Eketahuna landmark kiwi finds a new roost

A giant kiwi has briefly taken flight in the tiny town of Eketahuna - just long enough to find a new nest.

The move went ahead this morning in bitterly cold temperatures but little wind to hamper the works after several false starts. Tararua Alliance operations manager Dan Gerard said the project had been postponed several times due to weather forecasts.

Scheduled to happen about 9.30am, the well-established kiwi remained resolute for an hour further before workers could detach it from its perch at about 10.30am.

Eketahuna upgrade project liaison and Community Board member Sharon Shannon said the kiwi relocation was part of the town's main street upgrade, and was something the community had been looking forward to for quite a while.

Mrs Shannon said the moving of the kiwi would not be the upgrade finale, but it was definitely an aspect of the project which had captured the attention of the public.

"Moving the kiwi is obviously something people are interested in and it's going to bring a bit of attention to Eketahuna," she said.

The kiwi relocation was carried out by Downer, which has prepared a film crew to document the move for media release and archiving.