I Saw a Kiwi in the wild!

 With very little wind, I decided to stay in the Limestone Island anchorage and go for a hike on the island.  Limestone Island was the site of a Portland Cement factory in the late 1800s to 1920s and the ruins of the factory are still evident.

The remains of the Portland Cement plant. Note the goats in the shade under the trees.

The Cement Plant Managers house ruins

The hike around the island began at a dock by the old cement plant ruins and primarily ran around the shoreline.  Much of the walk was along the limestone beach shelf but at the south end of the island a series of short boardwalks cut across a swampy area.  While walking in the boardwalk area, I rounded a corner and spotted a Kiwi on the trail just in front of me.  It did not seem to have heard or seen me so I was able to get several photos of it before it realised I was there and it quickly disappeared into the grasses.

A Kiwi in the wild at 2:30 in the afternoon.  So much for them only being active at night.

Kiwis have been introduced to the island as part of a breeding program because it has been cleared of pests and closely monitored for predators, mostly rats and stoats swimming over from the mainland.  Each year 8 month old Kiwi chicks hatched on the island are collected to be reintroduced to other safe areas in New Zealand.

After walking almost completely around the shoreline I reached the old managers house pictured above.  From here a trail branched off to go to the highest point of the island.  I headed up that trail to get a better view of the area.

The view looking south from the highest point of the island.  Note the ship at the still operating cement plant on the mainland.

The view towards the ocean.  The furthest hill is an island just offshore and the hill to the left is the northern entrance point of the Whangārei river.

The hike was only about 7 kilometres long however it did have many good points with the highlight of spotting a Kiwi in the wild.