Herons, Kiwis and Glaciers (Nov 4-7)

Part I: The Birds

It was still raining when we finally headed towards Franz Joseph Glacier where we'd booked ahead three nights in the heavy tourist area. We stopped at Whataroa to confirm our booking on Friday's White Heron Colony Tour, then drove on in. Low clouds still obscured our view, but after unloading the car we headed out anyway to have a look around. The drive through town revealed much less tourist action than we anticipated and could by no means be described as busy.

From the Glacier Access car park, we decided to do one or two short walks, but were compelled to continue all the way out to the glacier face in the cool rain. We immediately liked the rainforest juxtaposed with snow and ice. Waterfalls were all around the deep glacial valley and as the clouds lifted, even more were revealed. Suddenly a deep and echoing "crack" filled the valley as ice dropped off the glacier, producing a waterfall right on the glacier face. Competing for our attention, chunks of rock tumbled from the steep mountain of lateral moraine to our right, a little close for Susan's comfort. But we were well within the DOC yellow ropes defining the safe area, which was modified frequently as glacier conditions changed.

Just outside of the village we grabbed dinner. The local pub filled with regular Joe's served simple fare, and the proprietor kept everybody in line with her friendly banter.

With two birding tours booked, Friday would be a long day, so we slept in. The first tour out of Whataroa (pronounced Phataroa) was to see the only nesting colony of White Herons, or Kotuku in New Zealand. These are not the same species as the White Heron in the US, although the English common names are the same. The area around the nesting colony is protected and the only way to see it is through this DOC-concessioned tour, which limits the number of visitors per tour as well as the number of tours per day. To get to the colony, a short bus ride took us to the jetty where we boarded a jetboat. The agile little craft weaved its way through the shallow and braided Waitangi Taona River surrounded by thick bush giving way to ocean views near the end.



Click here for larger images of the White Heron colony with captions.

The easy forest boardwalk lead to an elevated blind providing fantastic visibility of the birds. Royal Spoonbills and Little Shags also nested here, but only the White Herons, their fancy breeding plumage flowing in the breeze, had chicks. We had plenty of time to watch and photograph, but would have stayed longer if it were allowed. On the way back our guide pointed out the almost inconspicuous Green Hooded Orchids along the path.

It had been sprinkling or threatening to do so all day, but after the Kotuku tour it started to pour in earnest. Hoping for finer weather, we drove on to Okarito Lagoon to look for more birds then check in with the operator of our evening Kiwi tour.

The Okarito Kiwi or Rowi, is the classified as "nationally critical" by conservationists. The most rare of all kiwis, all 350 remaining birds all live near the Okarito Lagoon. As with so many New Zealand birds, introduced mammals are their bane, with Stoats being the main problem in this area. Our guide, Ian, explained a bit about the birds and how our group of eight would need to work hard as a team to spot them. We then listened to a tape to familiarize ourselves with their calls, and the calls of other birds. On a dry erase board he outlined the territories of various kiwi pairs. Jim and Beaumont live closest to the car park. Further in are White Eyes and Husky, and recent widow (or widower?) BZ (pronounced Bee Zed, although I doubt the bird will mind if you don't get it right). Amazing that anybody knew so much about the daily affairs of the threatened little birds, but Ian was clear that he did nothing to interfere with their lives as he observed them.

When we arrive at the tour site, Ian strapped on a transponder device attached to a crazy looking apparatus he held that reminded me of a TV antenna painted bright blue. Since kiwi spotting is serious business, I resisted the urge to say "Who you gonna call?" but the Ghostbusters theme earworm stuck with me all night anyway. After more instruction on how to walk softly in the night and what his various signals mean, Ian looks around and selects Mike for his co-guide. This means that Mike also gets to carry a red flashlight, as well as a radio. Two other people also get radios so we can stay in touch after dark in the bush. Everyone gets a torch, but these are not to be used until our way out. Most everyone is wearing a bush hat with a bug net so it is difficult to tell who is who. Half the group is German, and a single UK woman rounds out the team. After about 20 minutes of hiking in the bush, Ian instructs us to wait and he will go on ahead to try to locate birds with his festive looking equipment.

We watch him walk out of sight ahead of us at dusk, and start to wonder if this is a snipe hunt. But wait, Mike's radio is getting a signal - Ian instructs us to continue waiting, but tells Mike to give us a heads up. We might need to grab 3-4 chairs from a box hidden in the bush to our left. Umm, okay. Curious giggly looks are passed between group members, and for unknown reasons one of the German guys who doesn't speak much English turns around and heads in the opposite direction. "Crackle" - it is Ian again - "Don't bother with the chairs, walk together toward me as a group." It turns out we might have used the chairs to help us wait quietly if a bird was detected near the clearing ahead. But we kept walking hoping to get closer to one of the little whiskered birds.

