Day 8: Rest day
Welcome
Yesterday we drove to Karori and spent our afternoon at the Zealandia bird sanctuary.
I kicked off my day with a run along the Manawatū and then headed to Double Shotz Cafe for a breakfast of scrambled eggs on focaccia with fried tomato.
We enjoyed a pleasant drive along SH56 and SH1 with a capable Jonathan Pearce in the driver’s seat once again. Arriving in Karori we were met by Oli Devlin from New Zealand’s best band Hans Pucket who joined us for our day of birding.
Highlights of the day included briefly glimpsing a Hihi (Stichbird), and getting a good look at Zealandia’s two Takahē, of which there are only around 400 remaining in the world. They were thought to be extinct until 1948 when they were rediscovered in an isolated valley in the South Islands Murchison Mountains. New Zealand’s department of conservation now maintains populations on several predator-free offshore islands as well as Takahē valley.
We were grateful for the evening off and made the most of the free night with a home cooked meal at our Airbnb.
Today we are profiling one of the most critically important members of the tour party, an indispensable asset who is both behind the scenes and centre stage at every step of our journey.
NAME: Callum Callum Devlin
ROLE: Leader, entertainer, filmmaker, best boy
AGE: 22
HEIGHT: 6ft 1hnd
MAX PAYLOAD: 1000lbs
ARMAMENTS: Unarmed
RANGE (with external drop tanks): 10.5 miles
SAFETY RATING: Euro super plus
ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATING: Euro super plus
STAR SIGN: Librarius
CEREAL: Kellogg’s Cocoa Pops Chex