Male Little Spotted Kiwi has a late night encounter with a Tuatara. / Motuihe Island
A male little spotted kiwi has had a rare encounter with an "ancient" tuatara on Motuihe Island, just 30 minutes from Auckland.
A video of the late night encounter, posted by the Motuihe Island conservation team, shows the inquisitive kiwi sniffing and feeling the tuatara with its beak as theancient tuatara stares back.
The rare encounter was captured on April 22 at about 11pm at night, according to the video.
A rare encounter between a kiwi and a tuatara has been captured on camera. Photo / Motuihe Island
Motuihe Island is an island paradise situated in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.
The Island thrives with native New Zealand flora and fauna and is home to the little-spotted kiwi, saddleback, tuatara, and kakariki among others.
Viewers were left stunned at the encounter with many saying footage of two of New Zealand's native animals interacting together is extremely rare and a sight to behold.
"Looks like they are having a great yarn. This is awesome," one viewer wrote.
"Wouldn't be often you would get footage like this. Thank you for sharing.
One viewed added: "Amazing can't believe the tuatara just stayed there."
The tuatara are the last survivors of an order of reptiles that thrived in the age of the dinosaurs. Photo / Motuihe Island
The tuatara are rare, medium-sized reptiles found only in New Zealand. They are the last survivors of an order of reptiles that thrived in the age of the dinosaurs.
They are New Zealand's largest reptile, with adult males measuring up to about a half metre in length and weighing up to 1.5kg when fully grown.
The ancient reptile once lived throughout mainland New Zealand but now survive in the wild only on 32 offshore islands.
The little spotted kiwi is the smallest of the five kiwi species that are also now confined to offshore islands and one mainland sanctuary after formerly living freely around the North and South Island.
The Herald has contacted Motuihe Island conservationists for comment.
