SPOTTING SPOTTED KIWI

Eight people can walk quite quietly when required, and for kiwi-spotting it’s essential. Little spotted kiwi — or kiwi pukupuku — live in abundance (apparently) around the Kāpiti Island Nature Tours lodge, leaving their burrows to forage in the dark. So a night-time kiwi-spotting stroll is also an essential part of a stay. Stepping splay-legged and heel-toe, we walk in single file in the near pitch black, our eyes trained to the guide’s bobbing red light (less alarming for kiwi). Our guide flicks her torch from side to side in the bush, hoping to see movement indicating passing kiwi. In theory, it should be easy as kiwi are lots of things, but quiet they are not. They call from the bush; the male’s chirrup pitching higher in intensity as he strains for a female’s reply. Nothing. “Wait, there’s a kiwi,” stage whispers one guest. “Oh, hang on, it’s a rock.” Weka are another common source of false positives. Our guide spots a kiwi and five minutes of hope are spent hovering around a bush. But it’s seen us, heard us. It’s long gone. Not a kiwi, but we all delight in a little blue penguin that poses graciously for a few seconds before ambling back to the bush. “We’ve seen kiwi nearly every night,” says Manaaki. “Sometimes they walk right through the group, even brushing through our legs. If you get up during the night, take care because you’re quite likely to see them round your cabins.” Later, in bed, ruru (moreporks) hoot, kākā screech like tantruming children refusing to sleep, penguins flap, weka call and wētā scrape their hind legs. In the dark of the bush, there might not always be much to see but there’s plenty to hear.