#tiritiri matangi island

[sitting-on-me-bum]

North Island kokako (Callaeas wilsoni) in leafy branches, critically endangered almost flightless bird, Tiritiri Matangi Island, North Island, New Zealand.

Photographer: Bruce Thomson

[polwarth]

Rangitoto from Tiritiri Matangi

[cryskir]

Spotting the Spirit of New Zealand from Tiritiri Matangi Island after my voyage with them :)

[herpsandbirds]

Little Barrier Giant Weta aka Wetapunga (Deinacrida heteracantha), family Anostostomatidae, Tiritiri Matangi Island, New Zealand

photograph by Dinobass 

[crabussy]

are you a moth enjoyer?

YES. very much so I love those freaky beasts

as a kiwi I'm biased but one of my favourites has to be the pūriri moth!! they're endemic to Te Ika-a-Māui, Aotearoa, and they're gorgeous and the greenest things ever

the larvae live for roughly 6 years before metamorphosing, and spend most of their time burrowing in trees such as the pūriri tree. I got to see a mature pūriri tree when I visited the bird sanctuary island tiritiri matangi in december and it had so many pockmarks from pūriri moth grubs!! super cool to see [: love these beasts

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Why does GMcT speak so softly if he is only surrounded by sheep 🐑 he doesn't want to scare the locals away. This confirms, that there are more sheep than people in New Zealand, around 6 sheep per person.

Behind GMcT when he sits a Cordyline australis, commonly known as the cabbage tree, tī kōuka in Mãori or cabbage-palm, is a tree endemic to New Zealand 🇳🇿

Cordyline australis grows up to 20 metres (66 feet) tall with a stout trunk 1.5 to 2 m (4 ft 11 in to 6 ft 7 in) in diameter. Before it flowers, it has a slender unbranched stem.

The first flowers typically appear at 6 to 10 years old, in spring. The right conditions can reduce the first flowering age to 3 years.

In spring and early summer, C. australis produces large dense flowering spikes (inflorescences) up to 1 metre (3.3 feet) long. Each inflorescence bears 5,000 to 10,000 sweetly perfumed flowers and may produce up to 40,000 seeds.

A kakäriki feeding on flowers of Cordyline australis on Tiritiri Matangi Island, one of New Zealand's oldest island sanctuaries in the Hauraki Gulf. The New Zealand parakeets are often seen foraging in cabbage trees on the island.

[daviswuardn]

These pictures were taken on Tiritiri Matangi Island. While they may not be of the best quality, my biggest takeaway from this photography trip was the importance of the environment and timing in wildlife photography. The island is home to many bird species that I couldn't find on the mainland. However, the dense bushes and trees made it challenging to capture good shots. There was always something obstructing my view between my subject and my camera. Additionally, the trees blocked much of the sunlight, forcing me to use a very high ISO setting, which resulted in a lot of noise in the photos.

ARDN Self-directed learning W9 (breaktime) by Davis Wu

[earthyscottystory]

22/01/2022

We went to Tiritiri Matangi Island by ferry. When we go somewhere nice together, Scott likes to just check in on his Facebook rather than post lots of photos like me. He complains sometimes but he still takes a picture for me as he knows it will make me happy.

[don-lichterman]

New Explore cruise catamaran Tuhi-rapa, Fullers360 Waiheke tours launched in Auckland

New Explore cruise catamaran Tuhi-rapa, Fullers360 Waiheke tours launched in Auckland

“This new vessel has enough space to carry bikes as well as large outdoor spaces and windows for cruising and wildlife viewing in local conditions,” said William Goodfellow, Explore Group managing director.  “On the Tiritiri Matangi run, visitors can expect to see and experience the bird life on the island as well as breath-taking coastal walks.  “For the Tikapa Moana Whale & Dolphin Wildlife…

[unispiredexpressions]

Takahe (top), Pukeko (middle) and Tui (bottom).

The takahe is a flightless bird native to New Zealand that was once believed to be extinct.It’s related to the pukeko or the purple swamphen which still retains it’s ability to fly.You could sort of see some similarities between the two.

