| Birding
On My Own - Australia and New Zealand 2002 Emmalee Tarry |
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Tiritiri
Matangi |
 View of the Hauraki Gulf from Tiritiri Matangi |
I said good-by to my family and at 10:30 PM on June 19, 2002 boarded a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles . During the night I crossed the Pacific Ocean, the equator, and the International Date Line to arrive in Auckland , New Zealand at 6 AM on June 21. At departure I set my watch ahead 19 hours. The flight actually took about 14 hours, but crossing the date line means losing an entire day of your life. On the plane I had a nice dinner and managed some sleep in my tourist class seat.
I had traveled half way around the world, gone from the northern to the southern hemisphere and from early summer to mid winter. This is not winter as we know it in New Hampshire. It was only cold enough to wear a sweatshirt or light jacket.
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The city of Auckland straddles a narrow part of the north island of New Zealand. On the eastern side the city lies on the Hauraki Gulf leading to the Pacific Ocean and on the western side the Tasman Sea separates New Zealand and Australia. Later in my trip when I wanted to drive north through Auckland to the northern part of the island, I realized what a bottleneck the city really is. |
I spent the first day visiting the maritime museum next to the hotel and walking in the rain to the base of the Sky Tower. I decided not to spend NZ$15 to go up in the tower since it was too foggy to see anything. My wandering led me to the ferry terminal close to the hotel where I noticed a day trip to an island called Tiriti Matangi or the Bird Island. Sounded like my kind of place so I signed up for a tour the next day which was Saturday. I then returned to hotel and crashed into bed about 4 PM.
Boat Trip
At 8 AM the next morning as I was picking up my ticket a familiar voice behind me said "I know that voice." It was Noel Mann and Daan Sandee, birding friends from Massachusetts. They were just starting a round the world trip with a night on Tiritiri Matangi . I spent the first day of my solo trip with two good friends.
The ferry to Tiritiri is a large boat with food service and restrooms. June is the middle of winter down under. It was only cold enough to warrant a light jacket or sweat shirt. If you wish to look for birds from the upper deck on the hour and forty five minute boat trip, you may appreciate gloves and a wool hat. There is no problem disembarking at the sturdy boat dock on the island.
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In winter you should have a chance for Fluttering
Shearwater on the way over to the island. We did not see any either coming
or going. The ferry service was cancelled for the two previous days because of
a severe storm and this may have sent the shearwaters out to sea We did see
Black-backed Gull , White-fronted Terns and the delightful if ever
abundant Red-billed Gull (left) which is called the Silver Gull in
Australia. The boat makes one stop at Gulf Harbor to pick up more passengers where we had two Spur-winged Plovers, Little Black Shag and 4 Australasian Gannets. |
Tiritiri Matangi is one of several several island wildlife sanctuaries maintained by the New Zealand Department of Conservation to ensure the survival of endangered native plants and animals. The island about 4 KM off the coast of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula was originally covered with forest. It was inhabited by the Maori people who had extensive settlements here and probably introduced the Pacific Rat. Europeans took over in the mid 1850s, and the island was farmed continuously until the 1970s. Almost all the native vegetation was removed during the farming period except for that in steep valleys. Fortunately the island remained the property of the New Zealand government. The lighthouse, now fully automated, was built in 1865. In the 1980s the government terminated the farmers lease and turned the island over to the Department of Conservation.
| In 1984 the restoration of the island began with
planting of the native Pohutukawa tree. A nursery was established on the island
to propagate seeds. Most of the work was done by volunteers. Non native
predators such as rats, possums, and fox were eliminated. Unlike some of the other island sanctuaries maintained by the Department of Conservation, Tiritiri Matangi is open to the public and all who abide by the strict rules are welcome to visit. Private boats can dock here. Most people arrive by ferry and spend the day. |
 Tiritiri Matangi as seen from an approaching boat. Lighthouse is on the right end of the island. |
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Welcome To The Island The Department of Conservation Ranger and his wife greet the passengers on the dock. The Ranger was the last lighthouse keeper on the island and he and his wife are the only full-time residents. |
| Visiting The
Island You can visit the island on Thursday, Fridays, Saturday, Sundays, and public holidays. Purchase tickets at the downtown ferry building on Quay Street between Prince's Wharf and Queens Wharf. (sandstone building). The boat leaves from Auckland at 9 A.M. or from Gulf Harbor at 9:45 AM. The return trip leaves the island at 2:30 PM and docks in Auckland about 4 PM. The cost is NZ$42. All sailings are subject to weather conditions so you should check with Fullers ahead of time. Make reservations with Fullers: phone 09 367 9111. www.fullers.co.nz It is possible to spend the night at the YHA on the island. No food service is available and you bring your own sleeping bag. |
 Ferry building photographed from balcony of Hilton Hotel. Ferries to Rangitoto and other islands in Hauraki Gulf depart from this dock.. |
Website www.tiritirimatangi.co.nz
Email: tiritirimatangifb@doc.govt.nz
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