Sanctuary on the Faultline

Social Studies Online

Peter, dog lover:

Since the upper half of the valley was opened to the public in 1991 I have walked my dog there every day and so have many others. It's so nice to get away from the footpaths and traffic to a beautiful area with bush. And it's so nice and close to home. Now they're planning to put a dirty great fence round it so I can't get in!

I've been concerned about those 2 dams right on the faultline for years. This is one of the world's most active faults! We could have had a major disaster here if the dams had collapsed. I guess those folk in the 1870s weren't too strong on geology. Turning the valley into a sanctuary is an ideal use for it.

Jogging through the cool bush on a hot day is so pleasant. I've often come over to the valley for a lunchtime run. I'm really sorry I won't be able to go jogging here now - though I can see some merit in the sanctuary idea. The bush is pretty degraded at the moment and there's very little bird life. It would be good to see more native birds about.

They tell me that after a while there'll be so many birds that they'll overflow into my garden. I'll believe that when I see it! What concerns me is that ugly fence they're putting up that'll spoil my views of the harbour. The house won't be worth so much now and I was thinking of retiring and moving up the coast in a year or two.

I'm delighted that Karori is going ahead with the sanctuary idea. There's a continuing decline of native species in the Wellington area and this should help to turn that around. We just haven't the funds for a project like that, but we'll do all we can to support it. We've already provided four breeding pairs of wekas and 20 little spotted kiwis. Areas like this are essential for preserving New Zealand's wildlife in the long-term. If they're accessible to people at the same time that's even better.

The Sanctuary will be another major attraction for Wellington and should encourage lots of tourists to come here. That can only be good for the city. It has cost the Council quite a lot, though, as we've had to improve the road to the visitor centre. Personally I'd rather enjoy a good concert than go wandering in the bush.

I'm very concerned about the decline of so many of our native birds. North Island weka are threatened now, with so much of their habitat destroyed and so many predators. I just love the song of our native birds - it's quite special. I'd like to be a volunteer at the Sanctuary so I can help the project along. I'd specially enjoy working with school and young people's groups as it will be a great place for them to see and learn about out wildlife.