PHOTO: Kapiti Island
Kapiti Island is one of New Zealand’s, and the world’s most incredible nature reserves, full flying and flightless birdlife.
Let me take you on a bird spotting adventure from my little corner of the world. ????
Filmed on a Panasonic Lumix GH5, graded and edited in Premiere Pro. Drone shots on a Mavic 2 Pro.
Script – There’s a reason why so many people travel to New Zealand from overseas, just to experience our rich and biodynamic environment, filled with some of the most incredible bird life in the world.
I’ve heard first hand stories of people spending thousands of dollars just to witness some of our flying and flightless wonders, and it piqued my curiosity just to find out why.
Graciously lying just 5km off the North Island’s west coast sits Kapiti Island, arguably New Zealand’s , and one of the worlds, most biodynamically rich nature reserves, and it just so happens to be right in my backyard.
It was my mission to photograph and film as many native bird species I could come across, and lets just say, Kapiti Island certainly delivered.
We set up camp in one of Kapiti’s stunning glamping tents, greeted by one of our many birds of prey, the Kahu, or more commonly known as the Swamp Harrier. Patrolling a good 2 square kilometres of forest, the Kahu put on a good show for us, filmed at 100 frames per second.
We’d set upon our mission up to the highest point of Kapiti Island, passing some of the resident Takahe that live on the island, followed by a Toutouwai, or North Island Robin, who’d prey on insects from the scuffing of our footsteps.
We had Weka prey on our food, almost dog like with their confidence. And of course, for me this was a hero of the trip, a Kaka, the clown of the forest. Generally heard before they’re seen, the Kaka can be found all over Wellington, thanks to the conservation efforts of the Zealandia Eco sanctuary, and the work they do here on Kapiti Island keeping it predator and pest free. Related to the larger alpine Parrot the Kea, the Kaka is one of New Zealand’s most spectacular forest birds.
Reaching the very top of Kapiti Island, we saw more Weka, and even got shot of a Kereru, our clumsy yet gracious wood pigeon.
As night settled in, the little blue penguins made home under the deck of the cabins, and we set off for a dusk adventure, lucky enough to get a short glimpse of our national hero, the North Island little spotted kiwi. it was really special to see first hand the way that our conservation efforts have allowed our eco system to flourish, and like a time capsule, Kapiti Island is a real representation of what life was once like here in New Zealand.
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