We have recently spent a few days at one of our favourite spots in New Zealand. Tiritiri Matangi Island, an open bird sanctury (30km north east from Auckland). There are no predators, so some of our rare native birds can florish. The bird life is amazing - Stitchbirds, Saddlebacks, Takahe (as shown in the photo, please excuse the quality), Riffleman, Brown Teal, Fernbird, Kereru, Bellbirds, Tuis, Kiwi, etc. There are also Tuatara.
We walked around the island during the day looking at the amazing views and bird life. At times just sat in the bush taking in the wonderful bird sounds and watching their antics. By night we would be back out there in the dark walking the tracks looking out for Kiwis. Unfortunately we didn't see any kiwi this year, last year we saw two, one on the path in front of us and the other fossicking around in the undergrowth. It was amazing to see them in their natural habitat. This year however we walked down to the beach in the dark and sat down to watch the gorgeous little blue penguins come into shore to nest for the night. They are so cute! One walked right up to one of our boys, looked up and carried on. Such a special moment.
One thing I noticed was no bees. I must ask them if there are any hives on the island, we never saw any.
If you are interested in going over yourself to check it out you can go over for a day trip or stay overnight in the bunk house. Check out their website here.
