Mastodawn

Dag-Rune Z Jun 28, 2025

Feeling yellow, feeling blue

A warm sunny sunset by the sea is clearly there to be enjoyed, being a bird or not.

The kāruhiruhi, as the Māori calls this pied shag cormorant, is a medium sized bird and spread around all of Zealandia and Oz. It is pretty used to humans and allow us to observe it without too much fuzz.

Like this fellow on the shore of Kaikōura, South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_pied_cormorant

#yellowfaced #cormarant #bird #sunset #kaikoura #Southisland #newzealand #New #Zealand #kiwi #kiwiexperience #Nikon #NikonD800 #D800 #300mm #f4 #Nikkor #kiwiexperience #kāruhiruhi #piedshag #KaikouraPeninsula #Kaikoura #Peninsula #2012CE #Aotearoa #AotearoaNewZealand #Beach #beachlife #bird #Birds #bluesky #cormorant #eastcoast #evening #Islandlife #Kaikōura #living #Nikkor #pacific #roadtrip #sand #sea #southisland #sunset #shag #Te #Waipounamu #TeWaipounamu #South #Island #yellowfaced

Dag-Rune Z Jun 26, 2025

The flying Clown of the Mountains

Keas (Nestor notabilis) are the famous mountain parrots of Aotearoa New Zealand. Ther are considered intelligent and playful and deserve their nickname as “Clowns of the mountains”.

These parrots have the size of and acts like a one-year-old child, and with approximately the same level of cautious handling of things in its environment. Add wings and ability to fly, and the result can be troublesome, or flat out chaotic.

It has a big beak, large claws and the intelligence level capable of ripping off windscreen wipers, wheel protectors, and decorative strips from cars. Or play and destroy with anything else they can get their beak and claws on.

Sometimes they do it to the cars of the people who for some reason decide to feed them. And sometimes those Keas most accustomed to humans might do damage to parked cars without any people in proximity. Out of boredom, or spite. Like them being annoyed for not getting more food.

Very useful, this bird yells its name to us. The sound it makes as it flies is a high pitched Keeeeeeaa, which sounds very much like a bird of prey in the mountains in the Nordics.

This intelligent mountain parrot is only found in Aotearoa New Zealand.

https://drzinasia.wordpress.com/2021/03/19/the-flying-clown-of-the-fiordland-mountains/

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Dag-Rune Z Jun 24, 2025

- 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

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Dag-Rune Z Apr 8, 2025

How to get away from Cape Foulwind
With a name like Cape Foulwind, you may understand why you want to get away. And how far you must go.
Here the Europeans, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, anchored in Aotearoa (and later naming it New Zealand), for the first time in 1642. The weather was probably good, and he called the outcrop Cliff Rock.
Then the English Captain James Cook found this place in 1770 under probably worse conditions. He named it Cape Foulwind. Since the English won the competition of ruling Aotearoa, the name stuck.

Signs, and what to do
This signpost is close to the fur seal colony in Tauranga Bay, on a windy, salty and fresh spot to get a good outlook of the area. On this track going south from Cape Foulwind Lighthouse there are stiff cliffs down to pebble beaches and the Tasman Sea, and low rolling hills towards the mountains in east.
This area is a nice spot to stop, relax and enjoy the outlook and beach, especially if you are a surfer. Or hike along the trails and exhibit some coastal flora and fauna of the West Coast Region in South Island. And some fresh, varying weather conditions.
Included an old, secluded track-and-bowl-system near the lighthouse.
The seal colony is well protected, but easy observable from a safe distance from the walking track. The closest town is Westport, and they have all necessary amenities from lodging to food, drinks and hiking equipment.

https://westcoast.co.nz/visit/operators/cape-foulwind-walkway/

#2016CE #20mm #Aotearoa #AotearoaNewZealand #beach #bluesky #CapeFoulwind #D800 #green #Kiwi #kiwiexperience #newnewzealand #Nikkor #Nikon #NikonD800 #nz #westcoast #roadtrip #sea #SealColony #signpost #southisland #sun #tasman #tasmansea #TeWaipounamu #visitnewzealand #westport #cliff #countryside #dangerous #europeanfirst #heavyweather #Trekking #westport

Cape Foulwind Walkway

Cape Foulwind is a prominent headland on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, overlooking the Tasman Sea. It is located 16 kilometres west of the town of Westport.

Dag-Rune Z Apr 7, 2025

Unfinished business resulting in a Clock Tower
Mining demise gave Westport its municipal Clock Tower
Out west at Westport, South Island, New Zealand, this fantastic building symbolizes ambitions for a mining boomtown and the sudden demise when history turns.
It is like a story of the Wild West, 50 years later and 11500 kilometres southwest of the more well-known stories from the western US.
Optimism and recession
Planned in the 1930 and built during the Pacific War of WWII, the Clock Tower Chamber was meant both for public and private business affairs. It was meant to be a front for a business building complex ready to serve a growing and thriving local community.
But the mining business went dry, and the market changed dramatically after the last big war. Westport become more of a lazy port town for the surrounding farming and fishing community.
In later years a natural tourist place, being a hub to explore the nearby sights and outdoor nature marvels of the West Coast region.
But still an architectural wonder, and important part of West Coast cultural heritage.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock_Tower_Chambers

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