Striking native poised to give triathletes a bit of a hurry-up

The karearea swoops at up to 200km/h. Picture / Alan Gibson

Coast to Coast athletes have a new obstacle to contend with on the torturous mountain run over Goat Pass near Otira - the "Deception falcon".

In the lower part of Deception Valley, runners are coming under attack from a New Zealand falcon or karearea.

A fearless native bird, it usually preys on smaller birds and animals, dive-bombing them at speeds of up to 200km/h.

But the Deception falcon has taken to ambushing runners, as silently as a stealth bomber.

"It came out of nowhere. I had no warning whatsoever," said Coast to Coast contender Neill Williams.

"I heard a bird calling in nearby bush. Then something sharp hit me from behind."

Williams saw the falcon retreat to its bush hideout and thought that was the end of it, but the bird returned.

"I picked up a stick, waved it in the air and yelled, but it came at me another three times," he said.

Several weeks later, when Williams ran through the strike zone again, his running mate was the prime target.

"He was attacked three or four times before it came after me," said Williams.

Endurance athlete Gareth Holebrook caught a glimpse of the falcon perched on a tree before the aerial assaults began.

"It made a few attacks on us. It hit one of my colleagues on the head and gave her quite a nasty headache," he said.

A Department of Conservation (DoC) officer at Arthurs Pass, Wayne Costello, knows all about this regal-looking bird that features on the $20 note.

"I went up there [Deception Valley] the other day and we got bombed by it as well," said Costello, DoC's community relations programme manager.

"There was seven of us running through and it had a go at various ones."

The falcon, or falcons, most likely had chicks and would protect a zone of about 200 metres, said Costello.

"Birds like that are very territorial when it comes to protecting their nest. They are a very striking bird and amazing predators."

Coast to Coast race director Robin Judkins was "over the moon" the falcon was living in the valley. He predicted it would produce faster run times in the February 4-5 event.

"That will give them a hurry up and it will certainly promote the idea of record times."

- NZPA