Kapiti Island
Located about 45
minutes north of Wellington, this offshore Island is one of New Zealand’s most
significant nature reserves located 5 km off the west coast of the North Island. It is home to many native species that are
either rare or absent from the mainland.
This 1,965 ha island was established as a conservation area in 1897 when
New Zealanders realized that something must be done to slow the extinction of their
native animals.
New Zealand
originally had no mammals, and with the introduction of non-native species like
rats, stoats and opposums, the native New Zealand species were being rapidly
decimated. Although the Island was made a preserve in 1897, it wasn’t until 1998,
when, through massive trapping efforts and removal of all non-native animals
like cows, goats, sheep, etc, the island was determined to be predator free and
the native species were able to re-establish themselves. Farmland has regenerated back to the native
forest, and the bird population has rebounded.
We spent a wonderful last day there, exploring the island and looking
for birds. We were able to spot 15
different species, although we were not able to capture all of them on
film. It was a wonderful last day of our
trip.
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