Kapiti Island Nature Reserve (Part 3)

 

Several wekas accompanied us as we arrived at the Trig Tuteremoana on Kapiti Island after two hours hike. It was weird having wekas at the peak on the island.

These watchful birds moved quickly on sandwiches and biscuits. All food had to be guarded, or it was snatched away.

Disappointed that the cloud had come down, and there was no view, couldn't even see the sea. I was hoping to see the South Island. 

Maybe there were 5 or 6 weka, they watched us the whole time, just waiting for their moment.

While I climbed the trig, the urchins watch over the food. The cloud came down, and the breeze picked up.

The weka are not shy or timid. 

We anticipated taking 2 hours to walk back down, so needed to leave by 1pm, to be back in time to catch the boat back to the mainland.

The Wilkinson Track was much smoother, and easy walking.  

We got a new visitor at one of our rest stops, a cheeky Kaka.  He moved in slowly, but steadily.  He had his eye on our biscuits.

Suddenly he leapt / flew onto Tighe's shoulder!

See who he is looking at, me, the one with the chocolate. Fortunately he wasn't interested in Tighe's ear.

I quickly moved to the other side, and put a table between me and large Kaka.  He leapt off Tighe and onto the table. My camera bag was lying there, so the Kaka began to bite the strap.

The  Kaka watched me eat the chocolate. I was certain it was going to swoop on me and peck the chocolate out of my hand.

Kapiti Island Reserve (Part 2)

 

There are two tracks up the hill on Kapiti Island.  The DOC ranger suggested the Trig Track for the urchins. The Trig Track is 2 km one way, we allowed 2 hours to get to the top.  It is a challenging hike, with narrow uneven sections, and steep in places. The Trig Track should only be attempted by confident trampers with good sturdy footwear. It is an uphill track only. We came down Wilkinson track, 3.8 km (2 hours).

The track is steep. We stopped many times to catch our breath. Our reward was hearing the bird song, and spotting the rare birds in the trees. Kokako, Tieke, Hihi, Põpokotea, Kaka, Kārearea, as well as the Tui, Kererū, Weka, Korimako, and Pìwakawaka.

At one rest stop, a family of Kõkako chatted away in the canopy, and then flew off.

The Korimako/ Bellbird song sounded like multiple bells ringing.

The forest is lush, and the ferns undergrowth is testament to the control of pests and introduced animals.

After an hours hike up a steep trail, we stopped for a rest, and Hihi / Stitchbird kept us company. They flit about, and quarrel over nectar. The boys have colourful yellow feathers, the ladies are greyer.

The urchins were more energised after the stop, and the trail wasn't so steep. Soon we joined the Wilkinson track, a more gentle trail to the top.

The cloud came down, the mist creating a magical forest for us to walk through.

We kept our eye out for Takekē, the ranger mentioned they had been seen near the Trig.

This bird I was hoping to see, Pōkokotea / Whitehead. A small grey bird with a white head.  A group of them were about 10 minutes from the top of the trail, near the trig.

The low cloud would limit visibility at the top, but made a wonderful atmosphere walking the trails

We encountered some wekas, which surprised me, as I had always associated them with grasslands / wet lands, not native forest covered hills.

Took us 2 hours to walk to the trig on Kapiti Island.  We ate plenty of nut bars, chocolate, and biscuits.

Kapiti Island, Bird Sanctuary, Nature Reserve (Part 1)

 

Kapiti Island is one of New Zealand's most significant nature reserves. The Island is home to many native species that are either very rare or absent from the New Zealand mainland.

An early morning start, and an hours drive north from Wellington to Pararaumu. We needed to be there at 8 am, for the 8.30 am boat to the island.  

The boat was towed into the ocean by this 'lifted up" tractor.  The first few minutes were rough, and we all felt a bit queasy. 

However, once the boat had turned around, and got up speed, the jutting and and pounding of the waves made a thrilling journey of the 5km boat trip. Took about 15 minutes.

Visitor numbers are limited to 100 visitors a day to the Rangatira area, about half way along the eastern shore of Kapiti Island.  We were fortunate, today it was just this boat load, so about 20 people.  

The beach is rocky and drift wood lines the shore.

Bush clematis grows down to the shore. The scent is amazing as we walked to the information shelter. The local DOC ranger gave a talk about the birds, and what we could and could not do, during our visit to the island. He also warned us about the weka and the kaka, and how they work as a team to steal our food. More on that later.

My grandfather's grandfather was a whaler, and was based on Kapiti Island during the 1840s. These tripots are remains of the whaling days.

First weka of the day, but it ignored us. I guess it knows the food only comes out later in the day.

We started with the gentle Rangatira Loop walk, and then joined the Trig Track to Tuteremoana peak.

Kaka beak flowers.

Nikau trees were at the start of the Trig Track, and soon we were in the company of a group of Tieke / Saddleback. They sound like they are laughing at you.

The Trig Track is 2 km one way, we allowed 2 hours to get to the top.  It is a challenging hike, with narrow uneven sections, and steep in places. The Trig Track should only be attempted by confident trampers with good sturdy footwear. It is an uphill track only. We came down Wilkinson track, 3.8 km (2 hours).

Van Gogh at the Wellington Waterfront - Starry Starry Night

An outdoor exhibition, multi sensory, using shipping containers and images of Vincent van Gogh's art work.

Seeing the artwork enlarged, and having a narrator describing the work, and the place and time of creation made a very immersive exhibition.

So many colours, brush strokes. 

The picture frames got filled with artwork, and the artwork became the background.

I liked how the blossoms and flowers moved across the backdrop.

Iris and sunflower were a recurring theme.

Plenty of swirls of green, brown, yellow and brown.

There was no seating, so the urchins found a comfortable spot to watch the show.

"I don't know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream" 

Vincent van Gogh

The show took about 3/4 of an hour. Wandering back to the hotel, we spotted stingrays in the inlet.