Tiri Tiri Matangi - for real this time.

A new day dawns and the weather looks splendid. Sunshine, very little wind, and a calm sea. Just what we need for our trip today.  

Down to the marina at Gulf Harbour to await our 360 Discovery Tour. 

Would be good if it was this boat. 

Just look at those Maori warriors on the prow.

But no, here comes our boat now...

Tiri Tiri is an island sanctuary that is predator free for birds.  Unfortunately Eric will not be with us today as no dogs are allowed on the island either, just in case they eat the poison put down for any potential bird predators that may arrive, and we wouldn't want him to be ill now would we!

We also had not realised that this week is still school holidays, so there are quite a few children about. 

After all our bio-security checks are done we're allowed to board the boat and set off into the Hauraki Gulf

Twenty minutes later we arrive at our destination. 

Following disembarkation those of us on a guided walk are split into smaller groups, each with a volunteer guide. They must have read our thoughts as the first thing they did was to split off the groups with children, giving each a guide (phew!). A choice of two distances is given for the guided hikes, we decide to go on the one with the least people.  Two Americans, us, a man come to test the foghorn and our guide - Roger. We set off up the Wattle Track to the lighthouse. Roger is very knowledgable about the birds, including their calls and ecology, and about the trees and plants. They ring (or band) all the birds here including colour ringing. So many have been done that they ran out of plain colours to use and are now using striped ones. They also DNA test all the birds. 

First birds spotted are a pair of Kakaraki (Red-crowned parakeets) flying just above us.  Then some Tieke (North Island Saddleback), that sound like a car starting up.  In pretty quick succession we see a Popokotea (Whitehead), Pukeko, North Island Robin, NZ Pigeon, Bellbird, Tui, quail, and Hihi (Stichbird). 

Bellbird

Stitch bird nesting box - the birds enter at the bottom on the side. The stitchbird are apparently very promiscuous and the nest is designed to prevent the incursion of other males.

Stichbird - sorry blurred photo as not able to download from camera yet so relying on phone camera.

Ditto - Saddleback

We also hear North Island Kokako, there are several breeding pairs here. A little further along the track we see an owl sitting in a tree above us, this is the Ruru (Morepork). 

No Rifleman or Fernbirds spotted though. 

The area with the Takahe in is taped off as the female is on the nest and they don't want them disturbed.  There are also little-spotted Kiwi on the island, but we won't see these as they forage at night and are very shy. 

We pass a Nikau Palm with three stages of flower formation from the same tree.

The birds love this plant.. A Kohwai

And this plant has flowers that come out in spiral 

Tree fern

The silver fern is used by Maori to guide a path in the night - you can see why as the canopy was quite dense but the least bit of light makes the back of the silver fern fronds shine. 

A Pohutukawa  tree that is 800 to 1000 years old

Some of the other forest trees:

Towara

Puriri

 And a koru - fern unfolding

Views along the way are pleasant in the extreme.  

There's also lighthouse

And the foghorn the man had come to test. We went to watch (listen?). Had to put fingers in ears, but even then the sound from the diphonic horn made the whole of your chest vibrate, even though it was much smaller than the old Nash Point lighthouse foghorn.

Inter-tidal - can you spot the crab.

A very relaxing day.