Day 58,59 & 60: Ferry and back to Wellington

Monday 1st Tuesday 2nd Wednesday 3rd February

Kaikoura to Wellington via the ferry and 2 days in Wellington

Distance: Bus, 160km, Ferry, 100km

Total Distance: 6628km

The bus took us as far as the ferry terminal  at Picton. Half the tourists stated on the bus, preparing to do the west coast as they'd started in Christchurch. The rest of us checked in and got onto the ferry. It's wasn't so different from when I travelled from Wellington to Picton- clear skies, calm sea. I explored more, going up the the observation deck on the roof to see the last trails of land of the South Island as we left. I found the bar where a pint of beer was only $6- as much as on land- and sat to watch the ending of "Dambusters" on the large TV as a band played in the corner. Through the back of the bar was an area at the back of the ship. The wooden decking was covering in wicker chairs so one could relax whilst watching the South Island slide away throught the slanted glass roof. Which sounds lovely until you appreciate that's is basically a giant green house. Too warm for me. Time for some of the fantastic warm date scones that they bring around on a trolley.

Eventually I made it into Wellington where I would be staying with my good friend Sara for a couple of days. I dropped my bags off and, as she wasn't back from work yet, went to go see Taranteno's new film. 

The next day I repacked a couple of times then went out to go see Weta Workshop. Weta was made famous by the Lord of the Rings but, like the landscapes of New Zealand, it has done far more of note than just these three films. 

I decided to be lazy and get the Weta bus rather than a public bus to the site. It was much more expensive but kind of worth it. On the way back we would go via some of the other studios, a few sites of not around the area, and Peter Jackson's house. Apparently Scarlet Johanssen was filming nearby and living in a house on Peter's street. We never saw her through. :'(

We started with a film about Weta Workshop being formed in the flat of a Kiwi couple who Peter Jackson became friends with and together they made a number of 90's Kiwi films before moving on to bigger and bigger projects.

Weta has a display area which is near to much of their design and development space. It was AMAZING. There are models, prosthetics, art work and equipment from the many films they've helped with, alongside projects for private individuals and personal projects. Much of the gear from Lord of the a Rings is now nearly 20 years old and being steadily diluted by Narnia, District 9, King King, Halo, and The Wotwots. A nerds paradise. Loved it.

I even had a good chat afterwards with one of the designers about my own wee project. I'll tell you about that another day.

The next day I end up to Zealandia. This is a large bird sanctuary above Wellington. With the best anti-pest fences available it is effectively an island amidst the city. Here, like on Stewart Island, the birds can live in a virtual paradise with limited threat from such predators as rats and cats. Thus they thrive. 

Zealandia is a great place for anyone wanting to see New Zealand's birds. The downside for me was...me. 

Oh, look, a Kaka...seen it

A Tomtit...seen it

Parakeet...seen it

But,inf you're in Wellington I would highly recommend it. There are free buses that run from the information centre- the I-site- in the middle of the city. There are also guided tours and mobility scooters. Hence, if you won't make it to the top of Mount Avalanche or the swamp-jungles of Stewart Island, Zealandia is a wonderful place.

And it does allo you to see what NZ might be like if we hadn't invaded with all our mammals.

I also dropped into Te Papa. No real reason, just my favourite place. A phenomenal free museum. If you go to nothing else in Welly, go to Te Papa.

Then came my last evening in New Zealand. Sara gave me a call and I joined here at Crumpets, the supreme cocktail bar in Welly, for a couple of drinks with friends. We then headed to Five Boroughs, the American diner for my last meal in New Zealand. Sacrilege, I know.

1/2 a kilo of hot wings, 4 pieces of buttermilk fried chicken, 2 deep fried Oreos with ice cream, and a stack of pancakes with bacon and maple syrup later and I was quite full.

11pm that evening we got back to the flat. And I decided to repack. And repack. And repack.

By 1am I had it sorted, had a shower and went for 2 hours of sleep before my flight.

Special Broadcast: I saw a Wild Kiwi!!!

Sunday 17th January

I stumbled into a wild kiwi!!!

