General Hazards
Suitable foot-wear is advisable; tracks can be slippery and there
are sharp oyster shells on the beach. Keeping to the walking tracks will avoid many
areas where risks exist. Take care when climbing over fences (barbed wire) or using
stiles (can be slippery if wet). Supervision of children is advisable at all times on
the island. To prevent slips and falls, climbing on bricks, walls and other ruins structures
is not recommended. Please keep off the derelict wharf beside the island pontoon (see
Making your own way across above). Take care or avoid steep areas, particularly quarry
edges and faces where the lime rock can be quite crumbly. Do not chew or place vegetation in your mouth, some plants
such as ngaio and oleander on the island are very poisonous. There are numerous spots
of blackberry around the island, but keeping to the walking tracks will avoid these.
Society boat - Petrel Tua Toru
If you are travelling (usually a group or school class) in the Society's boat
then you must take precautions, such as staying seated while the boat is moving
and remaining seated until the skipper says it is okay to disembark. Changing seats while
underway can also make the boat unstable and hard to manoeuvre. When coming alongside the landing
pontoons there is a real danger of getting fingers crushed, so make sure hands remain
inside the boat. Life jackets are available under the seats, and you may be required to
wear them if the skipper considers sea conditions warrant it.
Swimming and wading
Take care when swimming and supervise children accordingly. Fairly strong currents exist
around parts of the island with tidal movement, particularly at the island pontoon.
Oysters encrust rocks at most beaches and can give a nasty cut to unwary swimmers.
There are also several dams on the island, some of which have slipery and steep sides.
Allergies
At certain times of the year, the grass on the island produces a lot of pollen. There
are also bees, wasps and the like present. If you suffer allergic reactions to these
or other environmental factors, bringing appropriate medication along with you is advisable.
Traps and poison
There are numerous wooden box traps set around the island, many along walking tracks
(click here to view trap). They contain ‘snap’-traps (DoC-200s), set for stoats and rats. They can
break fingers. Please do not disturb them and be particularly mindful of children.
The entire island has a grid of bait stations at 25m by 25m intervals, containing rat
poison to control rats and mice (click here to view bait station). The up-harbour facing
main paddock has mown strips down it to help service these bait stations. Each station
contains a small amount of bromadiolone bait to kill rodents. Please do not disturb
these bait stations, and be mindful of children.
Download a printer friendly version of these hazards (1 page, 42KB PDF)
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