for everyone’s patience during their works and want to share their new views with the community.
Come along from 8.30pm, BYO – though they ask no stilettos (or ice skates, hobnail boots or golf shoes!) on account of the lovely new floors.  We look forward to seeing you all there.

Fire Risk
It’s shaping up to be a very dry summer – farmers have reported extremely low moisture levels in the soil and that is concerning the local fire fighters. Onemana Fire Chief Jo Adams heads up a team of dedicated volunteer fire fighters who are fully-trained first responders. To back-up this local support Ōpoutere is developing a Community Response plan in conjunction with FENZ (Fire & Emergency NZ) and TCDC, but the best protection we have is prevention. 
It’s critically important to be careful with fire at this time of the year  – Ōpoutere is surrounded by forest, has one road in and out and has poor cellular service throughout much of the village, beach and Ohui areas. 
We are vulnerable to a catastrophic fire event and the danger to human life is high. 
If you are in any doubt about fire safety or permits, visit the Check It’s Alright website https://www.checkitsalright.nz/

For any emergencies call 111 immediately, then call local Fire Chief Jo Adams on 0274493034. Put his number in your phone and don’t hesitate to call him in an emergency – his team are ready to respond to any situation where human life is at risk.

DOC trapline in the forest reserve
Te Papa Atawhai/Department of Conservation have recently established an impressive network of traplines criss-crossing the forest reserve south of the beach access track. The traps have had an immediate impact on the many rats, possums and feral cats that were breeding in the closed-off area of the forest. Providing a last line of defence for the precious ground-nesting birds in the Wharekawa Wildlife Reserve (on the spit) the DOC trapline complements the good work being done by ORRA’s two traplines in the forest to the north of the spit area. ORRA volunteers assist with checking the traps and have regular contact with the DOC field team who are keen young people with good knees and boundless energy! We have high hopes for a good nesting season on the spit with this extra protection.

Dotterel/tuturiwhatu Watch
During the peak summer holiday period volunteers help out on the Wharekawa Harbour spit at low tide – the crucial feeding time for nesting birds. The inside of the spit is roped off to allow the birds to feed and also to teach their chicks the same skill. The volunteers are an important backstop at the busiest time of the holiday break when visitors to the area may not be aware of this restriction. It’s an easy couple of hours sitting by the boardwalk over the spit, chatting with lovely people and watching the dotterel and oystercatcher/tōreapango chicks darting about. A roster will be posted on the noticeboard by the 25km bend in the village and there is an official t-shirt to wear while on duty – please help out!
Have a look at this lovely video from Mark Samson to see what you’ll be helping to protect. 

DOC Pest Control Hui at the Hall
In December the DOC Hauraki Community team organised a ‘community group networking hui’ at the Ōpoutere Hall. Members of ORRA and the WCCG were among the 50 people from various Hauraki volunteer community groups and dotterel minders who came together to share ideas and inspiration.
Ken from DOC’s biodiversity team spoke about the online trapping tool TrapNZ and community rangers brought out the kauri virtual reality goggles. Guest speaker Lynn Miller from Wildways NZ held a session on wildlife rehabilitation including awareness on the Avian bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1). Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to network with each other and DOC rangers – overall, a successful day!

Thanks to all who attended and ngā mihi to volunteers around the Coromandel for their dedication towards conservation!

Michael King Reserve Bench
“In the rise of mist from the estuary and the fall of rain, in the movements of the incoming and outgoing tides, I see a reflection of the deepest mystery and most sustaining pattern in all of life…that of arrival and departure, of death and regeneration” – Michael King
2024 marked the 20th anniversary of the untimely death of New Zealand historian and Opoutere resident Michael King and his wife Maria Jungowska. He had lived in Opoutere for ten years and wrote The Penguin History of New Zealand from his house overlooking the Wharekawa Estuary.
The Michael King Reserve’s spectacular view is usually best enjoyed from the macrocarpa bench installed by ORRA beside the Barry Brickell clay sculpture dedicated to Michael and Maria. However, the bench was showing its age and has been sent away for repair – at the same time the garden area has had a “glow-up” in the form of some new mulch and a bit of weeding. Thanks to everyone involved but especially Peter Le Heron and Angela Peters for masterminding this very thoughtful tidy-up of a special place.

Dog Rules/Opoutere Beach Dog Restrictions
Refresh your memory of the district-wide dog rules here and remember that there are NO DOGS permitted south of the yellow benches on Opoutere Beach, look for signage. North of this entrance (towards Ohui) dogs must be on-lead at all times. Please consider the nesting birds on the beach and keep your dogs well away from any fenced-off nesting areas.
The TCDC bylaw outlines location-specific rules for dogs – go to Schedule 1 for the Whangamatā Community Board Area restrictions. Don’t worry, it’s not all fun-police finger-wagging – your canine buddy is free to run in the pine forest reserve (away from the beach and sand dunes) north of the yellow benches as long as they are under your control. It’s great way to exercise your dog in the heat of the day as well as letting the birds on the beach hatch their chicks in peace.

Summer Rubbish Collections
Peak Summer Collection days start on December 26 when ALL bins can go out together. All bins will be collected on Tuesdays plus an extra day each week for recycling only (glass and yellow topped bin)- visit the Thames Coromandel District Council website for the complete summer collection timetable, more information on what can go in each bin and the locations of local transfer stations.

WCCG Working Bee
The Wharekawa Catchment Care Group continue their hard work in the Kapakapa wetland area and are holding a weed control session after Christmas. 
Saturday 28 December 10am, meet at the big puriri tree up the forestry track by the wetlands, bring gloves and gardening tools. 

With a final wish for wonderful times with whānau and friends – even in the face of a slightly damp Christmas forecast – MERI KIRIHIMETE!

Ka kite ano, arohanui!