The tui or parsonbird is known for it’s song and ability to mimic the song of other birds. They have a white ruffle of feathers on it’s neck which are distinct. Also they feed mostly on nectar or sugar syrup and can be seen commonly on trees whose flowers produce a lot of nectar or on sugar syrup feeders as seen here.

Taken in Tiritiri Matangi Island.

[ksparchomchuk]

Tiritiri Matangi Island

New Zealand

[tropichalys]

New Zealand, Sotearoa, Auckland, Tiritiri Matangi island

👋🏼

[tinytourist]

Mā te Wā (See You Later) New Zealand

What began with just one COVID case on August 18th 2021 became NZ’s longest lockdown, spreading to over 1,000 Kiwis. It has been 53 days since we were in Queenstown and heard the announcement, and Auckland is still in Level 3 lockdown. This cancelled my trips to Abel Tasman, Stewart Island, and a last road trip, but it did not change my plans to go back home. This meant that I had to leave without saying a proper goodbye.

Alecia, Aidan, Greg, and Kaitlin formed my “leaving committee” they all chipped in and got me a beautiful pounamu (greenstone) necklace which is a taonga (treasure) to the Māori people. In addition to that, they sent me off in the best lockdown fashion - by putting together a goodbye video with messages from my friends across NZ. It’s a beautiful memory that I will enjoy being able to watch at my leisure.

In reflecting on these last 19 months, I put together some highlights and notes from my experiences in NZ:

Stats:

Time spent in NZ: 20 months (609 days)

Time spent in lockdown (Levels 3 & 4): 123 days

Steps taken: Over 7.5 million

Miles walked: Over 2,900

Trips taken: Over 33

Locations visited: Over 122

Activities:

Kayaking

Tramping (hiking)

Spelunking for glow worms

Boogie boarding

Camping

Climbing

Rock skipping

Cliff/rock jumping

Mountain biking

Luge-ing

White water rafting

Black water rafting

Frisbee golf

Skiing on a volcano

Wine tasting

Fishing

Boating

High ropes course

Bird watching

High-quality cooking

Stargazing

Backpacking

Road tripping

Highlights:

Favorite North Island Trip: Great Barrier Island

This is a trip that most tourists and kiwis alike never get the chance to do. Great Barrier Island is 100 km away from Auckland and is covered with breathtaking beaches, scenic bushwalks, and top-notch fishing if you’re into that sort of thing.

Favorite South Island  Trip: Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo is a beautiful town at the base of a large lake surrounded by often snow-capped mountains. Trekking around here will give you the quintessential South Island views. The town is an International Dark Sky Reserve, and the Mount John Observatory offers a spectacular stargazing experience.

Favorite Hike: Tongariro Crossing

This was the longest and most crowded hike I went on; however, the wide variety of landscapes and challenging conditions made it the most rewarding.

Favorite Day Trip: Tiritiri Matangi 

It’s just a 75-minute ferry ride from Auckland to this beautiful bird sanctuary. For $10, you can get a guided tour and learn all about the native birdlife and endemic plants. There, you even have the opportunity to see takahē in the wild!

Favorite Park in Auckland: Western Springs Lakeside Park

Western Springs Lakeside Park doubles as a wildlife sanctuary and was walking distance from my house. There, you can see black swans, ducklings, pukekos, shags, geese, eels, and more.

[crabussy]

Hi robin hope you're doing good!! Are there any places to see or things to do you'd recommend for someone visiting Aotearoa for the first time?

hi its actually francis but I'm just as (if not more but don't tell him I said that hehehe) fanatic about aotearoa!!! I'm happy to help out. I'm gonna write a bit and leave this in drafts and then rob can finish it off cause its reaaaally late!! eek!! I gotta sleep because there's hiking happening tomorrow!

waitomo glowworm caves are great but ACTUALLY!!! I DON'T RECOMMEND THE SUPER FAMOUS ONE!!!! it's nice but it's not so long and the photos you see online are usually better than the experience you get. try out ruakuri caves in waitomo instead!! they're pretty much right next to the most popular caves, but they're longer, deeper, contain more interesting formations AND glow worms as well!! not as many as the main one. it depends on what you're looking for!!! there's a SUPER COOL motel called woodlyn park where you can stay in an old boat, an old tram, an old plane or a hobbit house that have all been converted into rooms. it's really cool!! might be a bit costly though

