Tag: Ulva's Guided Walks

Ulva Island

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn RakiuraLeave a comment

It’s our last full day on Rakiura and after a late night out kiwi spotting we have our earliest start yet. We are both pretty tired, but looking forward to our tour. We layer up and walk to Golden Bay Wharf to meet up with Ulva’s Guided Walks.

Ulva Island is a nature reserve situated in Paterson Inlet. I am looking forward to spotting some of our less common birds and hopefully some I have never seen before. We had been told that winds up to 50 knots were expected today and in fact, other companies were not operating, but Ulva’s guided walks operate a catamaran which is able to manage the weather. It’s actually a very calm morning and so far, no rain.

It’s a short 5 minute boat trip and before we know it, we are disembarking at Post Office Bay. It seems strange that the original post office would have been out here. We learn that when Rakiura was first settled, people lived in settlements scattered around Rakiura and its islands, not all in Oban like today. So this location was actually quite central! When the post ship came (only once every 3 months) a flag would fly at the top of the island to let everyone know. Locals would put on their Sunday best and row out to Ulva Island to collect their mail and catch up on the gossip.

About a 1/3 of the island has walking tracks, the rest of the forest left undisturbed for the birds. With the 5 others in our group we set off along one of the tracks and begin exploring. The first little bird we encounter is the Kakaruwai (Stewart Island Robin). A sweet, curious little bird that comes very close. Our guide, Emma, explains that they often come close because they like to graze for bugs in the leaf litter and when we walk, we disturb it, making it easier for them. While we are standing around watching, Emma rustles up some leaves with her hand and the little robin dives right in looking for food.

The first part of the forest we explore is called exotic forest, planted by the Post Office Owners to remind them of home. Fortunately, they were botanists and understood the importance of native forest and didn’t clear the entire island. In fact, they even petitioned and managed to make it a reserve, one of the earliest in the country. Most of the forest on this island today is still native forest thanks to them. I am grateful. It’s stunning.

While the exotic forest still stands today, it won’t be forever. Local conservationists remove the new exotic seedlings. Pine needles are particularly bad, their acidity preventing our native ferns and mosses from growing. One day, the whole island will be returned to native forest.

We spend the next 3 hours wandering through some exquisite native bush, so lush and vibrant. You could look at it and say it’s just a bunch of green trees, but for those that take the time to be still and really look, you will begin to see the intricate layers that exist. From the ground cover ferns and moss to the mighty rimu and totara, there is so much magic in this place. Emma points out different toadstalls and mushrooms along the way, the colours and shapes are awesome. I love the little blue ones. I have never seen anything like this before.

We then spot a kaka, a parrot that is found in low lying areas. They have beautiful red plumage under their wings. It sits up in the tree, cracking seeds out of the miro berries and dropping the shells on the ground. Emma says that these birds are like naughty teenagers and love getting up to mischief. In the town they will un-peg your washing from the line and are able to remember your breakfast routine, turning up to tap on your window, just as you are sitting down to eat. Emma also said some cheeky kaka learnt how to use a cat flap by watching the family cat and her grandmother came home to find 5 kaka on her dining room table helping themselves to the fruit bowl!

We also see weka, red crested kakariki, kereru & korimako (bell birds). The korimako are known for the dawn chorus, they are one of the first to start singing in the mornings. Emma then points out 2 birds I have never seen before; the hurukōwhai (yellowhammer) and tīeke (saddleback). The little hurukōwhai flutter about in the trees. They are a mossy colour except for their bright yellow head & chest which creates splashes of colour about the forest. I find the saddleback interesting because they look like they should be able to fly and belong high up in the trees, but they mostly stay low to the ground, rustling about in the leaf litter looking for food. They also make their nests low to the ground which makes a easy breakfast for pests. It was so special to see these birds, a first sighting for me.

So far, we have only followed the forest trails, but we now find ourselves on one of the beaches. It is very exposed and windy here, so after snapping some photos of a very curious weka, we head back into the sheltered forest. Emma points out some interesting trees – the miro which produces its own writing ink when water pools in its trunk hollows. She shows us the turpentine plant which will light on fire even when it’s wet (apparently quite popular with the kids who what to make bonfires on the beach to toast their marshmallows). We see more of the mutton bird scrub that was used as paper for writing and posting letters on. Nature is so amazing!

I love that we also get to see baby rimu trees. I am used to seeing them stand so tall and strong, it was interesting to see these delicate little saplings. The rimu trees are linked to our endangered kākāpō birds. They only fruit every 3 years and the kākāpō will only nest when they are fruiting.

We then make our way down to Sydney Bay. This beach is on the other side of the island and much more sheltered with beautiful golden sand and sea lions resting up on the shore. We are careful not to get too close so as not to disturb them.

As we head back to Post Office Bay, our tour comes to an end. We watch an albatross sailing in the wind as we wait for our boat. If you are on a budget, you can just pay for the ferry ride across and explore on your own. I did consider this, but because of the Day & Night Special I decided to do the guided walk option. We saw so many birds that I am sure we would have missed if we were self guided. I also learnt so much about the forest and area. I am so pleased I booked a guided tour, it was well worth the money. It has been a very enjoyable and informative morning.

