Rowi kiwi 'Hope' first spring chick at West Coast Wildlife Centre. Video / Supplied
The first Rowi kiwi chick of the season was born in Franz Josef this morning, as Covid Alert levels lowered.
Hatched at 8.20am, just hours after the move to Level 3, the kiwi has been called 'Hope' by workers at the West Coast Wildlife Centre.
"It's not the official name," said WCWC director Richard Benton. "They [kiwi] get their names provided by the local iwi Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, particularly the first chick of the season."
For now, the pet-name seems appropriate, "in light of the times we've had recently, and what's on the horizon."
Weighing 394 grams, the chick had been incubating at the centre since first being brought in as an egg by DoC rangers, three weeks ago.
With only 600 in the wild, Rowi are the rarest of five kiwi breeds in New Zealand.
As to whether 'Hope' is a he or a she, is still a mystery. "We really don't know at this stage," says Benton, as sex is not easily determined until maturity.
'Hope' is thought to be one of just 600 Rowi kiwis - New Zealand's rarest. Photo / Supplied
It has been an eerily quiet end to winter for the centre next to the Franz Josef Rainforest Retreat and Scenic Circle Hotels. A number of the larger hotel properties in the region were mothballed following the downturn in international visitors. Lockdown has all but cut off the Glaciers.
"It's challenging times in Franz Josef and Glacier Country, but a beautiful part of the world."
Spring has brought some life to the region and the beginning of a six-month hatching period. There will be anywhere between 30 and 48 chicks born this season, says Benton.
"That depends hugely on the Department of Conservation and our nature."
These chicks are staggered out over a long hatching period, beginning in early spring and lasts until February or March.
"Hopefully by then we'll see a bit more movement as the country gets back to a Level 1 or Level 2 Alert. It's quiet but an exciting time to be here."
Hope is still waiting for an official name from Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio. Photo / Supplied
While the West Coast Wilderness Centre and Franz Josef are waiting for domestic travel to resume, the kiwi chick has a long journey ahead of it.
Once hatched Rowi travel to a creche facility in Christchurch, then up to Marlborough sounds, to a predator-free Island. Eventually, once big enough, they'll be released back into the wild and the wild Omoeroa Ranges near Fox Glacier.
Though that's some time away for 'Hope', who is still finding his/her feet.
The West Coast Wilderness Centre are natural born optimists and proof that patience pays off.
"When we first started out in 2010 there were only 140 rowi kiwi in the wild, now there are over 600," says Benton. "It has been a fantastic public-private partnership between ourselves, DoC and the iwi Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio."
In the past decade they have hatched 341 rowi kiwi chicks and 120 Haast tokoeka. Once the rarest birds in New Zealand, they're sure the kiwis will only be more plentiful in the future.
