Kina and Kelly carry takahe revival hopes

Takahe were thought to be extinct until 1948, when a handful of pairs were rediscovered in Fiordland.

Two of the country's rarest native birds will today be released at Waikato's ecological island sanctuary, Mt Maungatautari, near Lake Karapiro.

There are just 260 surviving takahe left in the world.

The release of the pair is, however, weather-dependent, as they are being transported to the Waikato by air from Maud and Mana Islands, located in the Marlborough Sounds and off the Wellington coast, respectively.

A helicopter will take the young bachelor, Kina, and his potential life partner Kelly, to Wellington Airport.

Then iwi from Ngai Tahu and Ngati Koroki Kahukura will escort the birds to Hamilton Airport and on to the mountain.

The Department of Conservation is sponsoring the cost of the move.

A 48km predator-proof fence around the native bush enclosure at Mt Maungatautari is nearing completion, but two sub-enclosures have already been cleared for gradual release of native wildlife.

Last month Prime Minister Helen Clark announced a $5.5 million boost to the Waikato project, which is predicted to become the country's premier wildlife sanctuary within three years.

The Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust is spearheading the release of wildlife in the northern and southern enclosures.

"We have no shortage of volunteers willing to spend time in the enclosure with these fabulous birds," said trust chief executive Jim Mylchreest.

The trust would hold a special open day of the protected enclosure this year to allow the public to glimpse the takahe once they settle down. It is hoped the pair will breed inside the sanctuary.

The North Island species is extinct, but it is hoped the closely-related South Island takahe will successfully flourish further north at Mt Maungatautari.