Kapiti Island

Kapiti lies 5Km off the coast north of Wellington. It is a bird reserve and I visited it once before, in 1979. 

Access is by boat from Paraparaumu Beach and landing is accomplished by a gang plank off the back of the boat. This is to make it more difficult for rats and other mammalian predators to get ashore. In 1979 it was necessary to leap off the boat into the sea. 

We saw quite a few different birds. Not all would stay still for me to get a good photo, but here are a few of the inhabitants. Firstly a cheeky weka that likes to welcome all the visitors.

Robins are very friendly and love investigating the track for insects and grubs that human feet have exposed.

There is a fairly stiff climb up to a lookout at the highest point Tuteremoana (520 metres). There were good views north to Taranaki and Ruapehu and south to Tapuae-o-Uenuku

On the way down we had a close encounter with a kaka

who was very interested in all our belongings

and took a special interest in Jenny

although it was probably more interested in seeing if it could find anything edible in her pack. They are very deft and have no difficulty unzipping a backpack.

Finally on an avian theme I was interested in this family of black backed gulls (Karoro, not to be confused with the northern hemisphere bird of the same name). Mum (I presume) was letting these three youngsters practice their swimming skills, then shepherding them ashore and rewarding them with tasty regurgitated morsels.

Sam and Bex have changed their plans and are staying on in Katherine for at least six months. They flew to Perth to pick up their car that they had stored there and are driving it back along the coastal route. This is a 3850Km journey across some very empty and inhospitable country. Our last contact was from Port Hedland and they were hoping to get to Broome today.

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