KEY POINTS:
It's the kind of traffic jam you don't mind getting stuck in.
As two more New Zealanders departed for Australia yesterday, tailbacks snaked their way through Auckland's inner suburbs.
But this was an extra-special journey.
Forrest and Ntombi, two of Auckland Zoo's giraffes, were shipped off to Sydney's Taronga Zoo in a logistical challenge yesterday.
One-year-old Forrest and his half-sister Ntombi, 16 months, were taken from Auckland Zoo to the Ports of Auckland to catch their boat to Tauranga and on to Sydney.
They are part of the Australasian regional breeding programme, and will fulfil a vital role in the future of their "genetically valuable" bloodline.
The 3.4m tall, 500kg animals will disembark at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, central New South Wales. Ntombi will stay put but after a quarantine period, Forrest will be taken to Australia Zoo in Queensland.
Auckland Zoo's acting Pridelands team leader Nat Sullivan said both animals were dealing well with the move, which began early yesterday morning when they were loaded into their transport crates.
With a store of olive tree branches at the ready, the pair seemed relaxed enough on their journey.
"They're doing fine so far," said Ms Sullivan. "We expected Ntombi to be a lot more stressed than she is ... she's a more nervous animal."
Keepers hope the giraffes' natural closeness will soothe them on the trip. Their onboard "luggage" for the five-day voyage includes 100kg of hay, 25kg of pellets and 60kg of vegetables.
And the slimline crates should be no problem - given they're 4.2m tall and giraffes sleep standing up, there'll be plenty of room.
Staff at Auckland Zoo were sad to see the animals go, and expected Rukiya, who is Forrest's mother and looked after Ntombi when her own mother died, to feel the loss.
"Their relocation is to diversify bloodlines with future breeding, and we hope Rukiya will also breed again," said Ms Sullivan.
