What is New Zealand without a Kiwi sighting and No, I am not talking about the people native to NZ !!!!

                               A goal of Robert's...... To see a Kiwi in the Wild........ Check!!!

While I was in Stewart Island, during break, I was able to see not one but 6 live natural kiwis in the wild!!!

They are incredible creatures and I had to use a torch to find them because they are nocturnal!!!!
They are native to New Zealand!!!
SO they are very rare and you have to be VERY sensitive around them :)
Luckily I was with some other travelers as well!!!
So surprising, how many people have never seen one!!!
Seeing a kiwi was such a blessing, I was able to see something that not may actually kiwis, New Zealand people, get to see or have seen!!! 

Indulging IN Life :)

Getting some sand flies :)

Smiling for photos!!! :)

Please Fell Free To Indulge in Some Information About Kiwis!

Kiwi are related to a group of birds called ratites. The closest relatives to kiwi today are emus and cassowaries in Australia, but also the now-extinct moa of New Zealand. 

There are five species of kiwi. All are endangered...

Brown kiwi... (Apteryx mantelli)

Rowi... (Apteryx rowi)

Tokoeka ...(Apteryx australis)

Great spotted kiwi/roroa.... (Apteryx haastii

Little spotted kiwi... (Apteryx owenii)

~ There are about 70,000 kiwi left in all of New Zealand. We are losing 2% of our kiwi every year – this equates to 27 per week.

~ Kiwi are mostly nocturnal. They are most commonly forest dwellers, making daytime dens and nests in burrows, hollow logs or under dense vegetation.

~ Kiwi are the only bird to have nostrils at the end of its very long bill. Their nostrils are used to probe in the ground, sniffing out invertebrates to eat, along with some fallen fruit.

~ They also has one of the largest egg-to-body weight ratios of any bird. The egg averages 15 per cent of the female's body weight (compared to two per cent for the ostrich).

~ Females are larger than males (up to 3.3 kg and 45 cm). Kiwi are long-lived, and depending on the species live for between 25 and 50 years.

                                                         Cultural Importance

~ Kiwi are a symbol for the uniqueness of New Zealand wildlife and the value of our natural heritage.Kiwi are a significant national icon, equally cherished by all cultures in New Zealand.

~ The bird itself is a taonga (treasure) to Maori, who have strong cultural, spiritual and historic associations with kiwi. Its feathers are valued in weaving kahukiwi (kiwi feather cloak) for people of high rank.

~ Due to the cultural significance to Maori and the traditional knowledge about the bird, tangata whenua are a key stakeholder in kiwi management. For a number of local iwi and hapu throughout New Zealand, this relationship between tangata whenua and kiwi has been formally recognised as part of their Treaty of Waitangi settlement claims, which encompass specific references to species recovery work. This includes the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998.