Page 26 - The Villager September 2021

a birDing

trip to new

ZealanD

Part 3

BY RON SeARLe
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADAM RILeY OF ROCkJUMPeR BIRD TOURS
AND RON SEARLE

Kokako AR North Island Robin AR

aving just spent two weeks Ohakune, where we were to meet the walk into the forest in pursuit of the
travelling the length and local guide for an evening excursion esteemed Kokako. Still, it was a totally
Hbreadth of New Zealand’s into the nearby forested hills on a disheartened, miserable and icy-cold
South Island, including a three-day quest for the North Island Brown Kiwi. group that eventually emerged from
visit to Stewart Island in the deep This resulted in a cancellation of this the forest two and a half hours later,
south, my family and I arrived in anticipated outing. The final straw having ‘dipped’ (missed) again with
Wellington with our hired campervan was, (despite sightings of the North not even a chirp from our quarry.
after a ferry crossing of the Cook Strait Island Robin and party of chattering Thawing out in miraculous sunshine,
from Picton. Whiteheads), our utter failure during we then decided, in a last-minute
Early the following morning, a walk in the Mapara Forest to secure bid to find our target bird, to visit the
having spent the previous night a sighting of the rare Kokako, a bird nearby Information Centre at Pureora
at a motor park in Paekakariki, we about the size and colour of the in case they could direct us to a site in
travelled further north. We stopped African Grey Go-away-bird. Stopping the forest.
at the Waikanae Estuary hoping for our camper at the side of a deserted Just beyond what was called the
a sighting of the very rare NZ Brown road for an overnight stay, we were Buried Forest, we stopped our camper,
Teal, and then at the Waimeha Lagoon lulled to sleep by the organ-like call of, alighted and immediately were elated
for the Australian Little Grebe, neither you guessed it, the Kokako, closing a to hear the now-familiar call we were
of which obliged – not an encouraging day to be forgotten of long travel and listening for. Plunging into the forest,
start for our North Island birdwatching unsuccessful birding. our excited group spent the next hour
tour. Undaunted by the events of the with ever-stiffening necks gazing
To worsen matters, an unseasonal previous day and encouraged by the up into the 30m-high canopy of the
(November) snowstorm arrived in calls in the night, we were up and podocarp trees, but in vain.
the environs of our destination of ready to go at the crack of dawn for a Dejected and cold, we made our

24 • Issue 9 2021 • The Villager