Kiwi Birds, Lizards, Fish and Insects in Whangarei!

Fascinating freshwater fish

From insects to fish, we now look into a tank with some of New Zealand’s native freshwater fish. The banded kokopu is a medium-size fish with blue scales. It’s also joined by a slightly larger fish called the giant kokopu, which is decorated in spots and wiggly lines. We’re lucky enough to catch a feeding where small insects are dropped into the tank for the kokopu to gobble up in a rapid motion.

Gecko Vs. the fly

Now it’s time for some more gecko action! We are totally fascinated by these creatures that we have rarely seen even in other conservation houses. One green gecko in particular is getting so close to catching an unsuspecting fly. The way they stalk their prey is as careful and patient as a cat. It makes tiny movements in steady intervals not to scare off the fly. Sure enough, it gets close enough to jump forward, eat the fly, and lick its lips afterwards.

If one gecko isn’t doing anything, there is sure to be one that is as there about six different gecko enclosures at the Kiwi House.

The living dinosaur

Although the tuatara, often called the “living dinosaur” as it is a living decedent from the dinosaur era, is quite a late riser during winter, we are lucky enough to see a tuatara’s head poking out of a tree trunk. Because they have a slow metabolism, they save energy and rarely move if they don’t need to.  If we look super closely, we see its throat moving as it slowly breathes and a blink in the eye every so often. The tuatara is arguably one of the most fascinating wildlife stories in New Zealand, so reading the information panels on the wall is a must!

Keeping an eye out for the elusive kiwi

the state-of-the-art kiwi house

The time has finally come: we’re going to see a kiwi bird… maybe two! We walk into a small dark room before entering the kiwi house which gives us an opportunity to check if the flash is off on our camera – photography is allowed by no flash! A TV screen also show live footage from cameras set up in the kiwi enclosures, so we can see where the kiwi are. In one enclosure, the male kiwi is foraging in a particular path around a tree just outside its burrow, while the female is somewhere out among the natural setting of her enclosure. For the time being, the pair are separated until they are ideally old enough to mate and the female is at a good size to hold the egg. When you see the size of the replica kiwi eggs they have on display at Kiwi North, you’ll understand why she needs to be a particular size!

Watching the active kiwi birds!

We walk into the dark room with huge walls of glass looking into an enclosure. Dim lights make it possible to see what’s going on in the enclosure, which is quite a lot right now. The kiwi are very active! The male continues the route around his burrow, probing into the ground with his long beak, just as they would have to forage for food in the wild. Meanwhile, the female lovingly gazes at the male from a thin wall separating the enclosure. She is quickly distracted when it comes to feeding time, which happens at particular times throughout the day just to ensure the kiwi are feeding well. We could watch these unusual flightless nocturnal birds all day, but knowing there is so much more to see at Kiwi North, we finally decide to leave the kiwi house and see the light of day again.