Kiwis go wild for new home

The reintroduction of the first wild kiwi to the western hills of Wellington in about 100 years is a ‘‘huge milestone, but also in some ways, it’s just the start line’’, the founder of the project to bring the national icon back to the nation’s capital says.

Eleven kiwi – including breeding pairs and those who are yet to find mates – were released into the Ma¯kara hills on Saturday afternoon.

Paul Ward, who spearheaded the Capital Kiwi Project, said those behind the release got the kiwi in their burrows then popped over to nearby Karori for a kebab. They returned after nightfall to open the hatches.

Some just poked their noses out, but others ventured out. The rain had brought out some earthworms and we¯ta¯ could be heard giving them a ‘‘smorgasbord for breakfast’’, Ward said.

They are the first of 250 kiwi that will be released into 23,000 hectares of predator-free land spanning the city’s west and south.