Newsletter - April 2026
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Future Events
May
5th - Wanderers’ walk. Lead - Daniel Coombes TRC environmental Officer Pest Plants
Meet at Bellringer Pavilion - 10.30am
Daniel will lead us on another look at the ornamental weeds their presence and their level of pest in the Park.
10th - Mothers’ Day Madness – Plant Sale
12th - Historic Walks - Lead Alan Metcalfe
12 Committee meeting.
19th - Wanderers’ walk. Lead - Cliff Lawrence (TBC)
Meet at Bellringer Pavilion - 10.30am
Cliff will lead us around trees of Gondwanaland.
26th - Staff lunch – to coincide with 150th Anniversary
Citizens Advice Bureau, next to the Y.M.C.A - Midday
This is our opportunity to thank the staff for their tireless work. The friends provide savouries but ask that any members who would like to contribute sweets or fruit would be appreciated. The staff look forward to this every year and will be viewing the 150th celebration video during the lunch. All contributions really appreciated.
28th - Members’ morning tea
Pukekura Park Tea House - 10:30am
Grab yourself a coffee or tea and enjoy a slice of our 150th celebration cake. Also enjoy the displays of historic photos.
Note – There is NO May evening meeting
June
2nd - Curator’s walk.
9th - Committee meeting.
16th - Wanderers’ walk. Lead - Nicky Tootill
Meet at Bellringer Pavilion - 10.30am
Join Nicky for a Guided Freshwater Explorative Walk.
Discover the hidden life of our local waterways on a hands‑on, curiosity‑driven walk led by the Wai Connection team. Together we’ll investigate biotic and abiotic indicators of freshwater health, take part in a macroinvertebrate identification workshop, and explore the importance of fish passage and species protection across Aotearoa.
The walk is also a chance to learn more about Wai Connection, a national programme by Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust that empowers communities to understand, monitor, and care for their local freshwater environments. It’s about strengthening our relationship with Wai and supporting collective action for its wellbeing.
Please come prepared with sturdy footwear, clothing suitable for New Zealand’s “four seasons in one day” climate, and a bottle of water. The terrain may be slippery and uneven, so a reasonable level of fitness is recommended. If you require accessibility support, please let the organisers know — we’re happy to help where we can.
We look forward to exploring, learning, and connecting with you alongside the life in our freshwater habitats.
25th - Thursday’s speaker. Reporting NPDC.
Citizens Advice Bureau, next to the Y.M.C.A. - 7pm
Please note: Speakers and walk leaders are subject to change.
Changes will be notified by blog, email and Facebook
Review of April's Events
April 8 - Wanderers' Walk
Leads Tony Burrell & Alan Metcalfe
An intrepid group of 13 gathered this morning for our guided wanderers walk. Tony and Alan stepped in to take us on a dual act and amble through the park. It was most interesting, as always.
As it was drizzly, we sheltered and listened to Alan telling the tales of how the sports field was first thought of, was converted from swamp and the terraces formed.
If you have his book, this would be a really interesting chapter to read. Thomas Kelly, the Provincial Secretary had the foresight to see where the lakes could be situated and to plan for their development.
In relation to trees we spotted the white wash fungus on a tree beside fountain Lake then later a wonderful example of the jelly ear fungus which is the one that Chew Chong famously exported to China, with lots of locals gathering it for him.
The Parapara tree fascinated us all and we heard the story of the small Ruru (more pork) who got caught in the stickiness, fell to the ground where the dry leaves stuck to him/her – a sorry sight!. We saw the before and after photos… A happy ending.
April 23rd - Evening Meeting
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting was a success with 24 members in attendance.
Following the meeting a video produced by NPDC as part of the 150th anniversary celebration was played. The video featured many historic photos, and interviews with the five most recent curators.
From the Zoo
Carlos the Red-rumped agouti
By Monique Earp (Brooklands Zoo Keeper)
The red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) is a forest-dwelling rodent species native to parts of north-eastern South America, such as Brazil and Venezuela.
At Brooklands Zoo, we have one male agouti named Carlos who is housed in a mixed species habitat with our cotton-headed tamarin pair, Nomi and Teo. They co-exist well together as Carlos primarily lives on the ground and the tamarins are arboreal.
Carlos was born at Hamilton Zoo in 2017, making him eight years old. Unlike most rodent species, which are relatively short-lived, agoutis can live up to 20 years in human care. At 3-6kg and about 60cm long, agoutis are one of the larger rodent species, with females slightly larger than males. They are also quite agile and can jump up to 1.5m high!
Agoutis are considered crepuscular and are most active early morning or late evening, when they forage for food.
They often bury excess food for sparser times (a unique feeding behaviour called caching) which means they retain a key seed dispersal role in the rainforest. They are especially important in the distribution of Brazil nuts as they are the only animal in their region able to open the husk of the Brazil fruit and therefore disperse the woody seeds.
Their wild diet consists of nuts, seeds, fallen fruits and vegetation. At Brooklands Zoo, we feed our agouti a variety of fresh vegetables and a commercial rodent pellet, alongside nuts for training purposes.
Carlos is very clever and currently trained to go into a crate, stand on scales and to station on a platform.
The biggest threats to agoutis in the wild are habitat destruction and the bush meat trade; however, they are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that their wild population is stable.
Come say hi to Carlos the next time you’re at the zoo
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