We saw a Kiwi!

We saw a Kiwi! And it was in the wild!! But it took a long time... The birds are highly respected by the New Zealanders. In fact, they call themselves 'Kiwis'. The Kiwi only lives in the forests of New Zealand, and even there, it is very limited in numbers. Since it is only active at night and very shy, it is very rare to see one by chance. Only 5% of New Zealanders have seen a Kiwi. And here come the Germans again and don't miss out, hehe. We got to see a Kiwi! In its natural habitat and without stressing the animal. Of course, this happened with a guide in a small group. So we went on a Kiwi search. And let me tell you again, it takes time... The tour started at 7 pm in the evening and ended successfully at 11 pm. The guide had special equipment and a great knowledge about Kiwis. We were not allowed to talk (yes, I can do that!) and we had to move as quietly as possible. Which was not easy in the middle of the forest. But we made it! Even though we didn't do much, the tour was so exciting. It made us forget all the itchy bites from the sandflies! I'm telling you, those creatures are really annoying and the bites are very itchy. But well... Anyway, we were rewarded after a long wait. The rustling in the bushes got louder and woohoo, there was our star of the evening. A Kiwi! We were able to observe him for about 30 seconds. Great experience, amazing bird!
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Before the Kiwi tour, we had perfect weather to make our way to the Franz-Josef Glacier. The glacier is 10 km long and, as expected, it has also retreated a lot. Now you can only see a small part of it, unfortunately. In 2010, the glacier was at least 3 times bigger than it is now. As a result of climate change. Another sad moment. So guys, let's put all the fun aside: we really need to take care of our world, each and every one of us! Of course, flying around the world is not environmentally conscious. I am well aware of that. I don't want to open a can of worms. I think it's just important to realize that our world is unique. But now back to the topic. With a subsequent hike through the national park, we made full use of the weather. And by the way, we haven't seen anything of Lord of the Rings yet. We unexpectedly had great weather at noon that day. A short walk through a long, narrow tunnel (only accessible on foot) with lots of glowworms on the ceiling brightened our day. The glowworms on the ceiling looked like a starry sky. And let's be honest, don't they do it in a very romantic way?
Tip No. 1: never leave shoes outside in New Zealand. Or even better, just don't leave anything outside! I mentioned before that Keas are the smartest birds in the world. They are! They can open anything and can destroy everything! When David woke me up in the middle of the night because apparently the Keas were making a racket on the roof, I thought he was dreaming again. (That happens often. He also likes to clean at night. So that can be useful at times). But the next morning they were everywhere! Several Keas were busy with all kinds of objects in the morning. Funny to watch, but luckily it wasn't our car's seal that they were nibbling on. Keas actually belong in the mountains. They come down to the valleys because people feed them.
The last few days, we have done a lot of hiking. Through hiking, you get a completely different insight into the beauty of New Zealand. Fantastic nature! Did you know why the symbol for New Zealand is a plant? I know it now... it's a very special plant. It's called the fern. And why? Quite simply, because New Zealand's forests are mainly made up of ferns.
So cheers!