Thunder has worked his way up the kiwi pecking order since he was released on to Matakohe/Limestone Island as a chick 15 months ago.
So the 1.6kg male bird was agitated when island ranger Bernie Buhler tracked him down yesterday and bundled him into a box for transport to a Kaipara farm where he has been released along with eight kiwi raised on Motuora Island in the Hauraki Gulf.
They joined five North Island brown kiwi released last month on Kevin and Gill (nee Gardner) Adshead's 1300ha harbourside farm at Mataia, near Glorit, 22km southwest of Wellsford.
The property, owned by the Gardner family for 150 years, combines a working sheep and beef farm with a 400ha private conservation project started in 2005.
Made up largely of coastal native forest margin and salt marsh wetland, the conservation area boasts rare populations of fernbird and banded rail.