CAPE KIDNAPPERS

Evening Post, Issue 30, 4 August 1936, Page 7

CAPE KIDNAPPERS

ANEW REST-HOUSF

PROBLEM OF WATER

The building of the long-needed rest* house at Cape Kidnappers-was corn* menced recently, the necessary equipment being conveyed to the site by; means of a motor fishing boat. The erection of the building was made possible by the generosity of the Napier public by way. of donations, and through gifts of material, etc.; from a number of Napier'business houses. The new building, though by no means large, will fill a long-felt want at the sanctuary, for at that isolated; spot in the past there has, been neither fresh water nor shelter. The rest-house is'a-substantial'build-ing of its kind. It has been furnished with a large dining-tableand. an open fireplace where a kettle may .be .boiled or food cooked. Three 200-gallon tanks are erected nearby, 'so;that*there will be an adequate supply of fresh water all through the summer. An area near the ibuilding is to be fenced off as a reserve, and trees are shortly to be planted. , ' . The site of the rest-house could not h^ve been better chosen: "it is on a flat, grassy plateau about 20 feet above the level of the beach and. just at the foot of the track leading to the gannets' nesting area. • The problem of taking • the tanks, sheet-iron, and timber to the Cape was a,difficult one,,owing to the fact that the black reef prevents a vehicle from reaching the locality chosen. However, the Cape Kidnappers; Sanctuary Board found a solution when it chartered a fishing vessel, the Ariel, and'a.surf-' boat The latter was loaded with some two and-a'half tons of material, including the* threeMrori tanks, several hundred feet-ofjriimber, and'ti quantity of sheet iron.'. ■ ' • h The surf-boat.was towed to the Kid-■tappers,"when-'a'}working,bee"ran it rasbore and discharged its'cargo. Fortunately the sea was perfectly calm, and at the Cape there was'<ohly m small surf; otherwise, the unloading of the material from'the surf-boat j must have been no easy task. Th« only difficulty, which confronted the party was to float the \surf-boat-« weighing about -two>; tons—after the gear had been landed, for the receding tide left it highland dry. This was accomplished after-nearly-i-an- hour's work. The gannets' nesting, area-is deserted at present, but the birds'are "expected back towards the end of August It is estimated that about{sooo -"gannett nested at Cape Kidnappers jlast^season. This total was estimated, by. the fact that there were approximately. 2500 nests there last summer. The ranger divided the area off into'squares by means of a fishing-line/; and 1 .counted the nests in each square." He proposes to make another tally this' summer/ to find out whether the birds are increasing in numbers.