Wetland Wildlife

Exploring the endemic insect life of Macraes, Otago

Jan 27, 2024

Good morning💚

After the scorching temperatures of early January, the weather has settled a bit and I have been out exploring some of the nature spaces in our area.

They’re not always easy to find, except for the usual spots that are well-visited by locals and tourists alike, but we do have some hidden gems that deserve a bit more attention.

This week I went to the Macraes Wetland & Heritage Walkway. There’s a giant sculpture of the Haast eagle (Hieraaetus moorei, now extinct), a tussock art ‘installation’ and plenty of antique/vintage machinery to ogle at - but I was more interested in the wildlife.

Macraes is home to the largest gold mine in the country, run by OceanaGold, but its gold mining history dates back to the 1860s. The wetland restoration and walkway are part of OceanaGold’s sustainability goals to “benefit not only the local biodiversity but also the local and wider community”.1

There was plenty of wildlife, though they were much more cautious of me than the wildlife in my garden. I was particularly taken by the tussock butterflies (Argyrophenga antipodum) who are unique to Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island of New Zealand).

I’ve included some more photos behind the paywall, but below is the common tussock - when it eventually stopped moving long enough for me to take a photo!