Somes Island....

A couple months ago you may remember that, on our way to visit Somes Island (in Wellington Harbour), we became stranded in Seatoun (due to big waves) and had to find alternative transportation to get home. That day we were given a voucher so we could visit Somes Island at another time. Well, cutting it a little bit close, as the voucher was about to expire, we ventured out to explore the island last weekend. We boarded the Dominion Post ferry and twenty minutes later we arrived to find a lush and beautiful little part of NZ that we had yet to explore. With camera and tripod in tow we set out on the walking path and quickly climbed up through a paddock complete with sheep. I had to laugh. They were lounging under a tree in the shade, chewing their cud with their eyes shut. To be honest they looked a little special but seemed completely happy. :)

We kept to the path, climbed down some stairs and took in several gorgeous scenic views including an old lighthouse.

On the way to the lighthouse we were brave and checked out the "Weta Hotel". Wetas (and giant wetas) are native to NZ and make me think of a strange kind of grasshopper/cricket. 

The "Hotel" that we saw was a series of small wells cut into a tree trunk and covered with plexiglass. That way you could see the weta inside if they decided to rest there before climbing out the hole in the side of the tree. Weird.

We stopped to take pictures of various plants along the way and met one of the rangers, Mike.

Chatting with him for a bit we then came upon a group of people obviously peering at something down the brush-covered hillside. It was like visiting Yellowstone all over again. You'd know if there was an animal close by because you'd see the cars piled up and people walking around to get the best view. Being so familiar the island he immediately knew what was afoot. For the first time in NZ we saw a tuatara, NZ native reptile, in the wild! It was unbelievable!!!

Mike then beckoned us to follow him and in hushed tones said he was taking us to a part of the island that is off limits to visitors on the the condition that we didn't tell anyone. Tim and I looked at each other and nodded our assent thinking, "Is this for real?". After trekking for a few minutes we left the train and hiked up a few meters into the brush where I immediately smacked the top of my head on a low hanging branch. Rubbing head and feeling like an idiot I looked over to see a blue penguin nesting box. The pain and embarrassment was immediately forgotten. In an effort to protect the little blues and see their numbers thrive there has been a massive movement in NZ to strategically place nesting boxes to protect the parents, eggs and chicks. My original hope when venturing to Somes Island was to see a blue penguin but at this time of year they are not to be found on the island. So when Mike opened to box we were astounded to see a blue penguin chick looking out at us!!! We were told that he or she was a rare late spring chick as all the other nests were empty and have been for several weeks. Thrilled to have seen a little blue penguin chick we were surprised yet again when Mike scooped up the little one and held it for us to see and carefully pet. It was covered with downy baby penguin fluff as soft as anything you can imagine. I was amazed that this wild chick wasn't scared of us and didn't mind being held. Unfortunately, under the dense canopy of leaves and branches we weren't able to take any pictures which was just as well because we weren't supposed to be there in the first place. It will be a memory to cherish forever. :) (To get an idea of what we saw I've included a picture of a blue penguin chick.)

 

After more carefully climbing down to the path we situated ourselves and set out with Mike heading back towards where we saw the tuatara for there was more up his sleeve. Just across the path from the other tuatara we saw Mike pointed out, just behind a large boulder, another tuatara. I kid you not he was not two feet from the path and shielded perfectly from view! Thinking about it later I wonder what other things we missed along the way. You never know what's right in front of you sometimes!

With several thank yous we parted ways with Mike and headed down toward the wharf to catch our ride back to Wellington. We were excited to visit Somes Island but had no idea what an amazing trip it would be. To see tuatara in the wild and a blue penguin chick was a rare and unexpected gift. :)