#south island takahe

[seathernycolors]

surfin bird or whatever

[nzetaonlinevisa]

Explore Fiordland National Park: New Zealand’s Natural Wonder

Have you ever dreamed of exploring a place where nature reigns supreme, where towering cliffs kiss the sky, and pristine waters shimmer with every shade of blue? If so, Fiordland National Park in New Zealand should be at the top of your travel list. This natural wonder offers breathtaking landscapes, abundant wildlife, and endless opportunities for adventure. Let’s dive into the heart of Fiordland and discover what makes this park so extraordinary.

A Majestic Introduction

Fiordland National Park, located on the southwestern corner of New Zealand's South Island, is a world unto itself. Covering over 1.2 million hectares, it’s the largest national park in New Zealand and one of the largest in the world. Fiordland is renowned for its dramatic scenery, from the deep, glacial-carved fjords to the lush rainforests and alpine lakes. The park is part of the Te Wahipounamu UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its outstanding natural beauty and significant geological features.

The Allure of Milford Sound

When people think of Fiordland, Milford Sound often comes to mind first. Dubbed the "eighth wonder of the world" by Rudyard Kipling, this fjord is a must-see. Imagine steep cliffs rising from the dark waters, with waterfalls cascading down their faces. On a sunny day, the sight is nothing short of magical. Even in the rain, the sound transforms into a mystical wonderland, with countless temporary waterfalls appearing as if by magic.

Adventure Awaits

For the adventurous spirit, Fiordland offers a plethora of activities. Hiking is a favorite, with trails ranging from short walks to multi-day treks. The Milford Track, often referred to as the finest walk in the world, takes you through lush forests, over mountain passes, and past roaring waterfalls. If you prefer water-based activities, kayaking through the fjords offers a unique perspective and a chance to get up close with nature. Keep an eye out for dolphins, seals, and even penguins as you paddle along.

Wildlife Encounters

Fiordland is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts. The park is home to a variety of native birds, including the endangered takahe and the cheeky kea. In the waters, you might spot bottlenose dolphins, fur seals, and Fiordland crested penguins. The lush forests and rugged mountains also provide habitats for many other species, making every hike or boat trip a potential wildlife adventure.

Scenic Flights: A Bird’s Eye View

If you want to see Fiordland from a different perspective, consider taking a scenic flight. Soaring above the fjords, mountains, and lakes gives you a sense of the park’s vastness and beauty that’s hard to grasp from the ground. Many operators offer flights that include a landing, allowing you to experience the remote wilderness up close before taking off again.

Staying in Fiordland

When it comes to accommodations, Fiordland caters to a range of preferences. In Te Anau, the gateway to the park, you'll find everything from luxury lodges to budget-friendly hostels. Staying in Te Anau gives you easy access to the park and its many attractions. For a more immersive experience, consider staying in one of the remote lodges within the park. Waking up to the sounds of nature and the stunning scenery right outside your window is an unforgettable experience.

Sustainable Tourism

Fiordland National Park is a pristine environment, and preserving its natural beauty is a top priority. Visitors are encouraged to follow the principles of Leave No Trace, ensuring that the park remains unspoiled for future generations. Many tour operators in the area are committed to sustainable practices, helping to protect this natural wonder while providing incredible experiences for visitors.

Final Thoughts

Exploring Fiordland National Park is like stepping into another world. Its stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and endless opportunities for adventure make it a destination like no other. Whether you're an avid hiker, a wildlife enthusiast, or simply looking for a place to unwind and reconnect with nature, Fiordland has something to offer. So pack your bags, lace up your hiking boots, and get ready to discover the magic of New Zealand’s natural wonder. https://www.nzetaonlinevisa.com/

[blogynews]

The Resurrection of the Flightless Takahe: Believed Extinct for Over a Century, This Majestic Bird Comes Back to Thrive in New Zealand's Wilderness

Takahe, a large flightless bird that was declared extinct in 1898, has made a remarkable return to the forests of New Zealand’s South Island, according to a report by The Guardian. Last week, a total of 18 Takahe were reintroduced into the mountains in South Island in an effort to boost the small population of these birds in the wild. This development carries significant importance for…

[blogynewz]

The Resurrection of the Flightless Takahe: Believed Extinct for Over a Century, This Majestic Bird Comes Back to Thrive in New Zealand's Wilderness

