Our last outing in Orewa was to Tiri Tiri Matangi, a small island off the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, that has been reclaimed through an intensive replanting project that has not only restored much of the island's native bush but also many indigenous fowl species.
We decided to take the guided tour and were lucky enough to meet Karin, our guide, who took a special interest in the girls and almost gave us a private tour. Along the way, we saw (and heard!), bell birds, stitch birds, saddlebacks, whiteheads, and kakarikis up the trail to the top of the island. The guided walk took about 90 minutes, but it seemed to pass so quickly as our tiny group was fascinated by our encounters and well-informed by our guide.
Once at the top of the island, we were able to grab a bite to eat (of course we had packed a picnic lunch) and were delighted to be joined by a family of "rare" takahe (the final syllable is pronounced "hey") birds - I say that because our family was the envy of the other visitors who had heard they would be fortunate to catch a glimpse of these birds - this takahe family literally surrounded us the whole time we ate, while other visitors explored the tracks (trails) looking for them. In the second row of photos, the juvenile is the one with the beak that hasn't turned red yet. He didn't shut up the whole time we were eating - just like a typical teenager, always hungry!
The third row shows our guide, Karin, with the girls as well as Rowan holding some takahe poo (yes, that's right!) in her hand. Karin told us that they absorb all the moisture out of the grass they eat, and when they "get rid of it," it is dry within minutes - too bad the RRGC and other courses in Canada don't have these birds instead of Canada geese.
In the top row of photos, you can see the ferry as well as the mainland (about a 25-minute ride). The bird you see in the second photo is a Tui (also known as a Parson bird - for the "collar" around its neck). This bird also gives its name to a popular NZ beer (Tui, which I happen to be enjoying right now - sorry Graeme!). The third shot in the first row is not a type of palm as we thought, but is known as a "Cabbage Tree," because the fronds had been boiled and eaten by sailors over the years as a source of vitamin C.
We decided to take the guided tour and were lucky enough to meet Karin, our guide, who took a special interest in the girls and almost gave us a private tour. Along the way, we saw (and heard!), bell birds, stitch birds, saddlebacks, whiteheads, and kakarikis up the trail to the top of the island. The guided walk took about 90 minutes, but it seemed to pass so quickly as our tiny group was fascinated by our encounters and well-informed by our guide.
Once at the top of the island, we were able to grab a bite to eat (of course we had packed a picnic lunch) and were delighted to be joined by a family of "rare" takahe (the final syllable is pronounced "hey") birds - I say that because our family was the envy of the other visitors who had heard they would be fortunate to catch a glimpse of these birds - this takahe family literally surrounded us the whole time we ate, while other visitors explored the tracks (trails) looking for them. In the second row of photos, the juvenile is the one with the beak that hasn't turned red yet. He didn't shut up the whole time we were eating - just like a typical teenager, always hungry!
The third row shows our guide, Karin, with the girls as well as Rowan holding some takahe poo (yes, that's right!) in her hand. Karin told us that they absorb all the moisture out of the grass they eat, and when they "get rid of it," it is dry within minutes - too bad the RRGC and other courses in Canada don't have these birds instead of Canada geese.
In the top row of photos, you can see the ferry as well as the mainland (about a 25-minute ride). The bird you see in the second photo is a Tui (also known as a Parson bird - for the "collar" around its neck). This bird also gives its name to a popular NZ beer (Tui, which I happen to be enjoying right now - sorry Graeme!). The third shot in the first row is not a type of palm as we thought, but is known as a "Cabbage Tree," because the fronds had been boiled and eaten by sailors over the years as a source of vitamin C.