Day 333: Kiwi Sanctuary — Magic Show with Declan
It continues to pour rain here in poor Queenstown. On the one hand we feel badly for the locals, whose businesses are getting rained out and flooded this week, but on the other hand, it’s made for some seriously cozy hunkering down.
The beds in our apartment are beyond comfortable. The kind of mattresses I love — where you sink four feet in and get swallowed by fluffiness. So the combination is heavenly. Steady downpour all night and morning plus puffy cocoon bed with nowhere to be equals the coziest morning we’ve had all year.
We used the slow rainy morning to do some school. Beeps came over at noon for lunch, just as the sun was starting to come out. By 1 pm it had stopped raining and, while Teddy peeled off to get a haircut (for real this time), the rest of us walked to a bird sanctuary to see if we could spot some Kiwi birds!
I thought Kiwis were common in the country, and fully expected to see them in the wild. We know now that they’re very rare and no one ever sees them in the wild! You have to go to a sanctuary.
We couldn’t leave New Zealand without seeing one. We were on a mission.
The Kiwi Sanctuary here in town has two kiwi “huts” for viewing, and regular feedings.
First we went to a “conservation show” where a staffer brought out various animals for us to learn about. This included a tuatara, the dinosaur-like local lizard that the kids are fascinated by because they’re born with three eyes and live to be 200.
The guide mentioned something about Gondwanaland. When I explained what it was to James, he remarked: “Must’ve been fun to ride [the continents] when they broke apart!”
At 2 pm we entered one of the designated Kiwi huts for a feeding. The animals are nocturnal so the room was pitch black. We couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces. When the guide instructed everyone to take a seat on the bench against a back wall, I had to somehow guide Beeps, Willa and James to the seat, and then went to sit myself…. And sat right on a stranger’s lap! Ha! That’s how dark it was.
Eventually our eyes adjusted and we could see in the glass enclosure, lit by red infrared lights, two hilarious kiwi birds going about their hilarious kiwi bird business of rustling up grubs. They’re huge brown furballs with comically long arched pointed beaks. No pictures were allowed unfortunately.
The other thing I noticed when my eyes adjusted: My dad leaning in very closely to a small Japanese tourist seated next to him. I suspected — and he confirmed later — that he thought this woman was either me or Willa. Ha! So much comical awkwardness in this dark Kiwi hut.
But we got to see the Kiwis!! Checked that New Zealand box!
Spent some more time exploring and meeting other birds, including the Kea, the world’s only alpine parrot species. We also saw a beehive and tasted honey.
Some shots from around the sanctuary:
I was amused by this guy and his ginormous telephoto lens in the sanctuary. Believe it or not, this is not the first or second time this year that we’ve seen someone inside a zoo or sanctuary with a giant telephoto lens. Seems like absurd overkill? Or like these people are going back to their buddies back home and trying to pass these shots off as discoveries made in the wild?
On the walk back through town we stopped to get a few cinnamon sugar donuts from a food stall called “Lord of the Fries,” and tried our luck at a ball-toss marketing setup outside the iFly indoor skydiving. No luck.
Back at the apartment we relaxed and watched the Duke v. Michigan State game before preparing to head out to Declan the fly fishing guide’s house for dinner and a magic show!
This is so random. When I found Declan online a few months back to book the fly fishing, he mentioned that he also does magic and asked if we’d be interested in also booking this evening activity.
My family — my dad and I in particular — are magic fans. And what kid doesn’t love a magic show? So I said yes. Turned out to be a great call.
We arrived at Declan and Meg’s place at 6. Meg is his girlfriend and co-host. A lovely Brit who’s lived in Queenstown for 30 years. Declan was out of his waders and tackle vest and into his shiny magician vest, standing in the kitchen cooking up a vegan meal of dumplings and Moo Shu (fake) chicken.
After eating, he came out and performed a number of tricks, including several seated at the table with us, mostly coins and cards. The kids were dumbfounded. Especially fascinating for them because their only toy/game, essentially, is a deck of cards. They KNOW suits, numbers, etc and fully appreciate how hard it is to shuffle cards wildly and be able to say “Is this your card?” accurately.
A really great night.
MISC:
Ever since Asia I’ve been considering going vegetarian when we get home. “Why not start now?” Teddy keeps asking, and I don’t really have a good answer except that it seems too complicated out here on the road.
But I’ve been toying with it. In fact, I’d say it’s one of the unexpected outcomes of this year — being completely turned off by eating meat. I think it must come from a combination of seeing so many animals in the wild AND seeing so many gross farm/market/cooking scenarios around the world. I’m just kind of turned off by the whole thing.
So then we learn that Declan and Meg are new vegans and have gone 100% plant-based. Teddy’s intrigued because he’s into the health and longevity stuff. I’m just generally not a food person and have found myself getting more and more squeamish about not just meat but also eggs.
Another related outcome of the year, which I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned already: Because we haven’t had easy access to espresso/fancy coffee drinks most of the year, I’ve been skipping my morning cappuccino for the more readily available cups of joe — and I feel 1000% better every morning. I always knew dairy was a problem for me, yet I still loved that cappuccino. Now I know I can — and should — live without it.
So. Future vegan over here? I’ve decided to go pescatarian for the rest of the year to try out the no-meat thing. Leaving myself fish options for Japan. We’ll see what happens when I get back.
