A new attraction on the popular Rakaia Gorge Walkway has been a hit.
The Fantail Shop is stocked with a multitude of items, most of which have been handcrafted or painted by nearby residents.
The walkway does not seem like a typical location for a shop, located as it is amidst forest in the depths of the gorge.
But the miniature retail site, on a shelf unit nailed to a tree and operating on an honesty system, has become something to sing about.
Funds from the shop are helping birdlife by going towards buying tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of predator traps, which are mostly paid for by Environment Canterbury, Selwyn District Council, Manawa Energy, Robert and Christine Koller and other private donators.
Operated by gorge conservation group The Fantail Trust, the shop has miniature pottery plates, painted stones, paperweights and fridge magnets, alongside postcards and small water bottles.
Robert Koller, a retired chef, and wife Christine, who live at the nearby Terrace Downs Resort, established the trust in 2020.
Koller, who came up with the shop idea, said items had flown off shelves since it opened in May.
Each are priced at up to $10 and paid by internet banking.
“While not many believed it would work, it has proven to be a resounding success,’’ Koller said.
‘‘The souvenirs just disappear, and we have to restock every second day.’’
Alongside the shop, a gallery of bird watercolour painting prints has been installed in a nearby area of the walkway. It features 10 panels, mounted on trees, featuring the picture, by Rakaia Gorge artist Juliana Child, alongside text.
Koller and fellow trust volunteers operate about 600 traps, and plan to buy another 200.
They have caught more than 3500 introduced pests as they aim to have the area virtually predator free by 2050.
Koller said birdlife such as fantails, bellbirds and silvereyes were flourishing in response.
‘‘But the biggest thrill is to see so many kereru. Hardly a day goes by when I do not see or hear one of them.’’
Winter had seen a decline in grey warblers and shining cuckoos, probably temporarily gone to warmer areas.
He hoped tui, occasionally spotted on neighbouring farms, would return. And perhaps in future kiwi could be re-introduced.
‘‘That would be the ultimate thing, to bring them back.’’
Child said it had been an honour to be involved in the gallery project. She hoped even more bird species would come to the gorge in future.
