Kaka on Kapiti

This inquisitive Kaka, an endemic NZ parrot, was almost the first bird to greet me when I was shown to my cabin on Kapiti Island, north of Wellington. This is a fantastic nature reserve which has been successfully cleared of mammal pests, allowing a number of scarce endemic species to thrive. We were staying in a small Maori settlement at the north of the island, looked after by people who are direct descendants of the Maori chief who took the island during tribal wars and is now famous for composing the Hakka that the All Blacks rugby team perform.