Work will soon be under way to make Cape Wanbrow more environmentally and community friendly.

Over the next few months the Waitaki District Council is carrying out a variety of work on the land around the cape to improve the natural environment as well as community access.

The work will happen in three stages, council Parks and Recreation manager Lindsay Hyde says.

Rabbit control will be the first stage, and is to be carried out in the area this month, on instruction from the Otago Regional Council. The Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony and a section of Waterfront Road will also be covered.

Rabbits are a major problem for new plantings on Cape Wanbrow, especially as pines are replaced with natives – which is part of the third stage planned, Lindsay says.

Pindone poison has been determined as the most-effective option, and it will be deposited in the most populated areas, and night shooting will be also used to reduce the number of the prolific pests.

Signage will clearly indicate when poison has been set, along with the dates and time of night shooting, with the council providing updates on social media ahead of both.

“During this time we recommend dogs are kept on a lead at all times,” Lindsay says.

The Pindone will be administered via diced carrot, coloured green or blue. 

An average-sized dog (9kg) can tolerate about 26 pieces of Pindone bait (based on a seven-day daily dose) before it has a negative effect. It does not affect birds.

The second stage of improvements is upgrading signage and parking facilities at the Test Street entrance to the cape. This work is taking place this month and will be running into August, he says.

There is currently no official parking at this location, and the council will be adding marked spaces for community use.

The third stage will take place in September and involves the removal of an ageing stand of ponderosa pines on the cape between Tamar and Selwyn streets. 

“The trees in this block are beginning to drop branches and, once removed, will be replaced, in time, with native planting – as has occurred elsewhere on the cape when other areas have been removed,” Lindsay says.