Icicles

Icicles in a stream around Arthur's Pass, in the South island. While taking this photo icicles developed on the legs of my tripod and my boot as I had one foot ankle deep in this stream so I could get the photo but with great Sorel boots my feet were warm and dry

Sunset

Summer has been very wet and cool for us in Christchurch, however there has been some interesting clouds and when the sunset colours up it has been magnificent

Tiritiri Matangi Island, New Zealand

In September I traveled to Tiritiri Matangi, which is a Department of Conservation (DOC) Island off the coast of Auckland.  Some of New Zealand’s most endangered birds live on Tiritiri. The island has been predator free for 16yrs and the bird song is amazing, like nothing you would ever hear on the mainland.

We spent three days and two nights on the island and the highlights for me were:

Seeing a Kiwi in the wild.  Picture sitting in the bush, with a view in the distance of the Auckland city lights, yet all around you can hear Kiwi and Moorepork calling. The city is so close but it feels a million miles away.  If you sit still long enough, or walk slowly down the tracks you may come across a Kiwi, rustling around in the bush and leaves like we did.

I discovered that the Takahe is a very friendly bird. With only a few hundred Takahe left in the world this was a wonderful experience. Greg is New Zealand’s oldest known Takahe at 16 yrs old.  Greg likes to make himself known to visitors and we were told ‘please do not feed the Takahe’.  I can see why……. Greg is known to wander inside the building to get closer to the people and their food.  Luckily Greg seems to understand English remarkably well. When told “Greg outside”, he slowly and calmly strolls across the room, to the door and wanders outside. The Takahe are quite easy to find on the island, you can find them on any open grass area, literally mowing the grass. 

Although Greg was lots of fun, my favourite bird was the Kokako. With only 10 of them on the whole island they are a rare find.  They can be a little elusive as they are a tree top feeder, up high in the trees.  They are a striking bird with a beautiful call.

There are many different species on Tiritiri including Little Blue Penguins, Saddlebacks, Tui, Moorepork, and Stitchbirds (which are only found on two other islands in the world) and even Tuatara – which seem to be the most shy of all

Below are some links to help you find out more about Tiritiri and how to plan your trip to go there

For more info on Tiritiri click here
DOC website on Tiritiri click here
booking accommodation on the island (via DOC website) - $24 per night
Booking the ferry crossing to the island - $66 from Auckland
Ferry Crossing times click here

The below images are from previous recent trips