Page 37 - 2008 NZ SUB ANTARCTIC ISLANDS - SMARTPHONE

The best sighting here was a group of the cheeky, curious, constantly chewing, comical clown of
the NZ avian world—the endemic alpine parrot, the Kea. We had encountered these mischievous
and ubiquitous imps when we had done the Milford Track back in 1987. They would light upon
your backpacks picking at straps and zipper pulls with their stout beaks. They would divebomb
our picnic site, swooping in to snatch our sandwich right from our hand, they stole anything we
had sitting out on the table if they could lift it and they are prodigiously strong. But all the while
we never become angry because they were so funny and cute! Well, here at Homer Tunnel, we
met them again and in 22 years their nature has certainly not changed a bit. They were pecking
the rubber on windshield wipers of cars around them. They were cadging snacks from all of us
standing around our van. They would stoop to outright thievery if nothing was offered. They
would swoop right across the tops of our heads, checking for loose caps to steal. They squawked
and bickered like all parrots do. But we were just as amused by their antics as we were years
before.

The Kea is one of the world’s only alpine parrots and he lives in the high mountains even during
heavy winter snows. He has a very strong, down-curved and sharp beak which he uses most
intelligently. He can open garbage cans, bird feeders, animals traps, and has a quite logical
approach to stubborn obstacles. I saw one move logs placed atop garbage cans so that he could
get at the contents. I saw another remove a large piece of wood used as a lock on a bin to retrieve
the food inside. They will use tools to attain their ends as well. In appearance, the kea is not
brightly colored, more like an olive-gray shade all over the body except at the base of the tail
where there is bright orange and on the underside of the wings which is also bright orange to red.
The feathers are rather owl-like in their layering pattern. The kea is a large parrot measuring 17-
19 inches from beak to tail.

After the Europeans came, the Kea was seen as a destructive pest who would even attack sheep.
Farmers were allowed to shoot them on sight and at one time there was a bounty put on them.
When their population plunged from 200,000 counted down to 5,000, the government put them
under partial protection and removed the bounty. Finally, when their population failed to rebound
appropriately, they were listed as endangered birds and have been completely protected since
1986. Their numbers are finally rebounding, albeit not rapidly. A side , which shows again the
support of the New Zealanders for conservation, involves the placement of the kea in specially
protected status. Before the regulation was even approved, a large majority of New Zealander
farmers and sheepherders voted to voluntarily abstain from killing keas that troubled their
property. Instead, DOC and the farmers groups agreed to work with each other to remove
bothersome birds from their farms and sheep stations. Now the farmer who has a problem kea
calls DOC and their personnel come out and trap the wily bird and relocate him to his natural
habitat up in the high mountain areas. Isn’t this an encouraging story about the Kiwi attitude
towards preserving their native species? Seeing this merry bird jumping on cars, trucks, people’s
boots, their heads, grabbing things out of human hands, and generally making a clown and even a
pest of himself was a wonderful way to say goodbye to New Zealand because we know that even
this often pesky creature is protected by the New Zealanders themselves who stand behind the
wonderful work DOC does to save and protect the native animal, birds and plants here.

Chapter 17. Conclusions

Our visit to the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand was an enjoyable success in everyway. The
scenery was unspoiled and wildly beautiful. The animals are charming even if not particularly
handsome—such as the dragon tuatara reptile. The birds are so different because of their isolated
evolution. The plants are strange to us but very lush and lovely. The Clipper Odyssey is a

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