Zealandia twilight tour

It was a late night but a great night at Zealandia, the Karori wildlife sanctuary, yesterday for the guided after-hours twilight guided tour. And it was a suspiciously perfect capital evening too, with no wind. We saw the usual suspects - kaka, pied shags, tui and mallards, plus unfamiliar sights like saddlebacks and glow-worms. The kaka were particularly vigorous, swooping at speed down the bush paths, probably because they (wrongly) assumed we were the ones who were going to top up their sugar-water dispensers. 

After dark we detoured around tuataras soaking up the warmth from the concrete paths, and heard the kiwi calls in the distance. But the main attraction was being there with a trained guide and without the normal crowds during the day. Definitely worth a visit, particularly if you're a Zealandia member, because it's half-price. Bit of a late finish in summertime though - we didn't emerge until 9.45pm, and some of us (i.e. me) need our beauty sleep.

Kaka swoop

Pied shag coming in for spashdown

Pied shag mating dance, with juvenile male (L) attempting to join in

Male takahe, aged c.20

Tuatara on patrol along the main path