Titirangi Matangi Island - Native bird reserve

Hey all! I finalllly have my internet back after 15 days of dial up speed....it was the most frustrating time ever! haha. Oh boy do I have some gorgeous pictures that I couldn't wait to post up. Last week, my best friend and I went to an island via ferry. We got the vouchers at grabone.co.nz (amazing website) to a conservation reserve, on an island!!

An hour and 45 mins by ferry, we headed got out of stormy Auckland into beautiful sunshine and clouds. Look who came to visit us on the way to the island?

Hector's Dolphins!

 

The port and waters round the edge of the island, walking further into the bushes.

Many are dedicated to preserving our native birds. We had a volunteer guide who'd shown us around and told us the historical value of this piece of land as well as the amazing creatures that come in day and night in their natural habitat. Kiwis can be found creeping out at night too!

 

Hi Julie!!! I'm jealous of your pro lens :P Walking along the track.

These birds are preparing themselves for the mating season, so many males are out and about flying to find females. This is a male stitch bird, its so pretty and has a very high-pitched call.

800-1000 year old Pohutukawa tree (oldest in NZ). My goodness its big! 

Just at the peak of the island, I tilted my camera up to capture this.

Bell bird.

Takahe. I was right next to it! It doesn't care about people walking round it. Feathers almost resemble a peacock's.

Lighthouse beyond the bushes.

Tuis feeding on raw sugar and water solutions.

By the end of the day, the sun lowered. I took this photo to reflect the light bouncing off the waters. God I love silhouettes. The walk was definitely not stressful on the knees and proper paths have been built by volunteers all over NZ. Call me old, but I've enjoyed it alot. :)

More info about the island and ferry tickets: http://www.360discovery.co.nz/discovery-experiences/about-tiritiri-matangi-island.php