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Anchor Bay, Tawharanui

That's pronounced TA-fa--ra-NEW-ee, by the way.

Whatever it's called or however it's pronounced, it's a marvellous place. It's a regional park with a large section that is an open sanctuary free of plant and animal pests. Many of NZ's indigenous birds evolved with no predators, so they are flightless, poor fliers, or otherwise easy prey. Therefore, when the islands got inhabited by white man and his hangers on, the local populations were decimated. The sanctuary at Tawharanui has been completely fenced so that no predators such as dogs, cats, rats, etc., can get in. There's even a sliding automatic gate to guard the road access. The strategy seems to be working. The native birds and plants are coming back, and they're a wonder to behold. The place is great for research. We saw mist nets put up by local uni students, and we ran into a fellow trapping the native robin. He pointed out a number of bird calls and explained just how rare and special the site is.

P.S. The interdict doesn't include sheep. There are sheep all over the fields in T. and in every other park we've been to. Only in New Zealand, as they say...

TODAY'S FIRST IMPRESSION

So much is new and astounding that I'm overwhelmed at how to convey our sense of wonder. So, every day or so, I'll post a little tidbit about our first impressions - while they're still new and fresh.

Driving in New Zealand

Driving here is hair-raising. For Vancouver Islanders, imagine the Malahat with single lanes 2/3 as wide, no barriers, no shoulders, no guardrails, a speed limit of 100 kph, and you have to drive on the wrong side of the road. This is no exaggeration! Hopefully by the time we leave, we'll be used to it.