Tiritiri Matangi 9.25.2009

Tiritiri Matangi island was colonized by the English in the early 1800s. The settlers claimed the land from the native Maori tribe because of its ideal location in the Hauraki Gulf for a lighthouse. Later, they used the island for farming.

It became government property and was named an open nature reserve in the 1980s. Since the designation, Tiritiri Matangi has been under a continuous restoration project to repopulate the island with native flora and fauna.

The island has been a success story for several species of birds, including the takahe (pictured right) and spotted kiwi. Though the kiwi is New Zealand's bird of national pride, their numbers are dwindling. The takahe, a relatively large, flightless bird, has an estimated population around 200.

The conservation efforts on Tiritiri have given both species a home with native food sources and free from predators. Several species of birds on the island have grown significantly in numbers and allowed for some of them to be relocated to parkland on the main island.

It was glorious hiking the island. Given it was a weekday and rainy in the morning, there were only a dozen or two other visitors. I ventured off on my own, taking note of the blue penguin nest boxes by the shore, and walked along the beach by the turquoise water. I made it to a boardwalk birdwalk and walked along the path. Every once in a while, there would be a small sitting area to watch the birds from. There were also signs posted with images and names of the various birds, so they were easy to identify.

The rain clouds blew away and made way for a sunny afternoon. As I continued hiking around the perimeter of the island, I came across a group of women who were admiring some of the flowers next to the path. They invited me to join them. Apparently, the five women were all tour guides. With the small group visiting that day, they were left without anything to do and opted to walk around themselves. As we walked along they continued to stop and point out recent acquisitions and changes to the plant life. After a while, I cut ahead of the group and continued on my own.