A DOC Community Fund grant of $20,000 is being given to the Mana Cruising Club Friends of Pickersgill Island group for trapping work on Matapara/Pickersgill Island. It will enable the purchase of 55 self-resetting A24 rat traps and supplies for maintaining the traps. The crew from the Porirua-based club will boat to the island in Queen Charlotte Sound twice a year to service the traps.

DOC Sounds Operations Manager Dave Hayes says DOC welcomes the club members' support to make Pickersgill Island rat-free.

Supported by Altherm Aluminium Manawatu, Good Nature, Hardwired Electrical and in spirit only the Department of Conservation.
Pickersgill / Matapara island Queen charlotte Sound
These last few trips have been tricky enough with Covid and weather but this one relied on boats other than Southern Cross which was still getting repaired after I managed to run aground on the entrance to Greville harbor on the 19th of May.
Fortunately, Scott and Ted offered their Launches to allow the July 21 trip to happen so the planning continued.
 After the usual adjustment for weather and “new crew” defections we moved the departure a day forward and had a good strait crossing. A bit of wind at the brothers but no sea. Got to Burneys Beach mooring about 3pm on Wednesday afternoon. As forecast it was raining and quite cold. Forecast for Thursday was also wet and could have been a write off. Fortunately the Southerly that hit Wellington hard on Thursday didn’t touch Queen Charlotte Sound. There was no rush to get up on Thursday morning because of the forecast rain so we had breakfast about 8 am and reviewed groups and routes and prepared packs with gas cylinders and lure etc. By 11am it was clearing up nicely, so we went to the Island at mid-day in perfectly calm conditions. 5 Groups did approximately half of the island in overcast, clam and cool conditions. That night we had a combined dinner and drinks before turning in About 11pm for the same again on Friday

Pickersgill Trap trip October 2022

The weather forecast for the Wednesday night prior to our intended departure was for a sever southerly blow and snow to ground level. Not ideal conditions for a Strait crossing but three of the four forecasts were showing a substantial easing of the wind etc by Thursday afternoon, so I delayed the DOC gear inspection till 2 pm on Thursday and we kept our fingers crossed for a Thursday afternoon departure.