The Big 5 in Africa – the Little ‘Kiwi’ in New Zealand.



Elusive, nocturnal, endangered and add to that a bird that can’t fly!

Seeing a kiwi in the wild is on the ‘must see’ list for many visitors coming to NZ.

New Zealanders are very happy to call themselves ‘kiwis’ and have a genuine affection for this interesting bird, however most have never seen one in the wild.

It is therefore a real pleasure and privilege to be out in the bush and have a real kiwi encounter.  As dusk moves into darkness the distinctive call of the kiwi can be heard in areas where it is present.  For the lucky being in the right place at the right time, being patient and a little knowledge from your guide means that you have a good chance of a sighting.  Listening for the distinctive snuffing, however sometimes they can sound like a heavy-footed man rather than a small bird, apparently unaware, or unconcerned, about the onlookers.

On our night tours, here at Habitat Tours, we have been lucky to have a few sightings recently on our night walks.  Our small groups huddle together in the darkness, with much anticipation, and have been rewarded with seeing kiwis going about their foraging while we discreetly watch with our soft red lights.  Having knowledge of their territory helps to increase the chances of seeing our national icon in the wild.  Habitat Tours run a day/night tour to Tawharanui where you have the opportunity to see the North Island brown kiwi along with some of New Zealand’s other nocturnal wildlife – a truly different and enchanting experience.

No guaZodiacees – but the searching and anticipation is half the fun and there’s plenty more birdlife and interesting critters, which we can guaZodiacee you’ll see.

Dolphins



Several species of dolphin live in New Zealand waters including common dolphins, Dusky dolphins, Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins and Bottlenose dolphins. These intelligent and playful mammals live in groups called pods.  They can live for 50 years or more feeding on fish, squid and other live prey.  There are 10 species found in New Zealand all of which are protected by law.

New Zealand is home to the small Hector’s dolphin, restricted to parts of the South Island coast and the Maui’s dolphin a northern subspecies categorized as endangered, it is one of the rarest marine dolphin subspecies in the world.

Both weigh around 50kgs and are 1.2 – 1.5 metres long, making them among the shortest of the world’s dolphins; Maui’s dolphins are significantly longer than the Hector’s.  Females have one calf at around every 2 to 4 years or more; their lifespan is about 20 years, the smaller the species of dolphin, the shorter the lifespan with larger dolphins, such as the bottlenose, living between 25 and 50 years.



Bottlenose dolphins are found in coastal areas around the world.  In fact, excluding orca (which are really dolphins), Bottlenose dolphins have the widest distribution of all dolphins.  They are most frequently seen in the northern part of the North Island, upper South Island and Fiordland.

Pod sizes can be from 2 to 60 or more; fish and marine invertebrates are their main foods.

Tawharanui Marine Park is an area where we see the bottlenose dolphin; the marine park covers much of the northern coastline of Tawharanui Regional Park and extends half a nautical mile seaward; this marine park is an area where all life is protected.  It is an area where Bottlenose dolphins and Orca can occasionally be seen cruising by.

Habitat Tours guests have seen the Bottlenose twice in the last 2 weeks at Tawharanui, a true nature experience with not only the fauna on land but at sea too.

See Habitat Day Tours and Day/Night Tours to experience the real New Zealand with their informative guides and small groups.

New happenings at Tawharanui - the adorable Teal (pateke) ducklings are out and about, wonderful to see, as Pateke are the 4th most endangered duck in the world.  It’s great to see at least 2 pairs with a number of ducklings close to the Ecology track where the lucky visitor may see them.

Pateke breed from June to November nesting under dense vegetation, the male guards the territory while the female incubates the eggs for 30 days.  The fledging period is around 50 to 55 days.  The Pateke is doing well at Tawharanui with the protection of the predator free environment however there are a couple of native threats, the eels and pukeko.

There’s lots more happening in Tawharanui with the warmer weather and bird activity having increased somewhat.

On each visit to Tawharanui we will often see around 10 different species of endemic birds to NZ, plus the natives.

If you would like to learn more about Tawharanui be sure to take one of our tours where we’ll give you more information and a memorable kiwi experience.

Tawharanui is a heartening conservation success story; in just a few years the park has been developed as a "mainland island" becoming pest free, the bellbird reintroducing itself and many of NZ's 'missing' birds (including the kiwi), reptiles and plants being reintroduced. Today a walk through the park gives visitors wonderful opportunities to see and hear many of these species.

It has just been 10 years since the predator fence was installed across the peninsular, followed by eradication of pests and ongoing habitat enhancement focusing on wetland areas, planting of native trees and shrubs.  Committed volunteers continue working at Tawharanui with planting (currently 20,000 trees and shrubs are planted annually), track maintenance, bird monitoring, pest control, education etc.

The reintroduction of NZ native birds has been very successful with North Island brown kiwi, which had been missing from Tawharanui for over 60 years, being reintroduced, North Island robin, saddleback, NZ teal (4th rarest duck in the world) and many more resident natives.

In 1769 when Captain Cook came to NZ he noted that "the birdsong was deafening", he also commented on the Bellbird "it seemed to be like small bells most exquisitely tuned". Visiting Tawharanui today and hearing the songbirds, not only at dawn and dusk but throughout the day, we begin to realise just how it must have sounded to Capt Cook so long ago.

Together with this amazing birdlife, there is the pristine white sandy beaches and marine reserve; just over an hour from Auckland city (a short stretch on an unsealed road) brings the visitor to this haven, it feels like being back in time.

With the passion we have here at Habitat Tours for our environment, the amazing landscape, flora and fauna at Tawharanui makes this special place the obvious destination for our Eco based tours.

Enjoy some of the stunning views to be experienced at Tawharanui....