One of New Zealand’s largest kiwi translocations is underway in Waikato. But just reporting on it wasn’t enough for Waikato Herald journalist Danielle Zollickhofer: She rolled up her sleeves and got involved herself.
When Jennifer Grey aka Baby carried a watermelon in 1987, people got excited. But I got to carry a kiwi and let me tell you, I’ve had the time of my life.
When I jumped into the company car on the cold, but sunny Wednesday morning, little did I know how special the day would turn out to be.
Over the next seven weeks, 300 Kiwi would move out of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (SMM), located between Te Awamutu and Putāruru, to boost existing populations at Capital Kiwi in Wellington, Tongariro National Park and at a third location that is yet to be announced.
To me, it was already special enough to cover this translocation for the Waikato Herald because hello, when else does one get to be this close to such a New Zealand icon?
But I didn’t quite expect to be able to help with the translocation process.
I am originally from Germany and moved to New Zealand in 2021. I grew up knowing what kiwi were, but I only ever saw them on TV or in my school books.
The first time I saw a real kiwi was in 2019 at Te Puia, Rotorua’s geothermal park - I was on my OE and had vowed to myself I wouldn’t go home without having seen a kiwi.
The nocturnal kiwi enclosure at Te Puia was dark (obviously), and the numerous ferns and leaves turned locating the birds into an exciting puzzle à la Where’s Wally.
Last Wednesday’s kiwi translocation also involved lots of Where’s Wally Kiwi-puzzles, however, the ones tasked with solving them - this time in 4D - were the numerous volunteers out and about in the forest of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
Accompanied by SMM visitor experience manager Tali Jellyman and SMM general manager Helen Hughes I made my way into the forest.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is surrounded by a 47km pest-proof fence, so I felt a bit like I was entering Jurassic Park when we stepped through the special gates.
We were greeted by a serenade of native birdsong, but apart from that, the forest was very calm and peaceful - quite a change from the bustling office in Hamilton.
It wasn’t long until we came across a volunteer, Leo, who carried a cardboard box with precious cargo: a kiwi.
In response to the question how heavy the box with the kiwi was, I was told I could carry it for a bit.
I got so excited, I forgot the emphasis had been on “for a bit”.
I could hear and feel the bird rustling in the box from time to time as we made our way to SMM’s education centre, where all kiwi received a quick health check before their big journey.
The bird was lighter than I anticipated, but I could feel the responsibility weighing heavy on my shoulders and I pushed away a series of intrusive thoughts along the lines of ‘What would happen if I tripped right now’.
The education centre was super busy, with volunteers coming and going to drop off more kiwi for their health checks. Despite the hustle and bustle, you could hear a pin drop.
Everybody tried to be as quiet and calm as possible, whispering or staying silent to not frighten the nocturnal birds.
However, the big smiles on people’s faces were much louder than any words could have been.
Everyone involved seemed to be so thrilled to do their part in helping to relocate the kiwi to their new homes and ultimately help conserve the species.
A quick examination revealed the kiwi I had carried was a healthy female. All birds that are being translocated were hatched within SMM’s forest and were considered wild, so they don’t have any names.
After the health check, each bird was loaded into a purpose-built, wooden travel box. The boxes with the birds, much like Baby Houseman, were then put into a corner, until they were ready for departure.
Kiwi are usually flightless birds, but Wednesday’s cohort of 19 was part of a special sub-species that took to the sky: They were transported to their new home in Wellington via plane.
Before the birds were loaded into vans to go to Hamilton Airport, all volunteers gathered on the edge of the forest to pause for a moment and send the kiwi off with a karakia.
It was just a small moment, but it felt significant. Everybody paused to let the importance of the work sink in.
There was a sense of unity in the air, a feeling that everybody worked together for something bigger than oneself.
As the birds were buckled into the vans, it became evident that there weren’t enough seats for all the kiwi.
“Is anybody going to the airport and has a car that is big enough for four kiwi?”, I hear somebody ask.
Without thinking twice if there is a company car policy about special cargo, I put my hand up.
Accompanied by Tali [of SMM] I was making my way to Hamilton.
It was a very slow drive because of the kiwi on board, but because they don’t make stickers for that (yet), I am pretty sure the drivers sitting in the queue of traffic behind us were seriously questioning my driving capabilities.
At the airport, we helped our passengers board their planes and waved as the flightless birds took off to their new home.
Danielle Zollickhofer is a multimedia journalist and assistant news director at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.
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