This is for the birds - July 25th

Hiking up the Kaikoura Peninsula to the Hutton's Shearwater Project area

In order to chase good weather for our big hike on the West Coast, we shortened our stay in Kaikoura, but not before taking in the views from the Kaikoura Peninsula and learning about the Hutton’s Shearwater conservation project. The only place in the world the Hutton’s Shearwater breeds is in the mountains above Kaikoura.  This one remaining colony is threatened by the presence of rats.  The Department of Conservation along with other researchers and the community decided to translocate some of the Huttons Sheerwater into a predator-proof fenced area on the peninsula.  They removed chicks from the mountain colony and raised them within the predator proof fence with the hopes that those raised in this new safe location will return as adults to the predator proof area to raise their own chicks.  The translocation has been a success as three years out several adults have returned and they hope in the very near future chicks will be raised there.

Checking out the "Elfin Forest" on the St. James Walkway in Lewis Pass

We then made our way down and across Lewis Pass toward Greymouth on the West Coast.  Along the way we walked a short hike on the St. James Walkway through an “elfin forest” and stopped in Reefton, first city in  New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere with electricity, for our afternoon tea time.  

Making lunch and gathering breaky supplies for the Croesus Track hike

After dinner in Greymouth, we readied all our supplies for our big hike on the Croesus Track.  

Cheers, Mark and Meryl