SWIM SOMEWHERE IF YOU CAN!!!! a river, an estuary, a beach. check water quality first!! beaches are probably your best bet! one of my favourite things in the world to do is swim at the beaches in aotearoa. I have yet to see a beach that makes me happier than the ones here!

some REALLY COOL TOWNS include rotorua (super stinky geothermal hotspot!!! so cool!!!!! bright green lakes!!!) and ahuriri (art deco town!! they actually hold a 1920s inspired festival there yearly if I'm remembering right!), <- francis went to bed at this point HI its robin now. what the freak is up guess I'm writing the rest of this post. also I'm DEFINITELY the bigger fanatic don't listen to her. liar liar pants on fire etc

UM!!! DEFINITELY hike/do a day walk if you can. I fucking LOVE hiking here it's always beautiful. in te ika-a-māui (north island) I really enjoy the waitākere ranges, there's currently a rāhui for some areas but I went hiking last weekend and the trail I went on was really lovely. there are quite a few to choose from!! I went along exhibition drive and the beveridge track, entering from titirangi village.

we're well known for our native birds, but as many of them are endangered you might have trouble seeing many of them. I'd recommend tiritiri matangi, an amazing conservation island off the shore of tāmaki makaurau. it can be pricey to visit but the sheer number of birds to be seen there is wonderful!!! you can even see takahē, as well as kiwi at night. the cost of the ticket goes towards the conservation being done on the island.

if you have a chance to experience a kapa haka performance or attend a māori festival GO. GO GO GO. it's always incredible, the power and just. joyous fierce pride people put into the waiata and haka is amazing. if you go around june-july, you'll be there for matariki celebrations!!! experience them. there'll be lots of events happening in major cities like tāmaki makaurau and pōneke.

if you're up for a bit of camping, motutara farm is an absolute gem. it's in whananaki, and needs to be booked WAY in advance but my god its marvelous. the beach is wonderful the rockpools are fascinating the walks are incredible and the camping sites are so lovely. you will have to deal with long drops.

genuinely, and I'm so serious, if you end up in the north island LET ME KNOW!!!! I love meeting up with people and if you end up in the city I live in, I'd love to show you around!!! there's a walk I really love in my town that I'd be happy to take you on.

there's so much more but these are my (and francis's) top picks!!!! I love these islands so much. there's so much to be experienced. I WILL ALSO SAY!!! the public transport is very good. you can mostly rely on it especially in cities.

[mrlemonwedge]

[feijoacrumble]

I know I’m never Online any more but a brief life update:

things are good!

I’ve got three weeks off work for xmas/summer

my coworkers gave me some really lovely gifts/cards for christmas and I didn’t know they were going to (and I didn’t get anyone anything! because I didn’t know it was a whole thing!) but I’m :’)

went to a picnic today

tomorrow I’m going to see a Star War

I’ve done and wrapped all my present shopping (including, hilariously enough, the present my sister is going to give me)

we’ve put the MARZIPAN on the CAKE at fucking last! hopefully by tomorrow it will have dried enough for us to ice it and put Extreme Ski Santa in his rightful place*

I’ve booked my family in to go to hobbiton and the glow worm caves in january

also going to try and get to goat island (I want to do the glass bottom boat again) and tiritiri matangi 

read some good** books in 2019

it’s strawberry season, and very soon it will be cherry season

2020 is going to be exciting and my whole life is going to change

* Extreme Ski Santa is a charming traditional Christmas cake topper of a jolly old santa going for a gentle ski. due to the unique dimensions of our baking tin, Delia Smith’s fruit cake recipe, and the container we store the cake in, the only way to fit santa is on a particular oblique angle. naturally the way to justify this is to score tracks in the royal icing behind him as he rounds a hairpin bend, and thus: Exreme Ski Santa was born

**I enjoyed and/or Cannot Stop Thinking About, not necessarily actually good