Kapiti Island
This Black Tree Fern is just one of the many discoveries on our latest trek around Wellington and surrounding areas. Join us for a hike up the hills of Kapiti Island.
Our leader informs us about the trails and times we need to be back
Kapiti Island. This is a MUST see place while you are visiting the southern tip of the North Island. It's about an hour and half drive from Wellington. I didn't know what to expect except that the track to the top was a workout:)
When I was flying over the island to Wellington, it didn't look that big but everything from the air looks small. But what I could make out was that this island was completely forested. Our mission? To find the rare North Island Kōkako. It is listed as least concern but that isn't quite the truth. This species can only survive in the wild free of predators. Birders usually have to make a special trek to see this species. Kapiti Island is a sanctuary island created for New Zealand's endemic birds.
Getting there is half the fun. For the first time in my life, I witnessed our boat being tractored out on the beach.
While we waited, I spotted my lifer White-fronted terns hanging out on the beach.
This was a wild ride to the island. In 20 minutes, we were whisked away to another world. The boat ride was not for the faint of heart. We did get a little wet:)
As we arrived on the island, it was like we had entered another area of Jurassic Park. The island was almost completely covered with native vegetation. The greens were muted by the gray skies. Everyone was lead up to the visitor area where we all got the history about how this island sanctuary began. Our leader was great. He went over the trail rules. The issue? Heidi and I both love to meander and look at everything while doing iNaturalist reports. And we had until 5 to get to the top and back down. Or wait until the next day for a ride back.
There was no dock except for the slide rail from the boat. We slid close to the shore and unloaded the ladder. I was impressed by the locals. New Zealanders have a fondness for hiking. And they'll take everyone! Including babies!
New Zealander kids can do anything!
Again, it was hard to believe that I was in New Zealand. I didn't want to go back to the US. The weather was really nice. Not great for photography but really enjoyable for hiking. We packed our backpacks. I carried my heavy camera and filled my water cantinas. Being from the desert, I understand how important it is to stay hydrated. I sweat a lot on the trails so I know I need more water than the average person. This was going to be a workout.
While our leader was speaking, I saw my next lifer and favorite bird of New Zealand, the Weka. It's a mischievous flightless bird that gets into everything if you are not looking. Like the Island Fox or Common Ravens of the Channel Islands National Park or the common Raccoon of North America, these birds will take your things if you aren't watching. Most Weka are secretive and like to hide around the reeds on the main islands, but on Kapiti Island, they are quite bold and daring because there are no predators. Their antics had me laughing. As our leader was speaking, a Weka did a funny flappy wing run towards the building with our backpacks.
Weka
Again, they are not commonly seen around Wellington or other areas on the southern tip. They are predators but their own eggs can also be predated upon by rodents. However, where there are no rodents, they also can be voracious predators. When I heard some people speak about the Weka, I did detect some irritation in their voices. Perhaps because they eat all kinds of things like other bird's eggs, etc. But their diet is quite open to all types of things like lizards, rodents, bugs, human food scraps and berries. I'd like to stress human scraps.
As we began our ascent up the trail, we were distracted by all the amazing ferns, vines and trees. Then came my special moment with a male Stitchbird. I had tried several times previously to get better looks but these birds are notoriously quick. My ears helped me predict where the bird would land. They make what sounds like two marbles being struck together. The flock of endemics moved through the area and we spent like 30 minutes watching these incredible birds. We had to keep track of our time. 5 o'clock seemed like such a far away time but it wasn't. We had a few miles to hike up!
Stitchbird
The forest was often dark and full of fun sightings like the Red-crowned Parakeet or the distant Kaka.
Occasionally, we'd hear a Kōkako call in the distance. North Island Saddlebacks were everywhere. And the Bellbirds? Covering every inch of that island!
We kept hiking and enjoying this amazing trail. I can see why Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand. There's something magical about it all.
a Weka hides and waits for food falling off the table
We stopped halfway up to watch more Stitchbirds and were mobbed by secretive Wekas!!! I laughed so much. They really cover every habitat! We were deep in the forest and discovered that the picnic table is the place to be. In fact, Heidi has a "friend" hiding in the bushes. By far my favorite bird of New Zealand(so far). Such clever birds!
Finding a majority of birds without leg bands made me happy. In fact on this island, you can pretty much view a lot of the endemics without leg "bling". However, this island is reaching capacity for the numbers of birds on it. Without rodents, these birds thrive! Currently more islands are being wiped clean of invasive rodents and maybe someday on the main islands, most rodents will be gone and balance will be restored.
Oh man. This beautiful tree below had so many different species of bromeliads and ferns growing on it! The higher the tree goes; the more unique the species. And better chances for Kōkako sightings.
In the desert, we have beautiful cacti. In a good forest, New Zealand had some great looking fern species.
Meanwhile, we kept dilly dallying around looking at cool ferns and birds. It was a problem because we were running out of time. We had to get to the top. Our leader found us on the trail and gave us a timed warning in his friendly way. STRESS!!! A woman carrying her baby child passed us on the trail!!!!
We got to the top 20 minutes later. It just took us a few more hours than the average point A to point Z hiker. We like to stop and smell the flowers. What a view(and long way down if we fell)!!!!! Opportunistic Kakas were flying around the picnic table as we ate our late lunch. Welcome Swallows zipped around the viewing platform while the ocean crashed below us angrily. There are these special moments in life and this was one of them. When the world is in chaos, my mind wanders to these special places to balance my anger. Exhausted? Yes. Fear of heights? Still present. Lasting memory? Until I die.
There are so many Kōkako pairs on the island now that a new site has to be chosen for the release of more birds elsewhere. Having many sites with healthy populations of Kokako will secure this species from not going extinct. This is a practice worldwide for critically endangered birds. A couple things about this super special bird. The ones we witnessed above had no bird bling. It's also larger than what you might think. Our first one we saw was BIG....almost like a pigeon....but not. Their song is hauntingly beautiful. Those blue wattles really stand out. They are generally high up eating berries around the canopy making photography a little tricky.
Sadly, it's sibling the South Island Kōkako, which had orange wattles, is extinct.
But there are whispers that the South Island Kōkako might still be around. These stories are not unlike our own Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Some have said that they have SEEN the South Island Kōkako around a remote area on the South Island. In fact, some people have claimed more recent sightings of one. Take a listen to the lovely audio embedded in the report. In my reality, I am thankful that we had such wonderful sightings of our North Island Kōkako. They really are amazing birds.
We high tailed it down the trails trying not to stop and look at things. The lady with her baby child made it to the top and back down in time. We were not worthy. What she did was impossible. I nominated this lady as the hiker of the day. She's below and to the left. That trail was moderate to difficult in some parts. Recent rains made it slick.
We waited for the glam campers to unload for the night. They were Germans who were staying at Kapiti Island's furnished, meal provided cabins. They just had to hike there with a few coolers.
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