Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

This afternoon at the wildlife sanctuary we were pleased to see the Kaka -- New Zealand parrot. We actually saw several of them quite close up, because we arrived at feeding time. Other birds we saw included the fantail, the NZ robin, the tui, and a NZ scaup on the reservoir. Non-natives included a chaffinch and a California quail family, including chicks.

We also took a very long walk along paths where we hadn't walked before, as well as the same paths we had seen on our evening tour. We managed to spot two tuatara and several weta.

"Tuatara are the only living members of an ancient order of reptiles that evolved around 220 million years ago. These reptiles died out everywhere except in New Zealand." says the wildlife website. See Fact about the tuatara.

By releasing them and protecting them, the sanctuary is helping reestablish this species, which was harmed by imported predators. Each one wears a little beaded collar, color coded to identify the individual. Though they are carefully watched and protected, these rare animals are still considered to be living and breeding in the wild.

The weta is a very large insect. They live in various parts of the sanctuary, most impressively within an abandoned gold mining shaft that dates from an unsuccessful gold rush in 19th century Wellington. Lenny photographed one on the fence that separates the various kinds of wildlife from endangering one another.