TOSSI – Key to kiwi spotting

Kiwi spotting is an activity that everyone will remember, and a unique experience for people from out-of-town, children and overseas visitors. There are about 300 Northland brown kiwi living on our doorstep at Tāwharanui Regional Park and a few simple steps will increase the chance of seeing our national taonga.

Firstly, choose a still, quiet night to help you hear the kiwi as they move through the undergrowth. Kiwi are active for about 12 hours each night, starting to venture out just after dusk. Ensure you’re entering the park before 7pm in winter and 9pm in summer, before the gates close (you can get out at any time).

Kiwi are more active from April to September when the males come off nests and forage for longer periods. When they are on a nest, the males only eat for about three hours a night.

Bring a good red torch, and if you have access to a red spotlight or thermal imaging binoculars – even better. If you don’t have a red torch, improvise by putting red cellophane over your torch or phone. Kiwi can’t see red light, but white light is too bright for their sensitive eyes.

Sighting is usually successful in the Ecology Trail or at Fisherman’s Track, but kiwi are everywhere including the campground, on the roads and in the paddocks. In summer, they are more likely to be active around the creek on the Ecology Trail or near other water, where the ground is softer and they can probe to feed more easily. Please remember to stay on the tracks and be respectful.

Once you’re starting to look, the secret is to be quiet and patient. Wear soft soled shoes, walk with soft steps and don’t talk. Listen, listen, listen for the birds rummaging around in the undergrowth. They make a huge amount of noise as they move around on stompy feet to forage. You may even hear them snorting to clear the dirt out of the nostrils at the end of their beak!

Once you have found a bird, stop and train your red torch on it, and if you remain quiet it may come right up to you – simply oblivious! Kiwi have an exceptional sense of hearing, so stay as still and be as quiet as you can. Remember not to get too close to a bird, and don’t do anything that may be detrimental or invasive to it. If you are not sure, don’t do it.

Most people are surprised at just how big these birds are, and once you have seen a few you may be able to differentiate between the two sexes. Females are significantly larger than the males, and have longer beaks. Listen for the guttural calls of the females compared to the clear shrieks of the males (not to be confused with a ruru call). You will also be amazed by the beautiful calls of the many other birds setting down at dusk, especially the kaka and, later in the night, you may hear the Cooks petrel travelling back from fishing.

Kiwi spotting is absolutely magical. The combination of the stars, the sound of the sea and the beauty of the bush at night will be an experience that is not quickly forgotten.