This past week has been incredible. From a blazingly quick surf trip to Christchurch to a four-day adventure-packed trip searching for sea lions in Rakiura, it has been a buzz. I'm still catching my breath.
The Rakiura trip was for an upcoming article in New Zealand Geographic and I got to work with Dunedin writer Bill Morris – a very clever, talented guy and a great sidekick to share this adventure with. At one point we were wandering around a moss and lichen-covered stretch of bush discussing the state of humanity (when we should have been tracking sea lion slides) when a little brown bundle of fluff skipped past us and jabbed its beak into the ground to sense vibrations from our footsteps.
It was the first time I have seen a kiwi, or tokoeka, in the wild. It was very chilled out so we silently and slowly moved to capture a few photographs of it. We had a decent few minutes to watch it until it nearly ran right over where I lay on the ground. It's hard to describe the buzz I had from that encounter – such a healthy looking specimen and full of character on its midday stroll.
We're not sure why this little tokoeka was out during daylight hours, but it seems to be quite commonplace in this part of the world. We saw heaps of sign over the next few days where they'd been foraging and drilling into banks and under moss.
Port Pegasus reminds me of what New Zealand might have once been like before the bush was cleared for farming. No roads, no infrastructure, no humans, just old forest storied with native flora and, every now and then, a sea lion pup and its mum taking it all in from a well-trampled nest perched up high on a ridgeline.
We'll let you know when that story is on the shelves – it's one not to be missed.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Lots of madness in the world right now and hardly a news story without a COVID-19 Coronavirus angle to it. The media mash-up seems to be driving people crazy. Australians won't have to worry about that underarm bowl anymore – the toilet paper obsession trumps that one. Just ridiculous, I feel embarrased for them. But we aren't immune either – I've seen trolleys filled with toilet paper here as well. Makes no sense but confirms humanity's sheep mentality. Yesterday I also saw people desperately shopping up a storm with non-perishables – the pasta aisle was completely cleaned out. I mean seriously? What about the granny who gets to the supermarket once a week for her Thursday risotto fix? This every man for himself approach is ugly. Come on New Zealand, this isn't how we do things. We're small enough to still care about each other, surely? Good luck out there ...
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