TRAVEL
The kids and I were super excited as we
booked in with Cougar Line, our water
taxi choice for the day. Cougar Line were
taking us out to explore Kaipupu Point
for a couple of hours. The trip takes only
10 minutes, but such a treat on a lovely
sunny day. Pulling out of the mooring
at Picton and heading out into the
Marlborough Sounds is one of the most
magical experiences ever! Looking back
over the picturesque township of Picton
or looking out over the bow towards the
Sounds is just breathtaking, no matter
how many times you have experienced
it before. On our way out, we had a
family of seals swimming at the end of
the moorings. We couldn’t help feeling
as though they were waving us off. Ten
minutes later, we were climbing off the
boat onto the Dolphin Bay Jetty, excited
about what we may see over the next
two hours.
Kaipupu Wildlife Sanctuary is a
‘Mainland island’ in Picton harbour and
was created as a sanctuary in 2005 to
protect and enhance our New Zealand
wildlife. This 40-hectare sanctuary is
managed entirely by volunteers. In
2008, with the support of local business,
a 600-metre-long predator-proof
fence was built. The walking track was
completed in 2013 and the Kaipupu
Wildlife Sanctuary was officially opened
to the public in March 2013.
More recently Kaipupu Point Sounds
Wildlife Sanctuary became a ‘crèche’ for
Rowi kiwi. These birds were transferred
from Ōkārito forests in early Autumn
and will return home to the forests in
late Spring as part of the Department of
Conservation’s Operation Nest Egg.
Rachel, the project coordinator, armed
us with ‘A Kids’ guide to KAIPUPU
Wildlife Sanctuary and the Marlborough
Sounds’ booklet, a task the kids took
very seriously, marking off the plants
they saw. We found the Rangiora (the
girls very excited to tell me why it is
also called the bushman’s friend!),
Kawakawa, Mānuka, Beech, Makomako
and Tree Ferns. Then it was time to
spot the birds and any creatures we
could find. With my background in
Entomology, I was excited to see in
the first Weta Motel a weta! We were
thrilled by the beautiful sound of two
tui singing above our heads. Many
times, we had fantails playing on the
path or darting around chasing insects.
Every penguin breeding box we saw we
approached quietly for a peek inside,
and to our great excitement about
half-way in, a fluffy beautiful Rowi kiwi
was staring back at us. We were all
instantly in love. How special it was!
Further up the path we recognised the
kiwi footprints in the sandpit, and sure
enough, not too far ahead in another
nesting box were two Rowi kiwis,
which we liked to believe were Dusk
and Dawn, the newest members to the
crèche. Next, we saw two little blue
penguins huddled up together. We were
so happy and feeling very proud that
we got to see these little guys up so
close. Our final excitement before
heading home was standing quietly
watching three kererū soaking up
the last of the winter’s day sun while
feeding on some leaves.
Cruising past Kaipupu Point on our way
home, we were all smiles and feeling
like the luckiest people in the world.
Susie x
Follow the Unlikely Kiwi and her family travels: www.susiewilliams.co.nz/blog-1
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