Luke and Joel meet their first wild (and a bit grumpy) kiwi

At a little past 8am, we set off walking with David and Deb Harrington. I was excited, and so was my son Joel. Our mission was to locate Spike. At 20 years old, Spike is a male kiwi, and in a few months’ time he will be faithfully sitting on an egg. Today we would find him using an antenna that picked up the signal from his locator transmitter, and we would replace this transmitter with one holding fresh batteries.

Joel and I have helped with baiting predator traps along a nearby track, and so were familiar with the Save Our Kaweka Kiwi project, but today was exciting because neither of us had ever encountered a kiwi in the wild. Down slippery tracks, up steaming hills, across icy streams and through dewy bush, we pushed onwards for a couple of hours.

Occasionally David would check on Spike’s whereabouts by pulling out the antennae. The antenna looked some sort of orange towel rail and seemed almost perfectly designed to snag on scrub and overhanging branches! When it was folded out and switched on, all I could hear was static. But, sure enough, a remote blipping sound was enough to convince the Harringtons we were on the right track. The volume knob was on 7, and we could barely hear it. Soon we came across circles in the forest floor. Deb pointed out that this was kiwi sign, their foraging beaks making the distinctive round marks.

After a little bit of muttering and double checking of the antennae, we headed off the track and down a steep hillside. We were getting closer! The signal was now louder – audible at 6. As we pushed and grunted and spluttered through, under and over the scrubby branches, the excitement began to build. The antenna was pulled out, and soon the signal was reading 5.5. This meant we must be close!

The terrain was now tough going; we sidled our way past a cliff. I had no idea what to look out for, and when the antenna was pulled out for a listen, it seemed to now be making a louder signal from behind us. Much like a game of “hot and cold”, we had gone too far. After retracing our steps, and with some back and forth, Deb’s keen eyes noticed a hole at the foot of the cliff. Sure enough, David peered inside and saw movement.

From that point, a careful excavation operation began. David dug a small access chute, and with some gallant stretching and grunting, he got his hand around the legs of a kiwi. I was thrilled to see him pull out this creature, full of energy and a little brassed off to be dragged out of its home. However, as he pulled out the bird, he swore in disappointment. Apparently, this was Mrs Spike, and we had rudely interrupted a cosy Saturday morning sleep in! Before long, Spike himself was retrieved from the hole, and Mrs Spike was returned to bed. By way of apology, David set about repairing the tunnel.

Deb busied herself replacing Spike’s transmitter, putting the bird headfirst into a canvas bag. I wondered whether this was to conceal our identity in case of retribution, but apparently this is to protect their eyes.

With the transmitter replaced, and Spike measured, weighed and logged, Joel and I were offered a quick hold and photo. It was quite surreal holding our national bird and was a huge privilege. These beautiful birds are special creatures, and it was clear why they needed our help. It was clear from Spike’s stroppy behaviour that he didn’t want our help though, so after a couple of quick snaps he was returned to his freshly repaired home where he could be at peace for a while.

We returned to the car with tired muscles and full hearts. It was a joy to take part in this journey. This work takes hours of volunteer time, and I’m thankful to the Harringtons and to the other volunteers that help in this operation. I’m thankful that we had a wonderful trip, but also thankful that, because of the Save Our Kaweka Kiwi operation, the next generation of New Zealanders stand a much better chance of randomly encountering a kiwi in the wild one day.

Story by Luke Buxton