Takahe, a large flightless bird that was declared extinct in 1898, has made a remarkable return to the forests of New Zealand’s South Island, according to a report by The Guardian. Last week, a total of 18 Takahe were reintroduced into the mountains in South Island in an effort to boost the small population of these birds in the wild. This development carries significant importance for…

[blogynewsz]

The Resurrection of the Flightless Takahe: Believed Extinct for Over a Century, This Majestic Bird Comes Back to Thrive in New Zealand's Wilderness

Takahe, a large flightless bird that was declared extinct in 1898, has made a remarkable return to the forests of New Zealand’s South Island, according to a report by The Guardian. Last week, a total of 18 Takahe were reintroduced into the mountains in South Island in an effort to boost the small population of these birds in the wild. This development carries significant importance for…

[birdblues]

South Island Takahe

[catsquishy]

Takahē Stimboard

🔵 | 🔵 | 🔵 🔵 | 💚 | 🔵 🔵 | 🔵 | 🔵

[stranger-nature]

Day 6, Husky - Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)

This flightless bird endemic to New Zealand is an absolute unit and very fitting of the title of "husky."

[lovingexotics]

South Island Takahe   Porphyrio hochstetteri Source: Here

[tarzamsteroftheayeaye]

Love my purple dinosaur chickens

What in the world is this? Photos of South Island takahē, a rare New Zealand bird that can’t fly. Weird and wonderful, yes?

[pascalstar]

BJG’s visit home to NZ (April 2022)

Looks like a takahe but it is not one

Golden Bay, NZ 2022

South island,  Golden Bay, NZ 2022

New Zealand bird visitor

Gem, the in-laws dog

Beauty, the hideous pet pig on the farm

[wellingtonnz]

Zealandia: Takahe

Takahē are found only in New Zealand. They belong to the Rallidae (rail) family of birds, as do their lookalike but lighter-built cousins, the pukeko (Porphyrio porphyrio). New Zealand used to have two species of takahē. The other was the even larger moho, or North Island takahē (P. mantelli) but this species went extinct in the late 19th century.

By the late 1890's the South Island takahē were also considered to be extinct until they were rediscovered in 1948 in a remote Fiordland valley. Their natural range is now confined to the Murchison Mountains in Fiordland National Park. Thanks to an intensive programme of captive breeding, translocations, stoat control and deer culling, spearheaded by the Department of Conservation, the takahē population has seen a gradual increase.  As of 2017 the total population was close to 350 birds.

[albertonykus]

Do you know the what are 5 largest rails in terms of weight or height?

Based on the measurements reported in Birds of the World, the five largest living rails by mass are:

South Island takahe

Giant coot

Horned coot

Weka

Tasmanian nativehen

It should not go unmentioned that there are many rail species for which reliable mass estimates are not available, though I probably wouldn’t expect any of them to make it into the top five.

(I was able to answer this one, but for the record, I most likely won’t be making a habit out of answering questions that require ranking species by size or similar metrics, as sifting through relevant sources for the answer can be fairly time consuming.)

[ppewdss]

The best places and tips for your roadtrip on New Zealand's south island!

But also in Nelson and surroundings there is a lot to discover, including some wineries. On our first trip through New Zealand in 2013 we decided to use the New Zealand travel guide by Stefan Loose, for which there is a new edition in the meantime.

Guide book New Zealand

Read more about campervan hire New Zealand here. After arriving in Kaikoura in the afternoon we moved into our campground. We chose Kaikoura Peketa Beach Holiday Park, because it is not shielded from the beach by railroad tracks as usual in Kaikoura. The campground was nice, the only disadvantage were the timer buttons in the showers.

Afterwards you spend two nights at Lynton Downs Farm, which is equivalent to 3.5 stars and where cattle and sheep are kept.

You follow the Waitaki Valley through a great landscape with Lake Benmore, Lake Aviemore and Lake Waitaki to the small village of Omarama, the Eldorado of gliders.

The landscape is vast and you can watch seals and penguins.

From the viewpoint "Sign of the Takahe" you have a wonderful panoramic view of the Canterbury Plains and the Southern Alps behind it.

Otherwise the journey continues to Queenstown.

