Okarito - Part 1

This morning we have a 9.00am Boat Eco Tour on the Okarito Lagoon. The weather is as beautiful as yesterday, the lagoon mirror-still and slightly misty, the diffused light adding to its magical atmosphere. 

The focus is on bird watching, the star turn being the Kotuku or a Great White Heron also known as Eastern Great Egret - critically endangered in NZ with only 150 -200 birds. Their most successful breeding colony is nearby, so chances of seeing them in the lagoon are good. But of course, the lagoon and wetlands are home to many other species. And regardless of the bird life, what’s impressive is the sheer beauty of the place - views and reflections are simply jaw dropping. 

We’re in the capable hands of Canadian Paula and Australian Swale who are softly spoken but knowledgeable and enthusiastic - and passionate about the wetlands which are the largest in New Zealand yet are unprotected. It’s easy to see why they feel so impassioned about raising its status.  

We set off across the misty waters, distant views almost shadowy reflections in its surface. Even in the channel the water is shallow, but to each side waders look as if they’re walking delicately on a mirror. There are oyster catchers and stilts, as well as godwits and dotterels, stilts especially looking like ballerinas balancing  delicately. 
Shags perch on sticks and branches rising out of the shallows, again forming perfect reflections, and on the sand banks, flocks of terns and gulls gather. 

Lone Kotukas stand out from afar due to their size, statuesque and pure white, aggressively isolated as they fish despite their proximity to others back in their breeding colonies. Spoonbills are similarly distinctive in their brilliant white feathers, but stand in watery groups, stirring the surface with a frantic motion with their characteristic beaks, or perch high in the trees.  

By now, the mistiness is clearing, and views of the snow topped Southern Alps are reflected perfectly in the lagoon. It’s a wonderful morning and simply magical to be here. 

We head up one of the rainforest waterways away from the lagoon, reflections here that of the rich vegetation, and we stop for ‘morning tea’ - or coffee - Swale unpacking both a silver teapot and cafetière as well as a tin of his homemade chocolate, oat and cinnamon cookies. An unexpected but delicious treat! We sit and chat, happily marooned in this little slice of paradise. 

Paula points out an incongruous plastic bottle bobbing on the water; it’s intentional, a marker left to indicate a DNA collecting project. Apparently some rare species of lamprey has been detected here, and they’re hoping this will push the process of protected status forward. I’d heard of lamprey, but just thought of them as an old term for eel - but this is not the case. They may need protection, but these ancient  jawless fish are the stuff of nightmares, carnivorous creatures with round mouths which bore into the flesh of other fish and suck their blood. https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/freshwater-fish/lamprey/

We soon forget this tiny monster, and refocus on the beauty of the lagoon as we retrace our route back through the narrow channels, seeing how the tidal changes and the now bright sun have transformed the scenes of just one hour ago. What a truly incredible experience.  

We have no firm plans for the remainder of the day, but I’ve had a growing urge to visit the Kotuku breeding colony, and there’s a tour from the next township due to leave at midday. But then, it’s past the main nesting season, and we may see little  - at no little cost. Arriving at the booking office, we find there’s no 12 o’clock tour today, but we’re assured there will be plenty to observe should we go at 3 pm. And then, Dion - the guide - arrives back offering to take just the two of us as soon as we are ready! It’s an offer we can’t refuse, but even when we’re making our way by minibus towards the rainforest location, I’m still doubting whether it will be worth it……

At this point, I’m departing from normal practice, and ending my daily entry here! It’s been a mega day in terms of photography - around 1200 shots - so I’m splitting this in two, with the rest of the breeding colony visit it tomorrow’s entry! 

So here’s a set from our morning on the Okarito lagoon - so hard to choose a main. In the end I’ve gone for a shot of the mountains reflecting in the lagoon, a lone kayaker cutting through the water. In extras, there’s a variety of views, plus spoonbills, stilts, and there just has to be one solitary Kotuku! Apologies for so many …..

And thanks so much for your kind responses to our helicopter adventure!