Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne….Takahe to Me Baby!
Karori, Wellington, New Zealand
September 8, 2023
Did you know…
Prior to the arrival of humans, Aotearoa (New Zealand) was isolated and unique. Without any mammalian predators, this ecosystem was home to some of the most remarkable flora and fauna that had ever evolved. Many of which could be found nowhere else in the world. Sadly, over the last 700 years, that paradise was almost destroyed by humans and the mammals they introduced with them. Hooray, humans!
This is where Zealandia comes into play. This 500+ acre, fully fenced ecosanctuary was established with an extraordinary 500-year vision to restore a Wellington valley’s forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to their pre-human state. Say what? You can do that? Oh yes, you can and the following pictures show just how well it is thriving!!
Takahe to me baby….the rarest bird, only found in New Zealand!
This was our 1st introduction to this incredible bird species. Once thought to be extinct, their population has grown to about 500 thanks to conservation efforts throughout New Zealand. They are completely flightless and a close relative to the Pukeko and the now extinct Moho. They have iridescent coloring of blues to greens. Their beak/bill and legs are bright red in color. They use that sharp bill to cut, tear and shred into the surrounding vegetation. Takahe are quite chatty and “talk” to each other with a series of slow, deep coo-eet sounds. If startled they let out a deep, vibrating oomf. We felt pretty special catching a glimpse of the two, Nia and Orbell, wandering happily around Zealandia.
Oh Kaka!
Effectively extinct until breeding pairs were brought to Zealandia in early 2000…the Kaka, (a close relative to its cheeky cousin, the Kea) is now a thriving and boisterous large parrot found flying freely throughout the ecosanctuary. They are highly intelligent, social and literally scare the kaka out of you when they shriek! Their coloring varies but mainly a beautiful olive green…we had a few that were pretty inquisitive when we approached.
Whooshing Windmills
So one of us thought it would be GREAT fun to hike along Zealandia’s property edge up to the windmills. I’ll let ya guess whose brainy idea that was! 😊 The hike up was NOT easy, virtually straight up! It was hot out and I might have complained a little too much. But, getting that close to the magnificence of the windmills, was admittedly, pretty cool. Would I do the hike again…heck no!
Once a Tree Hugger...always a Tree Hugger!
Zealandia is a reminder of how we CAN protect Mother Nature for a thriving population of flora, fauna and birds!
Here's a sampling of the many birds we encountered at Zealandia...
The Fence....and Chuck giving me the detailed explanation of how it works!
The fence not only keeps things from getting in, but also out! At 2.2m (7 feet) tall and 8.6km (just over 5 miles) long fence and is what keeps rare Taonga species safe. Its unique design, involving tightly woven wire mesh, a rounded top hat, and an underground mesh skirt, all work together to prevent anything from jumping, climbing, and burrowing into the sanctuary.
Native Wildflowers....
We encountered many different, naturally growing wildflowers native to New Zealand along our hike to the windmills.
