UPDATE: The hatching process is now complete, having produced a whopping 60 baby turtles! The nest held a total of 74 eggs, 60 of which hatched successfully, 25 of which were still in the nest. Locally, this marks the first hatching of a translocated nest, meaning a nest that was moved from its original location. Six more nests are expected in the coming weeks of this record-breaking season, and we're excited!
The night between the 20th and 21st August brought waves of excitement to those present at Golden Bay, as at 9pm, 35 hatchlings began to emerge from the turtle nest laid on the 1st of July - the second one of the season.
This may be remembered as the nest that had to relocated from Riviera Bay to Golden Bay due to the storm that was forecast to hit the islands. Indeed, it was thanks to the quick thinking of Nature Trust volunteers and ERA officials that these hatchlings survived, as the storm that hit the day after the nest was laid wreaked havoc on Riviera Bay.
As was seen in the turtle hatching that happened last week, some hatchlings may emerge after the first wave hatch, so the nest will keep being monitored over the next few days for any more baby turtles ready to join their siblings.
Well done to all the volunteers and officials involved in keeping the nests and baby turtles protected!