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Marie stands here on the cliff tops of her Great Great Grandfathers farm. Knowing where she is from fills her with a deep sense of place or tūrangawaewae (knowing where she stands). Understanding her personal and national history informs her unique worldview. From this arises a deep love of this unique place in the world, Akaroa, a place of immense history, incredible beauty and natural quiet. From this love spills forth a profound guardianship or kaitiakitanga.

With seven generations behind her, she is in a unique position to tell the story of the incredible ecological history, the prehistoric abundance that was Te Pataka o Rakaihautū – The Storehouse of Rakaihautū. The destruction of the natural landscape and loss of 99% of the forest. And now to share a clear vision for the future, for the Next Seven Generations.

Marie is part of the Change Generation, part of the world that is on a tipping point between the old destruction and the new regeneration of natural systems. On her OWN land she is regenerating the soils, the forest, the streams and the natural quiet. But she sees herself as being only a small part of a much larger world movement that is to be celebrated – the first time in human history when Homo sapiens is looking past it’s own self interests to protect the natural world on a global scale. We are only just beginning, but every great movement starts with the smallest steps, and we have begun.

Let her share her inspirational story with you. She has a clear voice if you are ready to hear.

Be the change you wish you see in the world.

Guandi

Brand new Shore Excursion to Ruby Princess this year is the Akaroa History and Nature Safari, quoted by guests as the best tour they have ever taken. This exciting new tour takes in the very best of Akaroa scenery and nature and weaves together the early settler stories into one amazing experience.

Marie Haley is the preeminent local guide in Akaroa, bringing together seven generations of Akaroa family history, an in-depth understanding of New Zealand’s history with a a lifetime of experience and a formal education in nature conservation.

Marie is able to create a narrative like no other tour, visiting four of New Zealand’s most important historical monuments, she tells the complete story of New Zealand’s settlement, within an ecological and cultural context.

Incorporating Maori history and culture throughout the tour, you will gain a unique understanding of the change in the Maori culture over time and the rapid speed of transformation once Europeans arrived.

If you really want to experience New Zealand, then this is the tour for you. You will leave with a feeling of deep understanding and connection to this unique part of the world.

What our guests say “Probably the best tour ever, anywhere!”, “Best tour ever!”, “Best tour in our entire trip”, “we feel we have a new friend”, ” This is a see-to-believe experience and Marie will take you off the beaten path to take it all in”, “definitely seven stars!”

Dame Anne Salmond visited Akaroa recently for the Akaroa Civic Trust’s 50 year celebration and to discuss the Tahitian navigator Tupaia with Dr Eruera Tarena of Ngai Tahu.

Here is the link to the video of the whole talk:

The following recommendations are based on eight years as the Wildside Co-ordinator working from within the community, from the recommendations of Andy Cox senior pest threats advisor at DOC (2014), widespread consultation, and from national best practice.

Contributors/consulted: Hugh Wilson, Helen Greenep, Alice Shanks, Di Carter, Ian Hankin, Mark and Sonia Armstrong, Asif Hussain, Penny Carnaby, Tina Troupe, Tricia Hewlett, Paul Newport, Nick Head CCC, Robin and Jo Burleigh, David Norton, Maree Burnett, Tom McTavish, Mel Young, Andy Cox,

The purpose of this Trappers Guide is to improve the operation and maintenance of our trapping program. This guide should help professional and volunteer trappers alike and standardise the management of traps across land ownership or tenure.

Some pests are intelligent enough to learn from bad experiences and will quickly discover how to avoid poisons, traps and spot lights if your first attempts to kill them are not successful. Using a range of traps, baits, toxins and techniques and cycling toxins from one knockdown to the next, helps to avoid a build-up of wise, bait or trap shy animals.

Traps that are not managed to a high standard are likely to increase the likelihood of bait shyness as an almost trapped animal is likely to be a never seen again pest. Poor maintenance also increases the replacement cost of lost or damaged traps.

Another key focus of this guide is for trappers to feel engaged, supported and vital to the success of a trapping program. It is hoped that this guide will help to inspire improvements not only in trapping but in your personal safety and enjoyment.

Local connections don’t get more local than Marie Haley, a seventh-generation resident and experienced tour guide in Akaroa, one of New Zealand’s most idyllic ports. The town is so small that Majestic Princess has to tender passengers from ship to shore.

