What a fantastic experience!

We were part of a group of 9, which I thought would be too large to have a chance to see a kiwi. After being issued with torches, dayglo safety vests and head-nets, our instructions were given -- quiet, no movement, stay in a line, no sound or gesturing. Mike was adamant that we followed instructions, and we practiced several times. Once he was convinced we were prepared, off we went. We walked on the road that led to Okarito while Mike used the antenna to pick up signals. Several times, he thought one of the males was close, only to have a car pass by and the kiwi stopped. After nearly 2 hours, a male called loudly, maybe 5 meters in front of us. We stood silently and without moving, in the dark. Then Mike pointed his red-filtered light onto the edge of the road, indicating where the kiwi would emerge. The bird emerged and ran across the road, near the one end of the line of us, giving us a look of less than 10 seconds. 'Run' is used loosely -- it looked more like it was off balance or needed a hip replacement. We only heard and saw the one male, but it was a wonderful experience. Mike clearly knew his stuff and his insistence that we comply with appropriate behavior paid off. Other than South Island Robin, no other birds were seen or heard. As long as anyone participating understands and is prepared to follow the 'rules', I would highly recommend this activity to see one of the world's very rare bird species!

Reviewed over 6 years ago