Otorohanga

We have a nice R&R day here after yesterday’s long drive.  Robert had his hair cut by the appropriately named “Sean the Barber”.  In the afternoon we walked to the local Kiwi House to see some kiwis.  This Kiwi House has 2 pairs of kiwis on display.  Because kiwis are only awake for about 4-6 hours each day, they operate a morning shift and an afternoon shift.  We were lucky enough to see the kiwis being fed – a mixture of sliced ox heart, banana, vitamins and oatmeal, which resembles the earthworms they like to eat.  As their enclosure is open to the ground below, they also get a good supply of naturally occurring earthworms.  Kiwis lay the largest eggs of any birds on a weight for weight basis.  Females are larger than males and the one we saw was about 35cm high.  Their eggs are about 15cm long and they are incubated for 70-80 days by the males. Unlike most birds, the chicks hatch with their adult plumage.  Kiwis are flightless birds related to the Australian emus.  They have very small wings and very fine feathers that look a bit like coarse fur.  Since kiwis are nocturnal, we weren’t able to take any photos.  The other attractions here include a number of endangered species.  Most kiwi houses in New Zealand participate in captive breeding programs in an attempt to save endangered species.  We were able to see some tuatara, several types of geckoes and many different birds.  We saw cheeky, curious kea – there are only a few hundred of these large ground dwelling parrots left in the wild.  We also saw the large wood pigeon, which looks like it’s wearing a white singlet and the pukeko water hen with its blue head and red beak.  It was a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon.  Unfortunately we missed out on the National Shearing Championships in nearby Te Kuiti– we only found out about them after they had finished – maybe next time….