B and G in New Zealand: Gulf Harbour/Tiritiri Mantangi Island 2016

Our flat in Gulf Harbour was very close to the Tiritiri Matangi Island ferry pier.

Tiritiri Matangi Island Ferry

We visited a great Farmer’s Market and Tawharanui Regional Park on our first day in New Zealand in Matakana which is about an hour north of Gulf Harbour.

The market was one of the best we have been to: with live entertainment (a Kiwi bluegrass band singing about Kentucky), fresh juice bar, sushi, coffee, cheeses, breads, chocolates and veggies. We even found lemon grass and Chinese water spinach. Tawharanui Regional Park had a predator free fence that cars drive through.

Great recycling

Kiwi blue grass band singing about Kentucky

We visited Tiritiri Matangi Island 3 days. With just a 20 minute ferry ride you arrive at this scientific reserve, a wildlife sanctuary and one of New Zealand’s most important and successful conservation projects. This 545 acre island was once cleared for pastures. Many species lost their homes and left the island. Since the land became a sanctuary, some of the rarer native birds, including the saddleback, stitchbird, kokako, whitehead, little spotted kiwi, takahe, North Island robin, brown teal, North Island fernbird and the rifleman have been reintroduce to Tiri. Also successfully introduce are the giant weta, Duvaucel’s gecko, and shore skink.

The bird we were most interested in hearing and seeing is the kokako. We had no luck the first day. though we were able to see many saddlebacks, hihi and the takahe. The second time we went after lunch another visitor spotted one near the visitor center. We were able to get great pictures, but the kokako made no sounds. On the walk back down the hill to the ferry we heard what we had been waiting for. The kokako gave us a great show.

The hiking on the many tracks around the island was beautiful and well maintained by DOC.