Haley’s fascinating three-hour tour of the coastal community and surrounding farmlands weaves in important Maori cultural sites and history, such as the infamous Te Rauparara massacre that led to the Treaty of Waitangi.

Combining a deep knowledge of Akaroa’s English, French and Maori heritage with her own engaging family history, Haley takes us far from the town’s well-trodden tourist trail.

After morning tea and scones at Heritage Park, with its panoramic views of the vast Akaroa Harbour, we head for Hinewai Reserve and Wildside Conservation Project on blustery Banks Peninsula, where Haley spent much of her childhood.

The soon-to-be mum now lives on a farm in nearby Goughs Bay which she wants to turn into New Zealand’s first designated “quiet farm” where peace and tranquillity reign supreme — a local hero indeed. Tip: Carry rain gear in Akaroa as the weather can turn in an instant.

Fools & Dreamers is a 30-minute documentary telling the story of Hinewai Nature Reserve, on Canterbury’s Banks Peninsula, and its kaitiaki/manager of 30 years, botanist Hugh Wilson. We learn about the commitment of Hugh and the Maurice White Native Forest Trust to regenerate marginal, hilly farmland into native forest, using a minimal interference method that allows nature to do the work, giving life to over 1500 hectares of native forest, waterways, and the creatures that live within them. When, in 1987, Hugh let the local community know about his plans to allow gorse to grow as a nurse canopy for self-sown native trees, the response was sceptical at best and outright angry and disparaging for the most part – one farmer stating the plan was the sort to be expected only of “fools and dreamers”. Now considered a local hero by town and country folk alike, Hugh’s home at Hinewai overlooks a valley resplendent in native forest canopy, where birds and other wildlife are abundant and 47 known waterfalls are in permanent flow. An inspiring, charismatic personality, Hugh’s passion and enthusiasm for his life’s project come through in every sentence he speaks. A dreamer who has made his dream come true, Hugh has proven without doubt that nature knows best – and that he is no fool.

Written in the Stars by Jane Nicolls

In the tiny port of Akaroa, Marie Haley recently launched her thoroughly researched history safari tour and it’s now a Local Connections tour. A descendant of the original French settlers, Haley recounts the past, including tales of French and British settlers and Maori warriors, and lays out a vision of a sustainable future. She tells us how those early settlers couldn’t sleep for the racket from the native birds, and tells us about The Wildside Project on the Banks Peninsula and conservationist Hugh Wilson’s private Hinewai Reserve, both of which are bringing back native flora and fauna.

Akaroa Conservationist Marie Haley from The Seventh Generation Tours is featured in this months Latitude Magazine for her role in establishing the Wildside Project and new boutique business venture guiding travellers to a deeper understanding of Akaroa History and Nature. #Akaroa #Wildside #BPCT #TheSevnethGenerationTours

Marie Haley lives in her great grandmother’s house on the Banks Peninsula land that was first farmed by her French great-great-great grandfather. It’s on a part of Banks Peninsula known as the ‘Wildside’, named for its rugged landscape, dramatic cliffs and iconic species of birds, insects and plants – some of which are not found anywhere else in New Zealand. It sounds idyllic, but possums, stoats, ferrets, weasels and feral cats have infiltrated this piece of paradise, just as they have decimated the rest of New Zealand.

Protecting the Wildside’s unique biodiversity

This report summarises the observations and information from a brief review of aspects of the Wildside programme.

The Wildside project aims to restore the range of species found within an ecosystem and to protect the unique and iconic species that already exist on Banks Peninsula. The project manages the largest penguin colony on mainland Australasia of white-flippered little blue penguins, in “Flea Bay with a yearly 5% increase in breeding pairs” (RFFBH, GSFBH, and PMLBH). The colony has grown from “717 pairs in 2000/2001 to 1304 pairs in 2012” (LSFBH) which is a proven success for the community initiated project. The “last remaining titi colony went down to two pairs and now because of predator excluder fencing 34 chicks fledged in 2013” (PFFBH). Tuis were also “released on the Wildside of Banks Peninsula in 2010 and can be seen all around Banks Peninsula” (IRLBB, LMLBH).