WHITE HERONS (Kotuku)

With only 200 White Heron birds left in New Zealand to see a mother with 3 chicks is a rare and special thing. That is 2% of the total population just in this nest so what a treat to be around a couple of dozen of them
Whataroa on the West Coast is the only known breading colony of White Herons in New Zealand.
The White Herons nest in trees with Royal Spoonbills and no one seems to know why they nest here

You cannot drive to the White Heron Sanctuary. White Heron Tours are the only way to get there.
The boat trip is 20mins long and you get a Duck escort.... yes you heard correctly.
As the jet boat goes down the river you suddenly find a couple of ducks fly alongside the boat, almost eyeballing you as they fly side by side with the boat
Then the ducks zoom in front, leading you along the river and escorting you out of their territory. And when their territory ends another couple of ducks will take their place.
I think we had 6 ducks each way

The White Heron chicks are born around Labour Weekend/Halloween and it is good viewing until Mid Jan.
Take a big lens and some insect repellant

www.whiteherontours.co.nz

GUY FAWKES

WONGA WETLANDS

HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL

BUTTERFLIES

HOT RODS

KARAMEA

ARCHITECTURE, CHRISTCHURCH

Although these architecture photos are not new, I took them in 2008, they are new to the website as I had never put them up.
I have also given architecture its own gallery on my gallery page so please look there for more images
Many of these buildings have since been destroyed or badly damaged by the February 22nd 2011 or September 4th 2010 Christchurch earthquakes

I took a number of these images with my best friend Stephen Wright who was tragically killed in the the CTV building on the 22nd February 2011 earthquake. The images give me very fond memories of our time exploring around the city, capturing architecture images and stopping to enjoy coffee and lunch. When I look at them I can clearly remember our adventures and conversations that day. My fondest memory that day is of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, the Basilica. I asked for special permission for Stephen and I to be allowed to lay on the floor so that we could more easily capture the beautiful pressed tin ceilings. It felt so unusual to lie on your back on the floor of a church (and a spectacular church at that), with your camera and tripod set up just above your face. I remember saying to Stephen that the photo was not on the ceiling it was of him and I lying on the floor!

RAINBOW IN THE SURF
September 2011

I can only think of two occasions in my life that I have seen a Rainbow in the waves at Birdlings Flat and both have been within the last three months.
The Rainbow was not visible the whole time, only when the spray from the crashing waves created enough mist. Magical to watch and even more difficult to have your camera aimed at the right place for that split second when it did happen every 15 minutes or so
It was always at the waters edge, just meters away, almost like you could reach out and touch it. if you are familiar with this beach you would know the waves are dangerous. They are so fierce you cannot swim or surf here and people and their pets have died trying

Castle Hill
August 2011

Central Otago Autumn Colours
April 2011

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
Ferry Crossing times click here - $66 from Auckland

The below images are from previous recent trips