'Taking a boat ride together out to Great Bird Island, past the other offshore islands. That was a lot of fun. Landing on the island, wading up to your knees, putting on your boots, knowing that in the next few minutes you would start walking through 'hell'….everything that scratches and itches…It was rough, but it was fun.'

McRonnie Henry, Chief Forester

'In some parts of the island, the vegetation was very thick, so we had to use machetes to cut through it. I left there with scars all over my body……….Along part of the coastline, there are steep cliffs. We had to lean over, holding the bait on long strings. Sometimes we were hanging by one hand while we put the bait on the ledges. It was really tough, but it was successful.'

Adriel Thibou, Forestry Officer

'It was really rewarding to go back the following year and see how the islands had changed since we got rid of the rats. For me personally, the high point came when we first transferred snakes onto an island that I had helped to clear of rats. It really felt like I had made a difference.'

Karen Varnham, Invasive Species Expert who led most of the
rat eradication work in 1998