KEY POINTS:
Teri Irwin wants to encourage more parents to go bush with their children, in a bid to get to know the outdoors again.
The self-described "wildlife warrior" told an audience of about 300 in Auckland yesterday that when she was approached to be an ambassador for Australian tourism,
"as an American talking to New Zealanders about Australia", she wondered if she had the right to do so, but then realised she had first visited Australia as a tourist, and could relate to prospective visitors.
Irwin has been in New Zealand for the past week and has spent much of the time sightseeing with her children Bindi, 9, and Bob, 4.
Husband Steve was killed by a stingray barb as he filmed an underwater documentary off north Queensland in 2006. Since then Irwin has taken on an increasingly high profile role in the media, promoting the couple's Australia Zoo.
She said among her favourite places in Australia to visit was the Queensland desert because it was so "achingly lonely".
She hoped her profile would encourage parents to take their children to the bush and introduce them to wildlife. "Do it when they [the children] are young, they're more durable at that age."
Irwin said she still had gifts given to her and Steve when they first visited New Zealand together more than 10 years ago.
On this visit the family spent time on the Coromandel Peninsula, visiting places by helicopter, horseback riding and enjoying the wildlife, she said. "I'd tell you everywhere I've been but I can't pronounce them all."
It seems that even on holiday Irwin doesn't stray far from her passion, making a trip to Hamilton Zoo where she viewed the chimpanzee enclosure and found out about how they housed their giraffes.
She said she tried to instil the wildlife experience in other people.
"I was visiting a butterfly sanctuary in another country and there was a woman there who, as a butterfly flew by, she dodged it. Like it was flying at her.
"I thought 'wow we're getting far from wildlife'. If you're afraid of a butterfly, we're in trouble here.
"It's exciting in New Zealand because so many people get their kids out to experience nature and to learn not to be afraid of it."
Irwin said she had no problem sitting in one spot when on holiday, but had struggled to keep up with her husband. Steve's creed had been that he did not know how long he was going to live, and was going to live his life to the fullest while he could. "I'm trying to be more like that."
Steve had come came up with the term "wildlife warrior", which encompassed what many people could achieve. "You don't have to be the guy on TV to accomplish that."
But it was a harder slog for her now."I miss Steve desperately and it's hard, but it's important work and it's so much bigger than us."
- NZPA
