Why stop at Kiwi spotting??

  

Maungatautari ecological island is the worlds largest fenced nature reserve. Forty seven kilometres of predator proof fence surround the Maungatautari forest, with the aim of preserving and increasing the numbers of native New Zealand species. The introduction of rats, stoats, possums and other small predator species to New Zealand has severely affected the populations of the native birds and other species; including the elusive Kiwi. 

 

I visited Maungatautari one weekend to take part in a Kiwi health check experience. I arrived at the stated time, feeling pretty excited about the afternoon to come. However, when I checked in, the volunteer at the visitors centre looked dismayed and told me she didn't think it was running that day. I was so disappointed to hear this, and quite confused as to what had happened. The team at Maungatautari, it seemed, were as at a loss as I was, and offered me a private tour of their Wetland reserve whilst they tried to sort everything out.

I headed with my guide down to the wetland area as he explained the predator proof fence and the other methods of keeping the native species safe. The main attractions in the wetland reserve are the Takahe and the Tuatara. The Takahe is a flightless bird so endangered that it was once thought to be extinct, until a population was found in the mountains in Fjordland. I was lucky to spot a breeding pair and their one year old offspring; the offspring tend to stay with the parents for up to 18months, but the newly hatched Takahe remained out of sight.

The Tuatara is a much older species than the Takahe; this reptile was walking the earth alongside the dinosaurs! Found only in New Zealand, the Tuatara are also endangered and are no longer found in the wild on mainland New Zealand. Their population decline is not only due to predators, but also due to their slow breeding habits; tuatara breed about every two years, and the eggs take up to two years to hatch! Maungatautari reserve have 22 Tuatara in their wetland area. Sightings can be tricky, so I was thrilled to see three Tuatara, including a male and female sharing a burrow (a sign of impending breeding) - a truly Jurassic experience!

On our return to the visitor centre I was met with good news – the Kiwi health check was indeed going ahead! It appeared the time of the event had changed and I had been missed off the email list to notify attendees of this change. The six of us on the tour were soon on our way into the reserve, leaving the footpaths behind and following our two guides into the depths of the bush. The guides, with the help of their Kiwi-sniffer dog, had already tracked down the Kiwi they would be carrying out the health check on. The Kiwis on Maungatautari, although behind a fence, are wild and very rarely come into contact with humans. Indeed, Kowhai, the Kiwi we would be checking, had not been seen by our guides for over 18months. The purpose of the health check is just that – to monitor the health of the mountain's Kiwi pouplation, through visual inspection of eyes, mouth, ears, quality of coat, and weight. Kowhai, a two year old male North Island Brown Kiwi, was declared in fine health, and we then all had the superb experience of being able to hold a wild Kiwi!! It was incredible to hold such an endangered species; Kowhai was much heavier and bigger than I had imagined, I could feel the power and strength in his legs as I held them tightly. The beak is extraordinarily long, although in reality Kiwis have the shortest nose of all birds (the nose being measured from the nostrils to the beak tip, and the Kiwi's nostrils being right at the end of the beak!), and the coat of Kiwi feels more like the coat of a German Shepherd than feathers. It is truly an extraordinary bird!