Travels of a Danventurer as a Young Man: Rainbow Springs Kiwi Bird Park

S’wacky and I went to the Kiwi Bird Park.

We used to go to a local amusement park as children and it was a big day when you were tall enough to go on all the rides. Since we always put safety first, we had to make sure we were big enough for the Big Splash.

Good news: We were tall enough
Bad news: The ride was closed.

Still, it was nice to walk among the trees, see all the animals, and relax around the beauty of creation.

Mute swan

Kiwis

The main attraction is the kiwis. Kiwis are one of a number of flightless birds
in New Zealand. The numbers of all flightless birds have fallen over the centuries
due to the introduction of western predators during the colonial period.

Our attempts to see them during the day were fruitless

Trekking

So of course, we had to come back at night when the official exhibit was open

The park does a great job taking care of the kiwis. First, they created large habitats so that the kiwis had enough room to forage and hide. Second, the park keeps the enclosure dark so it felt natural. Third, flash photography and noises are prohibited because they would scare the kiwis.

While I approve of the restrictions because they promote the birds' wellbeing, the limitations make it hard to see the kiwis. So, we went to a few of the different large pens and staked out the area trying to spot a kiwi. After fifteen minutes of seeing nothing, it started to get quite boring.

Where are all the kiwis?

Finally, after thirty minutes, we heard some rustling in one of the exhibits. After watching for ten minutes, we saw one slightly move in the distance. The other visitors and us formed a little community in which we would excitedly point and beckon each other to come over if any of us could see a kiwi. Over the next half hour, we proceeded to flit from habitat to habitat to watch each of the kiwis when they were visible and some actually came quite close.

The experience prompted a few thoughts:

1. Kiwis are awesome! I loved hearing them peck the ground and watching them scamper about. They beaks are so long and they put them all the way in the ground. I’m so glad we went back at night and waited them out. Examples are here and here, although our kiwi put their beaks deeper into the soil.

2. My (non-existent) dreams of pursuing a career as a private eye are over. I couldn’t sit still for fifteen minutes, much less hours on end waiting for something to happen without knowing if something ever will.

3. Sometimes the kiwis were only feet away from me, which was exciting. Yet, it did not stir within me a desire to go on an official birding trip. My grandparents went to New Zealand many years ago and stalked kiwis for hours on a beach just to catch a brief glimpse. That doesn't sound like fun to me.

Birds of Legend
The park also hosts representations of extinct birds.

Haast's eagle is the largest bird of prey ever. Wikipedia said it went extinct around
1400AD after its prey were hunted to extinction by the Maori.

How could a bird that big ever eat something large enough to keep it full?

The answer is that its prey was the moa - huge flightless birds. They can stand
over 12 feet high with their necks extended and weight over 500 pounds.