Day 3 brings another ferry ride, this time to Tiritiri Matangi Island. Yeah, I can’t pronounce it either. The 75 minute ferry ride gives you a good view of the coastline just north of Auckland, as well as volcanic Rangitoto Island, which erupted 600 years ago. Rangitoto is just off the coast from downtown Auckland, so it’s nice to get a closer view.
The weather on this route can be a little choppy, so if you get seasick then wear your wristbands. Kim never leaves home without them!
Tiritiri is an uninhabited island, and the only way to get there is by ferry, unless you are fabulously wealthy and have a yacht….which is why we took the ferry.
Tiritiri Island was once occupied by the Maori, who had large settlements there. In the mid 1850’s, the Brits kicked the Maori out, as they are wont to do, and then used the island for farming. I find it humourous that the brochure claims it was “Europeans” who did this, as if we don’t know who they actually were…..obviously those of the inability to taste Syrah.
The Brits cut down nearly all of the trees on the island to plant their crops, with only a few pockets of original trees remaining. This farming went on until the late 1970’s, when the farming lease was not renewed. A lot of room temperature beer was drank on that night!
The forward thinking New Zealanders decided to make it an island sanctuary for wildlife, and starting planting native trees in the 1980’s in the hopes of bringing back the birds that left for parts unknown. They have also relocated birds, as well as geckos and skinks, to the island in the hopes that they would be able to thrive there. It has been a miraculous success, and the island has become a haven for bird watchers from around the world. Native birds are here by the thousands, while some very rare birds have been able to do quite well here.
We took a guided walk with Bob, one of the volunteers who obviously loves the work he does. The first spot we came to was a nesting box for the Little Blue Penguin. The nesting box has a plexiglass cover you can set your phone on it and take a photo of the penguin and her egg. I’ll be honest, I think that’s just a rock sitting there. Either that or Little Blue Penquin eggs look just like rocks!
Some of the birds made it easy to catch a photo. This is a fairly rare bird called the North Island Saddleback, so named for the brown spot on their backs. As the Lone Ranger would say, “Hi-Yo Brown! Away!” (that’s for you boomers out there).
Bob has a great eye for spotting birds that most of the group had no chance of seeing. This New Zealand Pigeon was way up above us, but Bob spotted him immediately. I’ve had “Squab” before in France, but never one this big!
Here is a Bellbird.
Here is a Stichbird.
Where do they come up with these names? Here is a Pukeko. Sounds light the result of a bad night of drinking! I must admit I’ve had my fair share of Pukeko’s!
At the top of the island is a visitor center and a historic lighthouse, that is still in operation. It was first lit in 1865, and was manned until 1984, when computers took over.
They have some bird feeders by the visitors center that attracted a bunch of Tui’s.
On the hike back to the dock we saw this Red-Crowned Parakeet sitting right on the trail. I don’t know how much time Bob spent looking for them prior to that without success.
The trail reminded us of hiking in Hawaii. Lots of boardwalk trails to make it easier to get around.
They have New Zealand’s largest insect here in abundance. Lovely little critters! Looks like something out of a Survivor eating challenge. They actually reintroduced this insect to the island.
Here is a last shot looking back at the island before departure. They have one ferry departure a day, at 3:30 PM. If you miss it, it’s a $480 water taxi ride back to shore. Needless to say, that rarely happens.
We are renting a car from here and heading south…..pray for us!
