Aroha Island

Our last stop of the day was the protected kiwi peninsula, Aroha. We were welcomed by the caretakers/rangers. They explained the best way to spot the (nocturnal) kiwi. They’re very shy, so the slightest noise or light will scare them off. We got red cellophane and elastic bands to put over our phone flashlights.

Waiting for the evening, we hung out with the ducks and their (very tame) ducklings. And exploring the paths, we were introduced to weta, insects that like to hide in dark places.

The caretaker suggested we should meet up around dusk. He was going to check out one of the nesting boxes (see the picture we took during day light) that they had set up. It was still light at 8:15pm but we quietly walked to the box. Luckily, we were down-wind and although the moon was out, it was mostly overcast. We waited for about 20 minutes, not moving (despite the mosquitos). We heard the old (40 year old) female inside, grunting and occasionally knocking against the wood. Finally, she came out, and was startled by the red light. She ran off into the bushes. I got one more glimpse of her as she crossed a moon-lit clearing, then she was gone. We could still hear a male rustling around inside the box. Two minutes later, it came out too. It didn’t care so much about the light, but wandered off in search of food. The caretaker was as excited as we were.

We walked around the path to the spot where the female was likely to come out again. We heard her rustling in the bushes, searching for bugs. When she saw the light again, she bolted across the path. We quickly followed, but she was very fast! We saw her butt as she scurried off into the forest. After a bit of wandering, we heard rustling near the water and stood by a small bench. Sure enough, she came out again! We barely used any light this time and she came right up to us. Only her beak was lit up, sticking out from under the bench (see the picture, you'll have to imagine the kiwi ;) ). As soon as we let out a bit more light, she ran off.

We came across many more campers with their red lights. Some tromping, some with bright flashlights. They probably wouldn’t have much luck. At the other end of the island, we heard the male kiwi call. More than 20 screeches in a row. He had made a nest and was waiting for the female. On the way back, we saw the female one more time, as she crossed the road and ran off in the direction of the call. We decided to call it a night. Awesome! So many kiwi encounters!

In the morning, we had a nice chat with the caretaker. They had started working at the eco centre 3 years ago, and this would be their last year. The Littles from England had started in the 1970s to restore the peninsula from farm land and grasses to the forest that is there today. They do a wide range of education for students and tourists. But, he said, it’s a fine balance between letting people experience the beautiful nature, and not overwhelming it.Read more