23 Comments

  1. Saving Kiwis in Rotorua | Ali's Adventures
    June 11, 2012 @ 8:01 am

    […] are many other animals and plants to see at Rainbow Springs, the main attraction is the kiwis. Kiwis are endangered birds native to New Zealand, and the sanctuary is determined to protect them and […]

  2. Margyle
    April 4, 2012 @ 7:36 pm

    We did a camper van road trip of New Zealand a few years ago and seeing the Kiwis was the very last thing we did – so worth it.. they are such a weird little bird. It’s kind of a bittersweet memory too because we saw them at the Christchurch Kiwi House, which is right across from the Cathedral and just before the earthquake hit. Still, I remember going in and seeing the bird, it freaked out and started shrieking and the keeper telling us we were lucky because not many people hear that. Great end to an awesome trip!

    • Andrew
      April 5, 2012 @ 1:36 pm

      Nice story. Were you there for the earthquake too? Did it scream because of the quake?

  3. Laurence
    March 31, 2012 @ 9:47 pm

    I was in NZ for nearly a year before I finally got to see a Kiwi, and like you, it was in a sanctuary, although not the Rainbow Springs. That one is an excellent sanctuary though – I lived in Rotorua for a couple of months, and learnt about the great things that they do for Kiwi conservation.

    Kiwi are so darn cute.. and like you.. I have very little in the way of photographic proof to share! I was surprised as to how big they were though. And did I mention their cuteness yet? 😉

    • Andrew
      April 1, 2012 @ 1:54 pm

      I do think you mentioned the cuteness, but definitely worth multiple mentions. They are furry and have whiskers, its like a rolly polly bird-y cat.

      It was a great experience to hear about their efforts to save eggs.

  4. Laurel
    March 30, 2012 @ 12:36 am

    I had no idea that kiwis were nocturnal or endangered. Would love to see the chicks but understand how the flash would be a problem, sad that someone still decided to ignore the sign and take a photo anyway.

    • Andrew
      April 1, 2012 @ 1:52 pm

      Yup. The problem was not ignoring a sign as I understand it. But that they used to allow pictures without flash and the person didn’t have the right setting and it flashed anyway.

  5. Bret @ Green Global Travel
    March 29, 2012 @ 1:43 pm

    I admire them for wanting to protect the kiwis from the glare of camera flash, and am glad you were able to have a good time at the sanctuary regardless. My daughter would love those kiwi stuffed animals almost as much as the real thing!

    • Andrew
      April 1, 2012 @ 1:51 pm

      When I first arranged the tour, I was assured I would be able to take pictures. This issue they had sounded recent and they changed the rules. I was disappointed about that, but happy to have seen them. The stuffed animals were cute. They have a little tag saying “I saved a kiwi today” as I guess a bit of the proceeds go to a program. We saw another one on the desk at our hotel in town. We almost didn’t get them, but happy we decided too.

  6. Ali
    March 29, 2012 @ 12:04 pm

    That was a fun day. And I’m glad we were able to take 2 of them home 🙂

    • Andrew
      April 1, 2012 @ 1:49 pm

      Yup, glad to have you with me.

  7. Eileen W
    March 29, 2012 @ 9:50 am

    A good place in New Zealand to see Kiwi is Pukaha Mount Bruce http://www.pukaha.org.nz/ which is home to the rather famous white Kiwi Manukura and her white sibling Mauriora. The best place in the USA is our National Zoo in Washington DC. They have an excellent Meet a Kiwi program Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11 a.m. hosted by Keeper Kathy Brader. See http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Kiwi/default.cfm

    • Andrew
      April 1, 2012 @ 1:49 pm

      Thanks for the additional information Eileen. That is really helpful. I did find a number of kiwi sanctuaries around NZ, but only made it to Rainbow Springs.

  8. Christy @ Technosyncratic
    March 28, 2012 @ 7:49 pm

    I didn’t actually know what a kiwi bird looked like before this post! Too bad you couldn’t take photos of the chicks – I would have loved to see them.

    • Andrew
      March 28, 2012 @ 9:06 pm

      I had only seen pictures. I was just really excited to see them in real. It is a shame we couldn’t take pictures, but in the dark they might not have come out. I understand why you can’t flash though. The kiwi chicks really kind of look like little brown furry balls with a white stripe that moves as their beak.

  9. Sabrina
    March 28, 2012 @ 5:49 pm

    The little toys look so cute 🙂 I had no idea kiwi birds had such a long beak.

    • Andrew
      March 28, 2012 @ 9:04 pm

      Yeah, it is at once one of the longest and shortest beaks of birds. Apparently most birds have nostrils at the base, so the beak measure is normally nostrils to tip. Kiwis have the nostrils at the tip, so their measured beak is very short. I remember our guide talking about using the beaks to dig for grubs and such.

  10. Christy
    March 28, 2012 @ 4:28 am

    Baby Kiwis are so cute! I had no idea they were such unique birds.

    • Andrew
      March 28, 2012 @ 9:02 pm

      Our guide explained a lot and there were a bunch of info panels. The birds have a lot of mammalian traits, which is weird as there are no native mammals in New Zealand other than a single kind of bat. The kiwis kind of filled that roll.

  11. John of Travel Rinse Repeat
    March 28, 2012 @ 3:46 am

    I saw kiwis in a zoo (I think San Diego) where they had them in a ‘nocturnal’ habitat. After our eyes had adjusted, we could see their shadowy figures moving about the ground.

    • Andrew
      March 28, 2012 @ 9:01 pm

      Cool. I didn’t realize there were any outside of New Zealand. I have no clue how they get the well lit pictures, everything was so dark.

  12. DestinationSavvy
    March 28, 2012 @ 12:18 am

    Aren’t Kiwis adorable? Your trip looks like a lot of fun!

    • Andrew
      March 28, 2012 @ 9:00 pm

      They are indeed. Furry little balls.