Kotuku victims following local iwi tradition of muttonbird hunt

Boatloads of muttonbird hunters often brave rough weather to hunt this delicacy.

The nine people struck by tragedy on the Kotuku at the weekend were on a hunt for a traditional Maori delicacy.

They were on their way back from a trip searching for muttonbirds, migratory sea birds whose chicks are regarded as a delicacy by South Island Maori.

Muttonbirds, also known as titi or the sooty shearwater, spend the New Zealand winter in the north Pacific but usually head to the Muttonbird Islands (or Titi Islands) off Stewart Island in October to breed.

Chicks are usually born in January but it is not until April and May that they reach the fattened size prized by Maori from the Ngai Tahu iwi.

Only these Maori are allowed permits to hunt muttonbirds. Several boatloads of people often brave rough weather and landing conditions to reach the islands across Foveaux Strait.

Many stay on the islands for some time to hunt the birds.

The muttonbird has an oily, salty flavour, regarded as an acquired taste, and the birds need to be thoroughly boiled before being roasted, the Wise's New Zealand Guide says.

Once found near beaches on mainland New Zealand, they are now mainly found on outlying islands. The Department of Conservation and local Maori keep an eye on numbers, but enough are born to ensure a harvest of about 250,000 a year.

- NZPA