Free kayak tour in Okura!
In support of the battle to protect the Long Bay Okura Marine Reserve and its surrounding area, Canoe & Kayak North Shore are donating free kayak trips in the marine reserve in the month of October. Just donate $50 for adults and $25 for children (under 18) to the Long Bay Great Park Society through their Givealittle page to qualify for your freebie.
This kayak tour is just 20 minutes from downtown Auckland in the Long Bay – Okura Marine Reserve, bordered by protected native bush and regional council reserves, historic buildings, pa sites and natural wonders.
Many rare NZ seabirds can be seen and heard including NZ Dotterel, Variable Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed godwits. Flying mullet and stingrays are often sighted in the shallows of the Okura Estuary and Karepiro Bay, as they cruise under your kayak. Myrtle and Turtle, two resident stingrays, are regularly seen feeding off Dacre Cottage.
Come and enjoy a rare glimpse of what New Zealand was like in the old days. Phone or email with your qualifying code from your Givealittle donation to book your tour.
09 479 1002
northshore@canoeandkayak.co.nz
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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