Zealandia

 March 2nd

Being so near to the ferry terminal has its downside, sleeper cars and vans leave at some silly time in the morning. The van next to us had one of those annoying sliding doors (we can't talk, we too have one) but the big difference with ours...it doesn't squeak! No matter how quietly he tried to open it, it sounded like a hundred mice all squealing out as one! So sleep was disturbed and just as we both started to nod, the wind started and the pop top had to come down! Kettle was put on soon after and first cup of tea at 6 am. But I suppose I should thank him, the sunrise was spectacular, lasted minutes and managed to capture the best.

One of the ferries returning to Wellington

Today we made for Zealandia. This is the world’s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary. I took this excerpt from Te Ara Encyclopedia of NZ

Zealandia (previously Karori Sanctuary) covers the former catchment of the Karori reservoir – opened in 1873 to supply Wellington’s water. When the upper dam closed in 1991, conservationists convinced local authorities to turn the 252-hectare area into a wildlife sanctuary. A trust was formed to manage the sanctuary and a large predator-proof fence was built around the boundary. After pests were eliminated, native birds – including kiwi, bellbird and kākā – were released. Trees such as rātā, rimu and tōtara were planted to restore the forest. These will take up to 500 years to mature.

It cost $24 each to enter and for that you get to explore 560 acres of forest with paths leading to a swingbridge, dam, feeding stations for the birds and one unique fenced area just for the Tuatara

Lower Karori Earth Dam.

Shag

 

We must have walked nearly 3 miles, exploring all the nook and crannies, craning our necks to spy the birds. I was particularly interested in the small boxes placed on the trees. Open up and cut outs were seen. Inside these were critters and the one I have been hoping to see, the Weta.

 

 

The swing bridge and upper dam was quite a climb. Two paths, one a gradual gradient the other almost straight up. We took the latter!

 Didn't struggle too much with the descent, Ibobrufen is definitely working. Two a day keeps the knee pain at bay! Along the Lake walk was another fenced off area. I was eager to see what was in it, I did my usual 'must stop to take a photo of a butterfly' which I think exasperated my man.

 

And what was behind the fence?

Tuatara (link on an earlier part of this post)

And another rare sighting. Takahe

 

Another of my favourite birds the Kaka. A parrot that is as cheeky as the Kea, and very intelligent too as you will see in this video.

 

k

 

It was a great place to visit, not just for the birds but the walks take you right through wetlands with the board walks and up steep inclines to get to the dam. Thoroughly enjoyed it, highly recommended.

There probably won't be a post tomorrow. We have come to a place called Evans Bay Marina to await a visit from my cousin Terri. It will be impossible for us to leave, hardly any spaces to be had when we arrived at 3 pm so to leaving even for a moment would mean our space gone. Next posting will hopefully be in a day or two.