Mark, Myself, about a dozen others
Zealandia Sanctuary
Marks parents were very excited – a double reason to travel to Wellington. A new grandchild and a chance to see Sirocco, a rare Kakapo (giant parrot). Sirocco, in particular, is quite famous after he attempted to mate with a human head during filming for a documentary. Sadly, he’s not considered breeding stock, so instead has become a species ambassador, travelling around the country to visit different sanctuaries.
Mark and I spent a bit of time debating whether we would go. There was always a chance that his visit to Wellington would be a once-off and we might never get another opportunity. When Marks parents volunteered to babysit so we could go different nights, we figured why not. And I’m glad we did. Even though Sirocco has been back to visit in the time since we went, that evening off was lovely.
A talk in the visitor centre, then a guided walk through the valley to the specially constructed habitat, hearing the birds that live at the sanctuary settling in for the night and then getting a chance to spend half an hour or more watching how Sirocco moved and learning more about his life, before walking back to the sound of kiwi calling across the valley. Worth whatever we spent on it, as most of the ticket price went to Kakapo Recovery.
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