TT was a male kiwi that was in the first batch of four kiwi released in the area by the Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum to supplement the local population here.

TT had been previously transferred to the Limestone Island kiwi crèche by a DOC Ranger. In July 2004 he was again transferred, this time to the Whangarei Heads and released on the Odys’ farm at the northern end of Mt Manaia.

He was 1,650 grams in size and had a radio transmitter fitted to his leg so we could track his movements and survival.

TT spent a month or so checking out the northern end of Mt Manaia before disappearing off our radar.

Todd (our local kiwi tracker extraordinaire) tried using the radio aerial and receiver to follow TT’s transmitter.

We looked all over and around Manaia – nothing.

Luckily Pete Graham of DOC was going up in a search plane using radio tracking to look for DOC transmittered  kiwi lost on Bream Head- he tuned into TT’s frequency and found him all the way over at Harambee Road (Northern Kauri Mt) 6 km away form his last reading!

TT then settled down in the Harambee road area spending time in weeds on the Taiharuru Road verge, in pampas at a quarry for a while, in rank kikuya grass and rushes in paddocks. In fact he went every where except the native bush!

Tracking TT (and other released kiwi) taught us WHLF folks a lot about our kiwi.   TT showed us that not only do kiwi cover quite big distances at times, but also that they can live in all sorts of habitat.  Kiwi’s are quite happy in pampas and gorse, pine plantations and on farm land.

So you can expect to find kiwi anywhere in the Whangarei Heads area – keep an eye (and an ear out). Let us know if you see kiwi in your backyard.