Umbrella mosses and lichens in lush greens and purples on the forest floor on (edit: Ulva Island, not) Stewart Island Rakiura.

Some of those mosses look a bit like tarantulas, but I promise they're not. I would've been running away rather than taking photos otherwise...

#Mosstodon #LichenSubscribe #Lichen #Moss #NaturePhotography #Nature #Aotearoa #StewartIsland #NewZealand #Rakiura #UlvaIsland

Fronds of Kōwaowao aka Hound's Tongue Fern (Microsorum pustulatum), growing beside the road near Oban, Stewart Island Rakiura

#Plants #NaturePhotography #Nature #Texture #Fern #Aotearoa #NewZealand #StewartIsland #Rakiura

We had some time on beautiful Stewart Island, Rakiura, earlier this week. The Oban harbour at Halfmoon Bay hosts a number of seabirds, including albatrosses, muttonbirds (Shearwaters), and terns.

I managed to get some shots of this albatross (White-capped, I think) as it ran along the water as part of its take-off.

#Birds #BirdsOfMastodon #NaturePhotography #Nature #Rakiura #StewartIsland #NewZealand #Aotearoa

Hype for the Future 79P: Stewart Island 🇳🇿

Overview Located to the south of the “South Island” of New Zealand, Stewart Island is a significant rural island with the principal settlement located at Oban along Halfmoon Bay. The community continues to stretch along a peninsula to Paterson Inlet, and the ferry and aviation connections also exist to the South Island mainland of New Zealand. The ferry service is to Bluff, while the aircraft connections are to Invercargill slightly further inland.

https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/01/18/hype-for-the-future-79p-stewart-island-%f0%9f%87%b3%f0%9f%87%bf/

Hype for the Future 79P: Stewart Island 🇳🇿

Overview Located to the south of the “South Island” of New Zealand, Stewart Island is a significant rural island with the principal settlement located at Oban along Halfmoon Bay. The community cont…

novaTopFlex
- You are not supposed to smoke that!
Having a Monty Python moment at Rakiura
The strict stare og 2,6-meter wingspan of the white-capped albatross certainly reminds us of the great John Cleese and the Monty Python classic.
This Aotearoa albatross is a regular of the southern New Zealand islands. Rakiura / Stewart Island itself has observed visits from 11 variants of this bird species with the giant wingspan. Probably because Rakiura is surrounded by large undisturbed ocean with great fishing, and the island has large areas with hills and cliffs and not too many humans.
Probably for the best. Observing, or being observed, by albatrosses several times both at South Island and Rakiura, this bird is obviously very curious. And they should be separated from too much human interference and disturbance.
But then you walk and suddenly feel watched…

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-capped_albatross

#albatross #looking #stern #montypython #hollywoodbowl #rakiura #Aotearoa #stewartisland #stewart #islandlife #newzealand #kiwi #visitnewzealand #respectwildlife #bird #NikonD800 #D800 #Nikon #Nikkor #300mm #f4 #VR #PF #seabird #birdlife #HalfMoonBay #Bay #New #Zealand #2016CE #albatross #bird #birdlife #bluesky #f4 #Half-Moon #johncleese #pacific #respectwildlife #roadtrip #sea #seabird #stern #TeWaipounamu #SouthIsland #visitnewzealand
Tomtit Ngirungiru on a stick in Rakiura

Tomtit balancing twigs, break and curiosity
The Ngirungiru, or Tomtit, is a very small passerine bird in the Robins-family Petroicidae.
With a maximum length of 12 cm and a weight of 11 gram, it is basically the size of two Ping-Pong balls with wings and tail.

Frenetic enthusiastic
It is also very curious and enthusiastic. Meaning that when it decides you are not a threat when you meet one up close in the forest, it will follow you along for some time. But in a frenetic pattern, jumping between the trees, branches, trail and back up again.

And then maybe, maybe, just be still for a couple of seconds where you get a reasonable shot. Like this one in the forest at Rakiura, Aotearoa.

There are five subspecies of Tomtits, and they have different names in Māori. The South Island and Rakiura Stewart Island variant is called Ngirungiru. The North Island is called Miromiro. And as a loveable little fellow, there are several other Māori and English name for it. Tomtit is an adaptable feather ball, and lives well with most of the changes made to the biodiversity of New Zealand.

#2015CE #Animals #Aotearoa #AotearoaNewZealand #bird #birdparadise #Birds #blue #bluesky #curious #forest #frontdoor #green #Horseshoe #Bay #Kiwi #kiwiexperience #NikonD800 #Māori #NestorMeridionalis #New #Zealand #Ngirungiru #passerine #pingpongball #Rakiura #RakiuraStewartIsland #roadtrip #robins #smallbird #social #southisland #southpacific #StewartIsland #tomtit #weird #birdswood #Ngirungiru #Petroicidae

Today:

- We hiked Ulva Island and saw several kaka
- I enjoyed an excellent flat white at #TheSnuggery
- We saw 5 adult and 1 juvenile kiwi feeding after dark (using red flashlights)

#ThreeGoodThings #NZTravel #Rakiura #StewartIsland #damnlucky