Did you know that NZ has no native mammals? Well, all this and more was to be learned at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.
In Willowbank, we saw a lot of NZ's native species, and some introduced species. Some native species are the pukeko, the kiwi, the kea, and the tuatara, which can live to be almost 200 years old and are NZ's living fossils. The only thing that has changed about the tuatara is that the spines on their backs are now softer. Even though kea(the only alpine parrot in the world) are rarer, kiwis get all the glory. Perhaps it is because kiwis are NZ's most ancient living bird, or because kea will chew the seats off of bikes, motorbikes, and convertibles in Arthur's Pass. Maybe it is for both of these reasons. We also saw eels. They were New Zealand longfin eels. These eels can hold their breath for up to 8 hours so that they can wriggle over land. We also saw other things such as wallabies, NZ wood pigeons, monkeys, pigs, and many others.
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| Pukeko- my mom's favorite NZ bird |
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| New Zealand has lots of problems with invasive and introduced species; both plant and animal because they have no natural predators. |
Finally, after hiking through the reserve, having a kea land on my shoulder, looking at... you guessed it, kiwis, and attending a Maori performance, we attended a 4 course hangi meal. Hangi means a pit where food is cooked on stones. This is the traditional way that the Maori cook their food. You can find out even more about Willowbank in my post from 2014.
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| You can see why pukeko are called swamp hens |
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| Eels were a food source for the Maori and are culturally significant |
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| Two kea landed on my shoulders and their claws were sharp! |
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| Enticing kea with honey |
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| The native NZ wood pigeon- they were a food source for the Maori |
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| Tuatara are so cool. The guide said they are living fossils. |
