2022 Tiritiri Matangi Holiday - Day 3

I started the third day on Tiritiri Maitangi early by heading down to the bush along the wattle track just after 6am to hear the dawn chorus which I have heard so much about; but it was not really worth it. I did hear the odd kokako in the distance but this was the same song I have had heard at the bunkhouse over the last few days so it would have been much easier just to have stayed there.

Today turned out to be a nice day spent with Luke as Julianne has a large cut on her foot and Robin still had a sore foot as well. I had a good look at Robins food and it turns out that Robin simply had a prickle in his foot which we missed the night before. We couldn’t convince him to let us pull the prickle out until around 3pm, which took most of the day.

It also turns out that ferry that which was supposed to come today is not arriving due to high wind gusts which meant that Luke and I basically had all rare birds and the island to ourselves while Julianne and Robin had the bunkhouse to themselves. This being the third day with Tiri just for ourselves and four others who we never see.

So first up I went with Luke as he went round and did all the bird water troughs in the morning.

Luke is getting really responsible and he handled the two hour’s spent walking, scrubbing and refilling all the bird water troughs very well – good work for an eight year old, and importantly he enjoyed it. We started calling him Luke the bird water god.

After lunch Luke and I walked down to Hobbs beach and we spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing on the beach. With no ferry this means there was no one at the beach but us. Very strange but and also very nice to have this great amazing sandy beach to ourselves, not to mention the rare birds around us - quite a few saddlebacks in the bush beside the beach along with oystercatcher’s and other sea birds.

In the sea today, Luke’s floating practice got even better as today he started floating on this own for the first time. This is a big step up from me having to help him from three days before. And Luke absolutely loves it, he spent the whole time practicing his floating along with pushing me out to sea while I was floating. It’s quite relaxing to be floating while I am sped through the water by Luke pushing me.

Takake Luke I discovered.

In the afternoon Luke and I headed down to one of the few places in the island with water, the small dam behind the bunkhouse where we found a pair of rare brown teal ducks.

That night after dinner Luke and I headed out again to try and spot a kiwi, and after a twenty minute walk we were almost back to the lighthouse when I heard a kiwi rustling in the trees really close. We paused then looked around the bush with our red light touches and then Luke spotted up the road in the distance - a kiwi crossing the road!

We dashed up as quietly as possible and got a really good look at a wild little spotted kiwi as he hunted near the road before heading back into the bush.

This was the first and only kiwi to be spotted on this holiday, and it was young Luke who found it! He was so excited so we rushed back to tell Julianne and Robin.