A friendly cockatoo surprises beachgoers at Omanu with a cheeky "hello" as he patrols his coastal property.
For the past two years, the 22-year-old sulphur crested cockatoo named Zoe has marched the boundary of his beachside property whenever he can, showing off to anyone who walks past.
Owner Hannah Aitken (pictured) said
she and fiance Greg bought Zoe about two years ago for their Papamoa Pet Shop Petrix but Zoe grew so fond of Greg they decided to bring him home.
Beachgoers often stopped to talk to Zoe, Mrs Aitken said.
He can say "hello Zoe", "what ya doing?", "Zoe wants a cracker" and "Zoe wants a scratch".
However, there was one phrase missing from Zoe's vocabulary that would be useful, Mrs Aitken said.
"I think it would be quite helpful if he learnt to say 'goodbye' because he usually ends up just looking at people not knowing what to say."
Zoe roams carefree between the house and fence using the cat-flap at his leisure, she said.
Cockatoos not only memorise sayings, they also like to mimic human behaviour, she said. If there are people running along the beach, and you can see it's quite an effort, he'll start jogging along with him.
But people should not try get too well acquainted with Zoe, she said. He can be friendly and affectionate but he can get really nasty as well.
Also in the household were two dogs, two cats, turtles, fish. Strangely, Zoe and the cat are best friends.
