Lost in Wonderland

I didn't fall down a hole like Alice but I'm definitely in Wonderland; there's so much going on and I can't wait to tell you about the book I've just finished reading. That will have to wait for my next blog though as seeing the kiwi came first!

I went to a birthday dinner party on Saturday evening; Nicoletta's house is about a 50 minute walk away and I left early so I could enjoy the sunshine and take photos on the way.

Looking down on Bathing Beach and Mill Creek

Native Fuchsia excorticata flowers hanging in the sunshine

Close up of Fuchsia excorticata flower

Sand ridges on Horseshoe Bay

I was puzzled by these bits of shell and gull prints but then realised that
it was the remains of a shell that the bird was dropping from a height
to open it - this is where it opened and the bird landed to have its meal

The mended slip on Horseshoe Bay Road - the reinforcements were pretty
impressive but are mostly buried now

The dinner party was a great success with yummy food and fine company; we left about 9.30pm and I got dropped off at Hicks Road, cutting 30 minutes off my walk home. The moon wasn't shining but there was just enough starlight to make out the road without using my torch. The power station turn-off is about 100m up the road and I had just gone past when I heard a rustling off to the right. I stood still and carefully turned on the red light switch of my torch in time to see a kiwi striding through the grass away from me. Magic!! I started walking again and this time the kiwi passed me on the right and then crossed in front of me, close enough to hear its claws doing a tap dance on the roadway.

There's not many places in New Zealand where you can have encounters such as this so close to home. A high percentage of trampers doing the 10-day North West Circuit see and hear kiwi, with some lucky enough to get stunning video footage of their encounter. The best odds of non-tramping visitors seeing a kiwi is with Bravo Adventure Cruises. I did this evening cruise on my second visit to the island in 2010 and it was well worth the price of $140 which includes a cruise up Paterson Inlet as the sun is setting, a guided walk in the bush, then strolling along the beach until we spotted a large female kiwi turning over the kelp for the sandhoppers. Whilst they don't guarantee that you'll see a kiwi, their success rate over the last 5 years is over 99%. Of course, seeing a kiwi without paying is the ultimate experience but if you're limited by time then the cruise is a great alternative.

If seeing a kiwi in the wild is on your bucket list then late October is a great time of year to visit Stewart Island; you don't have to wait long for it to get dark, the operators are re-energised after their winter break and the birdsong is darned amazing. The only thing better than staying a week is to stay for two, and I predict that cameras and walking shoes will get a lot of use!