Kiwi, Kaka & Co

My last evening started with the sunset that I observed from Observation Rock. From there, you had a beautiful view of the sea and several small islands, and the evening light created a calming atmosphere - which I was able to enjoy with 20 other people...

Because I really wanted to see a kiwi again (I still needed a photo), I went to the spot where I had already seen one on the first day, at about the same time.

And indeed, I could already hear rustling in the bushes from a distance. There was only one other French woman on the path besides me, so we had a clear path for a very personal kiwi encounter.

And that was it!

We were so blessed, not only to come across one, but two kiwis, searching for food in the undergrowth. Both crossed our path, so I finally got to take my long-awaited photos of a kiwi!
Only to find out that they were of modest quality due to my phone camera. But the French woman (Celine) sent me some of hers.

Then, suddenly, the rustling became louder, accompanied by some squeaking sounds, followed by our two kiwis, who had obviously started to fight (they were probably males ;)).
Because one of them was scared away, there was only one left for us. But it calmly approached us, and I could hardly dare to move. Only a few centimeters separated me from its beak tip, so I was face to face with a kiwi!

Awesome!

Because I was clearly uninteresting, it poked around Celine's shoes a bit before finally (disappointed?) disappearing - leaving us overjoyed.
It was only 9:30 p.m., and I had a perfect kiwi experience.

I mean, seeing a kiwi on the first night was already great, but there I could only see it from a few meters away in the undergrowth and shared the experience with a large group of people.
But now I got so close to the bird, for several minutes, and we were alone! It was such an intimate encounter and probably the most intense minutes of the whole time on Stewart Island.

After this experience, I was full of positive emotions and totally energized. At the harbor, I saw a huge crowd of people, so I took a little detour there. About 30 people were enjoying the sight of a single blue penguin, heading straight to its cave between the rocks. I felt a bit sorry for the little one, being stared at like that, and after it had gone, I made my way back. The experience with the kiwis couldn't be topped anymore.

The next day, I had to pack because in the afternoon I was supposed to take the ferry back to the mainland. My last hours on Stewart Island had begun and should be well utilized.

As a bird lover, it was almost a must to go to Ulva Island.
Ulva Island is a bird sanctuary, about 10 minutes by ferry from Oban, and absolutely predator-free. No rat has set foot on this island for years, and so it enjoys the greatest diversity of native birds in New Zealand.

Due to time constraints, I could only spend about 2 hours there, but that was enough to get a very good impression:

I had already thought that there were many birds on Stewart Island. But that was still nothing compared to the number on Ulva Island. Two minutes in the forest, and you were surrounded by chirping and trilling.

Moving.

I got carried away with bird love.

It turned out to be quite difficult to spot most of the birds in the dense greenery. So in the photos, you have to look closely to spot a bird.
Nevertheless, I was able to discover a lot of native birds, here is a small list:

-> Kaka; a parrot species, similar to the Kea, but with more parrot in it. Dark green, perfectly camouflaged. Prominent beak, with which they like to take some trees apart. They can also be found on the mainland, but still threatened. In Oban, I saw a couple of them near the garbage cans, but they are naturally nicer to look at in the wild.

-> Stewart Island Robin; a nervous little guy, mostly found on the ground searching for insects. It doesn't have the typical red throat of its European relatives, but is gray with a beige belly. If you stand still, they come quite close to you, but at the slightest movement, they flutter away.

-> Kereru/Wood Pigeon; a large, heavy bird, also found on the mainland. Characteristic especially because of their dull wing beats (flupp-flupp), with which they even communicate with fellow species. They sit so still in the trees that you often overlook them. Their acrobatic flights over the treetops are nice to watch.

-> Weka; I already knew them well from the Queen Charlotte Track, this mix of kiwi and duck (my interpretation!) also famous here as a food thief. I heard from a tour guide that one of them has specialized in stealing bananas and granola bars from the hands of innocent tourists.

-> Pied Oystercatcher; no explanation needed, the same as in Europe

-> Tui; widespread on the mainland, black bird with white feathers on the throat, imitates sounds very well (even ringtones)

-> Fantail; also a very nervous fellow, can fan out its tail feathers (nice postcard motif), I didn't manage to get a good photo, but I recommend asking Aunt Google because they are really cute to look at

-> Parakeet; now classified as native parrot, with a red or white head, melodious singing, unfortunately no photo

-> Gray Warbler; great name, isn't it? Gray little bird with annoying chirping, but too fast and small for a photo

-> Kakapo; it would be nice ;) I would love to see them, but the last pathetic population lives on Codfish Island, northwest of Stewart Island. Only a handful of privileged people are allowed to enter this island to take care of the birds and preserve them from extinction.

What I noticed while listing them - five of the distinctive New Zealand birds start with a 'K': Kiwi, Kea, Kaka, Kereru, Kakapo. Funny. I think so. Whatever. Forget it...

After Ulva Island, I went almost directly back to the hostel and then to the ferry, which took me to Bluff. And from there, I took the bus to Queenstown, which we reached late in the evening.
Eat something, take a shower, nothing more. I will stay in my favorite city (warning, sarcasm!) only for the night and take a bus to the east coast tomorrow morning.

Dunedin is my next destination!