Klaus caught up with us again before we found Ian and shortly after we heard Husky calling unmistakably in the night. Kiwis call in the night to find each other, and with particular excitement once they connect. They mate for life, and Ian admits some regret with his prior involvement in a relocation program moving birds to predator free islands to save the species because pairs were unwittingly split up. Throughout the evening, Ian positioned us here and there in small groups or individually to listen hard, but we never did spot a kiwi in the bush. We walked out the long way, hoping to see Jim or Beaumont to no avail, but when we arrived at the car park at almost 11PM, Ian had a signal that Jim was close. We spent the next hour near the side of the road standing still in the cool night air with red lights looking for Jim, who we all heard foraging in the bush a few yards from our feet. But we never saw the flighty guy and at midnight, after almost 5 patient and cold hours, we called it a night.

Franz Josef Glacier

Part II: The Ice

Gillespies Beach

Saturday we slept in then headed out to spend the day exploring Fox Glacier. On the way, we stopped briefly at Franz Joseph to appreciate the view from Sentinel Peak in better weather, then headed out the narrow windy road to Fox.

After a quick brunch at Hobnail Cafe, we headed west of Fox for a better perspective of the glacier and the mountains. The Peaks Viewpoint had one of those stations with a moveable pointer that shows the exact location of various peaks, but unfortunately most of the peaks were not peeking out because of clouds. We did appreciate a fine view of the Glacier.

To the east the sky appeared blue, so we went out even further west to explore Gillespie Beach where brilliant turquoise waters pushed against a beach of round gray stones. Turn 180 degrees and there were the southern alps, with farmlands and then rainforest in between. What an incredible landscape.



Click here for larger images with captions.

Back at Fox Glacier, we did the one hour Glacier View Walk which included some stream crossings and lots of warning signs. The glaciers move quickly here, as glaciers go, and the faces tend to be quite unstable. Another little walk across a glacial river, then back to Franz Joseph. Six Paradise Shelduck chicks huddled in the road and wouldn't move so Susan had to get out of the car to shoo them away. After this roadside episode and a similar one at Nugget Point, we're starting to believe that Parries don't make very good parents!

Back in the "big city", we took in the local Helimax movie to get a feel for the helicopter ride we'd decided not to take. It was good footage, but a meh production with a poor quality print long overdue for replacement and therefore a bit overpriced.

Reflections of Mt Tasman and Mt Cook on Lake Matheson

Sunday we drove out to Lake Matheson to appreciate the "postcard" view of Mt Cook/Aoraki under clear morning skies. The walk around the lake was great with several outstanding viewpoints. Near the trail's end, we lingered to watch a Pukeko family. It seemed the birds were living communally, with one remaining perched on the nest while three others took turns feeding the chicks.

Lake Matheson Cafe made a perfect lunch spot with its glacier and mountain views. We headed back and did the Fox Glacier View trail and a couple other short walks before returning to Franz Joseph.

On the Kotuku tour we had noticed a trailhead near the jetty. We did some research and learned it was the Waitangitaona Wetland Walk, an easy wetland walk, which seemed worthy way to spend the rest of the afternoon. The bird we added to our New Zealand list here was not the bitterns or grebes we'd expected, but a curious little New Zealand Pipit who visited us on the boardwalk. Back at the car Susan walked across to the jetty area to have a peek and spotted a couple of Gray Warblers right in the open flitting around on the outside edges of a bushy tree. We had heard them often in the bush, but this was an unusual opportunity to get a great look at them. Luckily the little guys hung around long enough for Mike to catch up with the camera.

By now it was late and the cafes closed, so we revisited the little local pub on the north end of town. This time we had the opportunity to chat with the proprietor who joined us to apologize for the drunken whitebaiters sitting behind us. "They are good customers and hard workers, who come every year for their only holiday during the whitebait fishing season." She was the first to mention the other reason DOC is so keen to air drop the controversial 1080 poison - the possums also carry TB, which means a concern for humans as well as cattle and tourism. World Cup was on TV with a Kiwi leading in rowing, which had everybody pumped. The conversation moved to the economy, and the recession is still affecting this corner of New Zealand. Mike asked why Kiwis, facing high taxes and tough economic times, are still so happy. Her response was kiwi obvious -- "It wouldn't do any good not to be, would it!?"

With that bit of sage advice, we headed back for a good night's sleep, for the next day we leave for Haast.