Searching for Kiwi

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn RakiuraLeave a comment

With a ratio of 5:1 sheep to humans, Aotearoa is well known for its abundance of these woolly mammals. A more interesting, but less known fact is that Rakiura has a ratio of 30:1 kiwis to humans. If you are hoping to see one of our quirky national icons, you will have a much higher chance here. Due to the shorter nights and longer day time hours this far south, it’s not uncommon to spot kiwi during the day. I have heard stories of people on the Rakiura trek seeing kiwi wander out onto the path in front of them – in broad daylight! Another reason to put Rakiura on your bucket list.

After the sun has gone down, we meet our guide Dan and head out on our kiwi spotting adventure with Ulva’s Guided Walks. We are heading towards Lee Bay and the Mamaku Reserve. On the drive out, Dan brakes suddenly and we all hop out of the van to witness our first kiwi. It’s on the side of the road, casually having a feed. I can’t believe it. The tour hasn’t even really started yet and we have already seen a kiwi.

A single kiwi can consume as many as 200-250 worms in one evening! They use their sense of smell and vibrations to seek them out, probing the soil with their long beaks. She is very absorbed in her feeding and not at all aware of our presence. We are using red lights which apparently they can’t see. We watch her for a while and then she wanders into the bush. We pile into the van to carry on our journey.

We arrive at Lee bay and spend some time wandering around on the beach and the grassy area where Daniel and I had our picnic earlier that day. Dan knows where their burrows are so has taken us here to see if any of them are out feeding. We see tracks on the beach but no kiwi so we make our way up to the reserve and Dan lets us in through the gate.

Kiwi are one of the many flightless bird species we have in Aotearoa. Long ago, there were no natural predators in our country so they had no need to fly. They evolved, their wings became stumps, their bones became dense (not hollow like other flying birds) and their feathers changed to be more downy than aerodynamic. Fortunately, there aren’t many predators on Rakiura and the Stewart Island Kiwi is really flourishing here.

Kiwi lay huge eggs for their size and the incubation period is 90 days. When they hatch, they are fully formed, feathers and all. They are able to hunt for themselves but remain with their parents for 1 – 3 years depending on the species.

This is a tour that requires patience. There is a lot of standing still, listening to the night. The forest floor is squishy underfoot. It’s raining. We are standing in the open, getting quite wet, but it’s also thrilling. The anticipation of seeing more kiwi outweighs the discomfort of being wet and cold. We walk slowly, every step carefully taken so not to make too much noise.

Then, under our red light, along the fence line, we see two more kiwi. A male and a female. Dan tells us this is uncommon. While they share burrows, they feed alone. We feel very privileged to see two at once. There is a noticeable size difference, the female much larger. This was clearly visible when we saw them side by side.

But then, something unusual happens. The male kiwi lets out an almighty squawk that pierces the silence of the night. I just about leap out of my skin, it gives me such a fright. He has seen us, sent out a warning call and before we know it, he and the female have disappeared into the bush. Now, I know I said earlier that kiwi can’t see red light, and this is true, except for one male in the reserve who does seem to be able to see it. No one is sure why or how he can see it, but he can. It seems that this is the kiwi we have encountered tonight.

We continue standing in the dark waiting to see if they will reappear. Dan has a heat sensor that he uses to help spot kiwi. After some time, I hear a subtle rasping noise and then the female reappears – on her own this time. She isn’t bothered by us. We follow her along the fence line, she moves quickly, bouncing along. Dan explains that this is how they graze. As she moves she can sense if there is any food underneath so she doesn’t need to stop and poke around. She will only put her beak down when she knows something is there. We eventually lose track of her, she was moving very quickly.

Some more interesting information we learn is that on the couple of occasions they have seen the Southern Lights on the tour, they haven’t seen kiwi. Dan said that other local guides have reported this too. There are no studies on this, the kiwi do so well on Rakiura that conservation money goes to other projects. However, their theory is that the high geomagnetic activity keeps them tucked away in their burrows.

We make our way back to the beach but no sign of any more kiwi, we still all feel lucky to have seen 3. We head back to the town in the van but as we approach Horseshoe Bay, Dan makes a stop – he has seen another kiwi. It’s not even bothered by the van headlights. We watch it for a while before calling it a night.

We arrive home rather wet and ready for bed. We have been out on tours the last 3 nights. I am grateful we are here in April when the sun goes down a bit earlier. In the peak of summer, these tours don’t even depart until around 10 – 10:30pm.

Rakiura is a fantastic location for kiwi spotting. You could head out on your own to look for them, but being on a tour, you get the expert knowledge of a guide who can teach you so much about these curious birds. I highly recommend Ulva’s Guided Walks Day and Night Special. It covers 2 tours – kiwi spotting and a guided walk on Ulva Island, which I will be sharing about next week.

Sorry, no photos for this one. I am no good at taking night photos and didn’t want to risk a flash going off. Sometimes, it’s just best to take memory photos to tuck away in your mind. This is one of those occasions.