As a New Zealand holidaymaker you want to make the most of your time on site. But how do you accommodate all the beautiful places, the nice people, the lush fauna and flora in "only" three weeks? In 2018 I have the extreme luck to make the South Island my 3rd holiday destination, so I have put together a relaxed route for the southern part.

a really informative & clearly arranged article. And should one book a Navi in addition or does it go then also without? We have now received two offers for 4 weeks rental car (small car), which are between 900 (without Navi) - 1300 Euro (with Navi). During a short city tour you will get an impression of Auckland, which was settled by the English since the 1820s. Today Auckland is New Zealand's largest metropolitan area and "secret capital".

[anonsally]

Day 14 in New Zealand: Orokonui Ecosanctuary

I have officially achieved all of my birdwatching goals for this trip!

We drove to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary using the phone to navigate, and it ... may have sent us onto an unpaved road for part of the drive. But this was worth it, because we saw about 6 pukekos hanging out by the side of the road on our way, and that was a bird I had hoped to see. They are not unlike the takahe, but smaller and sleeker.

We managed to arrive just in time for the 11am tour we had booked. There was also a middle-aged Australian woman and her mother, and our very knowledgeable guide. We first visited the takahe pair, who were conveniently hanging out in plain view being big fat blue chicken-like birds with huge beaks and claws. Wife was especially excited because she had not seen the ones I saw in Zealandia at the beginning of the trip; I have now seen 1.4% of the world’s population of them. Then we got to see some really great skinks, and the guide showed us a bunch of the native plants that have been repopulating the area since they cleared most of the introduced pines. She told us which ones to taste (I’m not a fan of the pepper plant) and which ones to smell after crushing some leaves. 

The park has a kiwi creche, but of course they’re nocturnal creatures so we didn’t get to see any.

We had several good views of of tui and bell birds, both of which I’ve seen plenty of on this trip, but they’re both beautiful and have interesting songs. Some of the tui also make a meowing sound, which I assume one of them learned from a cat at some point and then passed on to its friends! I also heard one of them “sneeze”. 

We had a nice short walk and then returned to the visitor center so I could get some lunch. (Wife had brought her own food.) Then we set off for a longer walk. It was about 1:30, and the gates are locked at 4:30. We headed down to the steep 2.8km trail (one-way) that leads to New Zealand’s tallest tree, a eucalyptus introduced from Australia. Within a few minutes a tomtit flitted onto a branch just next to the trail! It was so cute--totally lived up to my expectations. So all my birdwatching goals for the trip have been met! (My main goals were to see: a kiwi, blue penguins, yellow-eyed penguins, and tomtits.)

I sent Wife ahead so that she could go faster and get more exercise, and so that I could stop to look for birds without feeling rushed or slowing her down. I saw several more tomtits over the course of the walk and was delighted every time. I had another Disney Princess experience with a robin (they are so friendly) and later saw the black morph of the fantail for the first time! I also saw an enormous New Zealand wood pigeon--I hadn’t encountered any yet before this. 

I ran into a trio of birders looking into the trees, and they pointed out a kaka. The South Island kaka is a little more colorful than the North Island one I’d seen in Zealandia, and I got a better look at it through my little binoculars. It was foraging for seeds or berries or something in the leaves and, being a large bird, caused a lot of branch motion--some of the time it was even hanging upside-down.

Eventually I upped my pace. I wanted to turn back by 2:50 just to make sure I didn’t get locked into the park! Wife had hiked all the way to the lower exit of the park and then turned back, meeting me when I was in the last 800m of the walk to the tallest tree. She joined me and we hurried along to get to the tree. It’d been chilly when we started (and it was intermittently foggy), but it was humid and I was exerting myself, so I was really missing the silk thermal underwear I’d forgotten to pack, as my cotton top and jeans were now soaked with sweat. 

The hike back up was pretty strenuous for me--but we managed to finish that trail in 2 hours. The sign had warned that it was a difficult trail requiring 2-3 hours, so I felt like I had done respectably, even if I was drenched in sweat, out of breath, and unable to wear my glasses as they were completely fogged up! From there we didn’t take the fastest path back to the visitor center, so it was 4pm when we arrived. 

My hiking shoes did not arrive today, so I will be flying home without them. The new hiking shoes seem to be better anyway, though, and it will be easier to pack with only one pair. Mind you, I will still struggle to fit all my stuff in the luggage!