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Workers at a sawmill near Whangārei had a surprise visitor to their workshop – a fully grown kiwi.
Lucas James, a sparkie at Rosvall Sawmill, in Whareora, said the kiwi wandered into the mill on Monday morning and spent a few hours exploring before seeking out a dark spot under a workbench.
“I was still bleary-eyed, early in the morning, and was using the drill press in the workshop when I heard a scuttle behind me,” he said.
“I turned around and there was a big kiwi running around the middle of the workshop. So I called all the guys, we had a look and sort of panicked. We didn’t know what to do.”
A Department of Conservation ranger with the Rosvall Sawmill’s unexpected visitor. Photo / Department of Conservation
They closed the workshop doors to stop it from wandering into any machinery and called a few experts for advice, including the local Department of Conservation office.
“They took a couple of hours to come out so the first three hours of my Monday morning I was on kiwi watch, making sure it didn’t get out and get squashed by anything.”
The bird appeared unperturbed by its unusual surroundings, James said.
“For a start, it was quite curious, it just cruised around for a bit. But as more people came in, it got a bit stressed, so we left it alone, it ran around for a bit and found a dark corner in the workshop and sat there for a couple of hours.”
Lucas James was first alerted to the visitor when he heard its claws on the workshop’s concrete floor. Photo / via RNZ
James said it was the first time he had seen a kiwi.
“It really surprised me how big they are. I’m not a short guy and it came up to my knees, so it was quite a big creature.”
He was surprised the kiwi sought out a sawmill and could only guess it had been chased by a dog and was looking for a place to hide.
“It’s quite a noisy place and there’s big forklifts going around everywhere. It’s the last place I’d expect to see a kiwi running around. It was a really cool experience.”
DoC Whangārei operations manager Joel Lauterbach said he was grateful to the sawmill team for alerting rangers.
“After a thorough check-up, our little adventurer received a clean bill of health and was released into the safety of Mt Tiger, an area with strong predator control and dedicated dog control close to the sawmill. There she’ll be safe to roam and continue her adventures.”
The feathered visitor finds a secluded spot under a workbench. Photo / via RNZ
Lauterbach said Whareora Landcare Group had been working hard for the past 15 years to help its small local kiwi population to flourish.
With support from Kiwi Coast, Backyard Kiwi, DoC and Northland Regional Council, the volunteers have trapped close to 25,000 animal pests since 2009.
Lauterbach said the wild-born female kiwi was about five years old.
Its survival was a testament to the volunteer group’s efforts because, in areas without pest control, stoats killed 95 per cent of kiwi chicks in their first year.
“What attracted the kiwi to the sawmill is unknown but, thanks to the swift action of everyone involved, she is now back where she belongs.”
Department of Conservation ranger Nikki Hartley carries the kiwi back to the bush on Mt Tiger. Photo / Department of Conservation
He advised anyone who spotted a kiwi where it was unsafe or in a place it should not be to call the 24-hour hotline 0800 DOC HOT.
As Northland’s kiwi population increases in areas with pest control, once-rare encounters with the national icon are becoming more common.
On December 23 last year, Waipapa resident Jane Jackets found a young kiwi asleep in a chicken nesting box.
It remains unknown how it managed to get inside the coop.
