Obviously, it was important that we see a kiwi while we were in New Zealand. My first thought was the Kiwi House in Otorohanga, but it didn't seem to work out logistically. While researching Rotorua, I learned about the Kiwi Encounter at Rainbow Springs, and that seemed like the way to go.
We really made the right choice. Talking to some people on the way to the hangi later, they had paid something like $40.00 at the Auckland Zoo, and the kiwi never came into view. We saw several.
You may notice that I have no pictures of kiwi. In the encounter itself, you cannot take pictures. There are two other areas in the park where you can see kiwi, a night exhibit and a day exhibit. The only one where you can take pictures is the day exhibit, and there were no birds there when we looked. So admittedly for taking pictures of kiwi there are issues with Rainbow Springs too, but for seeing them it still works well.
We do have pictures of many other birds, because New Zealand is the land of birds, with it's only native mammal being the bat. (Well, that's if you are not counting marine mammals. I don't think the seals were imported.) Anyway, we got to see many native species here. We fell most in love with the kea, a native parrot with an engaging personality. We were able to see them in many places, but this was the first. The bottom picture is a kea, below the weka and a kereru.
The blue splash there is a little out of focus, but it is an albino trout. The lack of pigment shows them to be blue instead of white. Trout are not native to New Zealand, but a fishing enthusiast managed to introduce them, and they are a very popular game fish. Rainbow Springs grows them from hatchlings, and so there were pools with them at all different sizes, and eventually they are released into fishing spots.
The top photo is a tuatara. They can live to be around a hundred years old, but this one was fairly young, I think. They are famous for having a third eye, but that is sort of an exaggeration. It is not a full eye and it gets covered with scales within six months of hatching, but it may still absorb ultra-violet light.
There are different areas focusing on native species (birds and reptiles, as well as plants), the trout, and then there is an almost petting zoo like area focusing on introduced species. You can explore the park without doing the kiwi encounter, and I believe you can do the kiwi encounter, but both are worthwhile.
For the kiwi encounter you should book in advance, because there are a limited number of spaces. This is primarily to not stress the birds too much, but it also helps ensure that everyone can see without being too crowded.
The problem with the various introduced mammal species (stoats, possum, dogs, and cats) is that in addition to habitat destruction, they tend to eat the eggs and the newly-hatched, so Rainbow Springs will find eggs in the wild, take them, incubate them, and then raise the birds until they are big enough to not be easy prey. They then get released into the wild near their original spot. The birds are monitored, so they can tell you that they have hatched children and granchildren of eggs that were hatched there.
It may sound unnatural, but introducing carnivorous and omnivorous land mammals sent them way past natural, and as much as they have tried to root out the introduced species, it has not worked. Actually, if I recall correctly the stoats were introduced to cut down on the introduced rabbits. It is considered a citizen's duty that if you see a possum in the road you will make an effort to run it over (one reason I was glad not to be driving).
Anyway, with the encounter they show you a little bit of the reproductive style, then you move to the incubators and see the eggs, the hatchery where the eggs go when they are ready to hatch, the room where the baby chicks are, then bigger chicks, and there is even a section where they have some adults. They do take in injured adults as well. Most are rehabilitated and released, but there are a few who become permanent residents based on their odds of survival. So you see, we saw many kiwis, even if we do not have the photos to prove it.
From my last post, I had indicated that the previous day was a good tour, but we got soaked. My coat and regular shoes were still drying, so I was wearing no coat and the Tevas, and another wet day would have been kind of bad. Really, we did pretty well. It was mostly clear with occasional sprinkles, and we ended up being okay.
There were some transportational snags. There is a shuttle that goes from Tourism Rotorua to Rainbow Springs, along with other attractions, and we took that. The shuttle is supposed to be hourly, and we asked about getting back and the driver mumbled something about noon. We should have asked for clarification. We were ready to catch it at noon, and that is actually the one hour when it doesn't run. We should have asked at the park, where the people are helpful and have lots of pertinent information. Anyway that was a long wait, so we had lunch there, which I do not recommend. The food is not great and quite expensive. So do go to the park, and do the kiwi encounter, but plan out your return trip so that you get back in town for lunch. Or pack one, I guess.
The other things that was interesting was that we chatted with a girl on the shuttle who was going to the Agrodome. This is sort of a farm expo. It can be interesting, apparently, but is geared more for kids. We found her on the return trip as well, so that is when it is acceptable to change names and consider keeping in touch. Actually, I think we influenced her decisions, so we encountered her for a third time as well. More on that later.
http://www.rainbowsprings.co.nz/
http://www.kiwihouse.org.nz/
http://www.agrodome.co.nz/
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