25.1.11 – Birds, alive and dead

First of all there was the Moa – huge flightless bird, with a long neck and tiny head – not much brains methinks.  He roamed with his smaller relatives until 500 years ago. We first met him outside the museum cafe – he must have been feeling peckish (Ouch!).  The museum covers Pacific cultures and wildlife.  A huge whale skeleton, stretching from end to end of the gallery, numerous carved items, many pretty fierce and usually with staring eyes and tongues stuck out.  Sometimes the tongue was so long it reached to the forehead.  They reckon first wave of immigration to these islands was in 1200AD.  The Maoris arrived about 1500, the Europeans in the 1900’s.  So it is a country of immigrants and this is how it is officially portrayed in the history and publicity.  A magnificent polished wood ceremonial canoe alongside pictures of sailing ships drove this concept home. 

Next up was the Albatross.  Emma had booked a fantastic trip for us, up to the tip of the peninsula which forms one side of the long sea loch leading to Dunedin.  This is where the world’s only breeding colony of albatrosses on a mainland country is to be found – all the rest breed on deserted islands well out to sea.  And they are absolutely huge.  Their wingspan is over 9 feet from tip to black tip.  Their heavy bodies are snow white, their beaks pink.  They mate for life, and raise one chick every two years.  We watched from an observation platform as one partner landed to take over child minding duties.  After much beak rubbing, the other at last took off soaring lazily into the sky.  S/he will be gone for one or two days, cruising the Pacific rollers in search of squid.

And now for the penguins.  We moved to another building even further up the precarious hill.  Garbed in green waterproof coats, we packed ourselves into small buggies, and set off through pot holes, boulders and up and down more or less perpendicular mud holes and slippery slopes.  First, we stopped at a New Zealand fur seal colony.  They are a little larger than our seal, are clad in cosy chocolate brown fur coats, and walk like sea lions (to whom they’re related) rather than the belly flops of our own Grey Seals.  The babies played wild rough and tumble games in a surf filled pool, occasionally told off by a parent, which didn’t stop them for long.  And then the Golden Eyed penguins - very rare, and just visible on a deserted beach on which no humans have been allowed to walk for over 11 years.  And again the tiny Blue Penguins, hiding in little rock caves at the side of the path, sharp little black beaks just visible.

Then back to take Emma, her friends Carol and Rowan out for dinner.  No more birds there as we all had fish, lamb or beef.  And this is farewell to our friend Emma, whom we met in Millport when she was on a one year visit, and who helped us establish Craft Club I used to run for the children living on or visiting our island.  I also well remember her running spinning demonstrations which fascinated the tourists in what is now the Cumbrae Laundry.  Fond farwells and packing marked the end of this phase of our adventures.