Today was a travelling day. A short flight from Nelson to Christchurch, another short flight from Christchurch to Queenstown and a two-hour drive from Queenstown to Te Anau.

Domestic flights in New Zealand are more relaxed than in Canada. There was no security in Nelson. At the security checkpoint in Christchurch, we had to take out our electronics but liquids weren’t an issue. Passengers coming off one flight intermingle with those on their way to board another. Memories of days past.

We made a stop on the road from Queenstown to Te Anau (pronounced Tee Ann Oo, with the accent on the Ann) at Punanga Manu o Te Anau (Te Anau Bird Sanctuary). Vulnerable or injured birds that can be rehabilitated are released into the wild, but those birds who can’t be made whole are either kept at this sanctuary or sent to other “safe” places. Margaret, a sanctuary volunteer, took us on a short tour that was the envy of other visitors. We were allowed entry to the takahē enclosure!

Takahē with their beautifully iridescent feathers are flightless birds. This pair – Tumbles and Kawa – living here are a bit older and are infertile. However, they will raise chicks or nest on abandoned eggs found in the wild. Since the chicks will be raised in captivity, they are released to other sanctuaries or predator-free areas. Tumbles and Kawa came running when Margaret entered their enclosure. Food!!

Margaret also introduced us to two paradise shelducks who were very interested in her feed bucket. The male is the black one; the female has this wonderful white head and colourful brown feathers. They didn’t say “quack” but made odd high-pitched little babbley sounds. Being a babbler myself, I fell in love!

We also said hello to a couple of Antipodes Island kākāriki (“small green parrots” or parakeets), fluffy little things. This bird damaged its wing and cannot fly, so will live out its life in luxury in the bird sanctuary.

We nodded to an owl who was too shy to leave his shelter even with the inducement of food. I getcha buddy, sometimes that feels like the right thing to do!

I can’t resist adding this photo of a beautiful grass growing around the sanctuary. I think it is a toe toe grass. Please correct me if I am wrong. These magnificent flowers are so fetching!

Here’s a photo I neglected to post yesterday. The weka is quite a large flightless bird who wasn’t too worried about us on yesterday’s hike. He/she took up a position mid-path and stared us down for a while. Being aggressive humans, we won and the weka ran off to join his/her friend farther down the path. And then into the bush I presume. It was not unusual to see a weka on a hike, but it was still a surprise.