A new island sanctuary has been launched to protect endangered species in one of the most remote areas of New Zealand.
It is a community initiative and one thing they are not short of is volunteers.
Extreme isolation in Fiordland means Te Puka-Hereka, or Coal island, is pretty much as it was when settlers first arrived here - apart from one thing.
Kiwi and Kakapo abounded and the evening air was filled with their characteristic cries.
The Te Puka-Hereka Charitable Trust launched their bid to try to bring back what was lost all those years ago.
"It was either the actions of man or some of the predators and pests that he introduced and I would hate to leave this world thinking that I didn't do what I could to save them," says Ian Buick from the Te Puka-Hareka Trust.
"If you've met a Kakapo and held one in your arms you can't help but be moved by these big parrots and that's what it's about," he says.
So they are getting rid of the stoats and next they will tackle the deer and then the mice.
People have donated food, equipment and most importantly their time to make this happen. Tracks on the island were cut by 15 bushmen from Tuatapere, a week's work that was all voluntary.
"I thought we'd have to hunt for volunteers, the problem is fighting them off and sorting them out," Buick says.
It will take more money and a lot more work before they will be able to reintroduce native birds.
The good news though is that those birds, once there, will be back to stay.
"One would expect with the high abundance of fruiting species like Rimu, Miro, and supplejack that it will carry pretty high bird populations," botanist Geoff Rogers says.
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