Trees felled by strong winds and torrential downpours caused substantial damage to the golf course, as well as the predator-proof fence that surrounds it.
In total, about 1800 trees on the site were toppled by the cyclone over 24 hours, taking hundreds of metres of the sanctuary fence with them.
What followed was a long programme of remediation work, both to ensure the course’s predator-free status and to return the prestigious golf course to its full glory.
In the initial aftermath, the priority was checking and restoring the 5.5km fenceline to safeguard the protected species that have called Wairakei Golf and Sanctuary home since 2012, when an agreement was made between the golf course and the Department of Conservation for it to act as a haven for native wildlife.
Wairakei Golf and Sanctuary’s operations general manager Warren Collett said work was under way as quickly as possible after Gabrielle to make the site safe for people and animals alike.
As well as kiwi and takahē, Wairakei Golf and Sanctuary is home to animals including fallow deer, kārearea/New Zealand falcons, pheasants, guinea fowl, and ducks. Photo / Mark Alexander
The stakes were high; as well as being a renowned and in-demand golf course, Wairakei is home to wildlife including several ‘retired’ pairs of takahē, as well as serving as a creche for young kiwi to learn survival skills until the are big enough to fend off introduced predators like stoats.
“Straight after the storm, we had to completely close the course for two-and-a-half weeks.
“We were fortunate enough to get a forestry crew in here straight away, and they worked seven days a week, which allowed us to get nine holes open by the end of February.
“We didn’t lose any of the native wildlife, and nothing escaped as far as we can ascertain.”
In fact, the takahē seem to have taken the upheaval in their stride, with some having come out of retirement; several pairs have been seen nesting and at least one pair has produced chicks.
Kiwi living in the open Wairakei Golf and Sanctuary were temporarily removed after Cyclone Gabrielle; Save the Kiwi's Helen McCormick released the first returning bird, called Mahuru, last month.
The golf course is also home to the Gallagher Kiwi Burrow, whose egg incubation and chick-hatching site was hit by a fallen tree; fortunately, no eggs, birds or people were harmed and the Burrow was able to continue running as normal.
The rest of the course, however, required a mammoth effort to restore.
Nothing was wasted - green keeping staff and lumber removal contractors set to work hauling out hundreds of trunks which were then sold as prime, export-quality logs or processed by a mobile sawmill for the club’s future use.
Woodchips were sent to Kinleith Mill to be used for electricity generation, with smaller branches mulched and spread on parts of the course the cyclone’s deforestation had left exposed.
Heavy equipment rolling over the fairways around the clock took a toll on the turf, with a long and wet winter not helping the green keeping staff’s upkeep schedule.
However, as summer looms, the staff had whipped the place into shape and were even counting their blessings, Collett said.
“We were blessed that no greens, tee blocks, or fairways were damaged to any extent – apart from debris falling down the left-hand sides of the 13th and 14th fairways, and some broken cart paths.”
Naturally, the landscape of the course has been left looking rather different, but work was under way to replace some of the trees that had been lost.
“We’ve been very happy with the way the course has returned.
“Our green keepers have already undertaken substantial tree replacement – with 250 saplings transplanted over the past eight months, and more seedlings scheduled to be sown over the coming year.
“As they bed in, the course will continue to mature in a new direction over the space of a decade and the decades to come.”
