A Day at Tiritiri

I took off last Friday to spend the day with Armaz, Angelique, and Antonia. We drove about half an hour from their place to Gulf Harbour, then took the ferry to Tiritiri Matangi, an island bird sanctuary in the Hauruki Gulf.
The island was farmed until 1984 but, since then, volunteers have planted over 280,000 trees. Conservation efforts have made it a haven for an amazing number of birds - many of which are seriously threatened.
The takahe, which Armaz is barring from our lunch, was thought to be extinct in the 1940s. This one was absolutely fearless, trying to steal food from anyone not paying close attention.
We had a nice sunny day, except for the chilly wind. (A late-season southerly dumped enough snow in the central plateau they closed the Desert Highway.) It made the complimentary tea at the visitor center extra welcome.

The island is also home to the oldest lighthouse tower in NZ, which made a nice background for our picnic spot. After lunch, we still had a couple hours to explore on our own.
The highlight, for me at least, was a feeding station that seemed to be party central for all the songbirds on Tiri. The bellbird was just taking a breather, before launching back into the throng. (Below her, a stitchbird is showing off his white stitch.)

The trails were all well-maintained, with plenty of observation decks and stairs in the steep places. Easy for walking, but less easy with a baby stroller.

There's also a lot of scientific research done on the island. On days like that, I'd swap offices with her in a heartbeat.


A lot of days aren't like that, however. And since the rain is pounding against the windows as I write this, I won't complain about having a roof over my head.

Cheers,
Sandie