On my last day of hiking through the forests of Stewart Island.

I was into the last hour of the track. I'd been making good time since the hut. Most of my food was gone- I'd finished the last of my bread for breakfast, leaving me with a couple of cereal bars and an old bag a gummy bears. I needed to get back for lunch, preferably for some of the Kai Kart's beautiful, fresh, fish n chips. I was steaming along. The last to leave the hut, again, I wasn't due to be the last to reach Oban. I kept passing small groups with each kilometre. 5 hours to get to Obam? Nah, I can do it in 3. The route is relatively flat, and much of it is quite straight, if muddy.

Minding my own business, just thinking of stuff, trundling along... then something brown ran off the track and into the bush.

This area was straight for 200 yards. If I'd been looking at the track I'd have seen it long ago. Yet clearly neither of us was concentrating- we'd been a few feet from one another.

And there she was, under a log. I whistled a couple of bird calls- I've been using that trick a few times here, to make the birds think it's safe. Make it sound as though someone else has been brave enough to be the first to emerge after this strange man appeared. 

The she began to look around at the ground. She started prodding her beak into the ground, sniffing for insects in the muddy ground. In truth, at first, I'd wondered if she was a Weka- I've seen plenty of them, and they've a similar size, shape, and colour to a kiwi. But not the nose, they're smart and adaptable, but not so specialised as a kiwi (maybe why there's so many of them), scratching at the ground like a chicken in search of grubs. Once I saw this behaviour from the dark silhouette under the fallen tree I finally knew I was seeing my first wild kiwi.

Becoming more confident she emerged, as I filmed, from under the tree, prodding around for her lunch. Occasionally she would toss her head back, swallowing a delicious find with glee, before returning to the hunt.

Yet as she moved there was something wrong.

The first kiwi I ever saw was in Wellington zoo. Here they have a kiwi that only has one leg. He hops around in a manner that still worries me (he deserves a prosthetic), foraging in his enclosure as the public watch.

Equally I've seen lame chicken and ducks, even treating a few.

My kiwi was walking in a similar manner. Her right foot was swollen and she wasn't putting weight on it properly. Above the swelling was a small metal ring- an ID ring, evidently made too small for her eventual large size. She was quite big for a kiwi.

I would later go and tell the Department of Conservation officers. Next week there's a team coming in to look at the local population and treat any as necessary. Having a rough idea of were she was, and being territorial, it shouldn't be too hard for them to pick her up in the nearby area. 

She looked to be eating well and was still getting about on the foot so I'm not too concerned, DoC will sort her out. 

(NB- normally seeing a naturally nocturnal animal, such as a kiwi, in the day time, means it's in real trouble. Yet on Stewart Island they frequently come out during the day, particularly after heavy rain when the ground is soft and the insects are more active. It a feeding frenzy and they're not energy going to let the sun stop them!)

As time went by she happily carried on eating from a fruitful patch of leaf litter. In my view, however, along the path, appeared a number of my fellow walkers, from either direction. Thank goodness the path was straight here. I quietly waved my hands, put a finger to my lips, mouthed 'Kiwi', before pointing to the little brown fluffy volley ball rustling through the undergrowth.

Getting the message each party gathered cameras from pockets quickly but quietly, tip toeing towards me smiling. Muted gasps followed before cameras were raised and shots taken. Everyone was quiet, slow, and no one used a flash- we were all on our best behaviour to keep the little delight amongst us. She look it all in her hobbling stride, mooching about, scouring the mud for more crunchy snacks. We all shifted as she moved, no one wanting to leave. The group had grown to 11 people all staring in amazement.

Eventually she wandered off into the forest, though not with much grace. A fallen sapling of many branches barred her way. She took a leap at it, attempting to get through the branches. Most of her made it. But not the giant feet. They were lodged for a moment and wiggled, reminding me Yoda jumping head first into Luke Skywalker's supplies the first time they meet, or when the chickens get sent head first into something in Chicken Run. She wiggled through and went off on her way to see what else the damp weather had brought up.