I recently accompanied Emma’s father (Stewart), his friend (David), and David’s avian aversion certified Labrador (Sika) on a four day/three night tramp (AKA ‘hike’ for those not familiar with the New Zealand lingo).
Click on any of the photos in this post to get a closer look.
Note: Only registered, avian aversion certified hunting dogs, Guide dogs and dogs used for special services (including conservation management activities) are permitted in Kaweka and Kaimanawa Forest Parks. All other dogs are banned.
Getting There
We were dropped into the Kaweka Forest Park via helicopter before setting off. This helicopter trip was a birthday present from Emma’s parents. (Thanks so much, guys!)
We spent our time straddling the Kaweka and Kaimanawa ranges exploring . We were spoilt when it came to the scenery, wildlife, weather and accommodation.
Accommodation
The three Department of Conservation huts we stayed in were; Harkness, Oamaru and Boyd. On our final day, we walked out and back to Helisika base, the location from which we first took off from.
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Kaweka & Kaimanawa Forest Parks
The Kaweka & Kaimanawa Forest Parks have alpine shrublands, tussock valleys and beech forests. Both forest parks have rafting, canoeing, hunting and fishing, hot springs and tramping for experienced trampers and day walkers. Department of Conservation brochures for both Kaweka & Kaimanawa are available.
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Flora and Fauna
A highlight for me, as always, was being immersed in the different habitats throughout the trip whilst keeping my eyes and ears open in search of wildlife encounters. Here are a few of the organisms we saw.
If you can help us identify any of the species further, we’d love to know your thoughts.
Birds
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Insects
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Arachnids
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Other Invertebrates
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Special mention: A velvet worm (Peripatus sp.) capturing a mite
Fungi, Lichens & Slime Molds
![[FUNGI] (4) Kaweka Forest Park, New Zealand 20-01-2018](https://zoomologyblog.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/fungi-4-kaweka-forest-park-new-zealand-20-01-2018.jpg?w=496&resize=496%2C331&h=331#038;h=331 "[FUNGI] (4) Kaweka Forest Park, New Zealand 20-01-2018")
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Flora
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A fantastic trip had by all
We had a great time exploring the forest parks, and I’d definitely recommend paying a visit for yourself. If anyone has any questions about the area, feel free to ask!
Sika taking a much deserved nap after all of that exploring!
References and Further Reading
Department of Conservation Website – Kaimanawa Forest Park – http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/central-north-island/places/kaimanawa-forest-park/
(Retrieved 12 February, 2018)
Department of Conservation Website – Kaweka Forest Park –http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/hawkes-bay/places/kaweka-forest-park/
(Retrieved 12 February, 2018)
Department of Conservation Website – Dog Training – http://www.doc.govt.nz/dogtraining
(Retrieved 12 February, 2018)
ZOOMOLOGY BLOG 
Looks like you had a fantastic time, not many butterflies? regards Brian
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Hi Brian,
I certainly did. It was a great experience. No, you’re right, I didn’t actually come across that many butterfly species. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for more next time!
Tom
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And don’t forget the photographs! 🙂
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It’s a wonderful place. Thanks for showing.
But I have a wish: Unfortunately your website needs plenty of time loading with much breaks. 😦 It’s because the pictures are in full size. It would be better to crop them. Normally 960 px or 1.200 px are enough. I think that will help! Thank you!
Have a nice time! Simone
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Thanks for your feedback, Simone! 🌿 We shall definitely work on making the site faster. Is it this post in particular that is slow? Or, is it the whole website?
To our other readers: We’d appreciate your feedback, too. 🌞 Is anyone else finding the site slow to load?
Many thanks!
Emma
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Took me a while to learn to navigate around your site but there is a lot of content, no probs with loading speeds.
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Thanks for your feedback, Brian! It’s greatly appreciated.
-Emma
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Hi Emma, It’s very slowly when I read your posts with many pictures in the WP-Reader (Smartphone). That do not happen when I open other post which has also pictures. So I think it depends on the big size
of the pictures and perhaps on my WLAN connection. 🙂
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Thanks once again for your feedback, Simone! It’s a great help! 🙂
-Emma
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Fantastic photos. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Thank you very much, Wendy!
-Emma
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My repeated experience here in the United States, and twice recently in Canada, is that many dog owners pay no attention to signs saying dogs aren’t allowed in a certain place. If I politely point out that dogs aren’t allowed, those people often ignore me, sometimes get hostile, and occasionally even threaten me. Do dog owners in New Zealand generally comply with the restrictions?
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Hi Steve! Unfortunately, that sounds pretty much the same as here in NZ. Nobody likes to think that their friendly, family pooch would even hurt a fly. But all it takes is one over exuberant dog not on a leash to do some serious damage! Case in point: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6424474/Kiwi-deaths-spur-reminder-to-dog-owners 😦
-Emma
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Oh, I’m sorry to hear that it’s as bad over there as it is over here. I’ve sometimes thought that the proper punishment for a dog owner found guilty of letting a dog run loose is to put the owner on a leash for a month or two.
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The larger photo of the morepork has to be the cutest shot of a morepork I’ve ever seen. Well spotted, and well taken! And the velvet worm is so pretty! I adored all of the photos actually 🙂
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