Haere mai, kiwi

 

This is a kiwi, New Zealand’s national bird, emblem and citizen nickname (with a capital K). Today ten of them were brought to Waiheke from a nearby island sanctuary to, hopefully, establish a population here. It must have been a disturbing and anxious time for them, as well as dazzling (they’re nocturnal - also, flightless and endangered, sigh). Still, it was pretty special for the big crowd, who waited patiently for the barge to arrive, nearly 2 hours late (headwind) from Ponui. 

It finally chugged up to the beach and the 10 boxes were carried carefully along past media and excited spectators to the nearby Piritahi marae, where they were to receive a traditional welcome. It was a significant moment in every way - including personally because, in an echo of my NYC helicopter be-bold revelation, when one of the organisers asked for help in carrying the first box onto the marae, I stepped forward instantly, ahead of other volunteers. So I got to head the procession, holding one handle of the box as we filed onto the marae atea while the seated audience watched. That’s me in the lime-green top, feeling smug.

Then it was all long speeches in Māori, waiata (songs) and ceremony, before the boxes were loaded into cars to be driven away to a distant, predator-free (ie nasty introduced stoats eliminated) peninsula where it’s hoped they will settle, mate and start to repopulate Waiheke, helped by another 30 kiwi joining later. Fingers crossed!

UPDATE: A report in the Gulf News on 28 August states that one pair of kiwi appear to have laid two eggs, and another pair look to be courting. Great news! Though not for the poor mother - kiwi eggs are the biggest per body size in the world - like a human squeezing out a 3 year-old child. Ouch.