Searching for Kiwi at Kiwi North, Northland, New Zealand

For a country which produced the All Blacks, some of the toughest footballers in the world, it seems incongruous that New Zealand's national symbol, albeit an unofficial one, is a 45 cm (17 inch) high, flightless bird which registers about 15 out of 10 on the timidity scale - but there you have it, some things in the world just can't be explained.

David and I are in Northland, the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand and today we went searching for kiwi. We didn't go looking in the wild - kiwi are nocturnal, shy and very hard to find - but we did the next best thing, calling in at Kiwi North. Kiwi North has a purpose built Kiwi House where Puna and Kapua, the two resident kiwi, live.  Their environment is as close to nature as possible with a carpet of leaf litter allowing them to forage for insects and other food the same way they would in the wild. It even rains - twice a week. Special lighting turns day into night so visitors can see them at their most active.

Puna, whose name means 'spring' as in water rather than the season, and Kapua, whose name means 'cloud', are both brown kiwi about two years old. They were born in captivity and are part of a captive breeding program.

Puna (I think).  In the low light and with no flash it was difficult to get a reasonable photo.

This photo was taken by a fellow blogger, Rhonda of Albom Adventures, at Wellington Zoo.

David and I arrived at Kiwi North just before noon, thinking we would take a quick look around before spending the rest of the day exploring the nearby town of Whangarei. In the end we stayed until closing time at 4 pm, returning to the Kiwi House several times over the course of the afternoon to see what Puna and Kapua were up to.


A Few Kiwi Facts:-

• There are about 68,000 kiwi in New Zealand. 2% of unmanaged kiwi are lost every year.

• Females are larger than males. They grow up to 3.3 kg and 45 cm.

• Kiwi mate for life and live between 25 and 50 years.

• All kiwi species are threatened with extinction to varying degrees.

My Tips for Visiting Puna and Kapua at Kiwi North: -

• Kiwi are shy. If you want a good view, be patient and keep your voice low.

• Because kiwi are nocturnal the Kiwi House lights are kept low.  Give your eyes time to adjust.

• There is a closed circuit TV screen just before you enter. It shows the inside of the nesting box. If you can't see one or both kiwi, check the screen to see if they are in the nest.

• Visit in the morning if you can. We were told that that is when the kiwi are most active, although as it turned out we got the best views of them not long before closing time.

• Time your visit to coincide with feeding times - 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. The feed dishes are set toward the front of the enclosure where the lighting is better.

I have included this photo, of a stuffed kiwi, so you can see the enormous size of a kiwi egg. It is as big as an emu egg. It is hard to believe such a small bird could carry such a large egg.

Other Exhibits at Kiwi North

• Tuatara - Although I had never heard of them before visiting Kiwi North, I found the tuatara almost as fascinating as the kiwi. Another New Zealand icon, the tuatara is a member of a 200 million year old species. Tuatara can live for well over 100 years and once lived alongside the dinosaurs. They are found today on only about 30 off-shore islands. 

Kiwi North's resident tuatara, named Flash. You can't see it now but when he was young, like all tuatara, this little guy had three eyes. As he grew, his third eye became covered with skin.

• Native Geckos -  I find it hard to get too excited about geckos, but as geckos go, the Kiwi North reptiles, especially the bright green Northland and Auckland Geckos, are about as cute as it gets. 

A Northland Green Gecko - looking cute!

• Whangarei Museum - I would love to be able to say that alongside the kiwi, tuatara and geckos, Kiwi North has a live Moa. I can't of course. The Moa were hunted to extinction when Maoris arrived in New Zealand hundreds of years ago. However the Whangarei Museum which is part of Kiwi North provides a fascinating insight into the story of this gigantic, flightless bird.

• Heritage Park - A collection of heritage buildings are in the grounds of Kiwi North, with the oldest dating from 1860.

Location, Opening Times and Prices

• Kiwi North is at 500 State Highway 14, Maunu, Whangarei, Northland.

• It is open daily between 10 am and 4 pm.

• Entrance prices are: Adults - $20, Seniors and adult Students - $15, Children - $5, Infants under 5 ys - free and Families (2 adults and 3 children) - $45.

• Kiwi North's website address is - www.kiwinorth.co.nz 

• Look for @KiwiNorth on Facebook.

Other blog posts from our two weeks in New Zealand:

• A Cyclist's Lament: Welcome to New Zealand

• Wai-O-Tapu: Geothermal Wonders in New Zealand

• From Disaster to Art Deco in Napier: How an earthquake shaped the city

• Cycling in Auckland: Was it worth all the hassle?

• Sea Walls: Murals for Oceans, Napier

Note: David and I received complimentary admission to Kiwi North.

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