Shakespear Kiwi, (without bookings/self exploratory?)[maybe Russell]

[paradoxdinokipi]

Hi, am thinking about maybe trying to go up to Russell(or truthfully anywhere where I can self-explore with a decent chance of finding one in one night) and back down in one night to try look for Kiwi, and was wondering what places are best to look for them? Heard of Orongo Holiday Park but would I hae to book a room if I wanted to explore the premises? (Problem as apparently you cant book rooms anywhere alone until you hit 18) Or are there just any other places where I could self-explore without haing to book, yet still easy enough to reach through some sort of public transport?

[paradoxdinokipi]

Actually looking at AT bus routes, how easy/where would you find kiwis at Shakespear Regional Park? As ebird seems to show sightings, and since it's on AT a lot more familiarity as well as way more cheap to get to.($8 round trip compared to the $100 I'd be looking at for Russell!!)
Although oddly ebird shows only North Island Brown, whilst through google I can only find mentions of Little Spotted being reintroduced to the region in 2018.

[Oscar Thomas]

The Brown kiwi records from Shakespear are erroneous. There are ample Little spotted kiwi eBird records from there too. They are not easy as there are not many there but if you put a few hours into it you'll likely hear them and if lucky see one. Waterfall Gully is probably the best bet there. Be wary about trusting buses out there and back as they can be early, late or cancelled without warning.

Orongo Bay in Russell is fantastic in my experience as there are literally Brown kiwi in the campground. Another option to consider is booking an overnight trip to Tiritiri Matangi. Only slightly more than your Russell trip costing but more rewarding with many other endangered species and a better chance of finding the rarer Little spotted kiwi.

[paradoxdinokipi]

Alright, still can I enter Orongo forest without haing booked any accommodation/anything in adance or nah?

[Craig Worthington]

There are plenty of Kiwi all around Russell and numerous bush walks where you could possibly see them. They can be hard to spot though. Most of the time you just get the sound of a big bird crashing through the bush. They come down onto the beaches at Tapeka, and wander around on people's lawns, but still no guarantees you'll see one. You can hear five or six pairs calling some nights when standing on the Russell wharf and a friend saw two at night on the Longbeach walkway close to town, but they don’t come out when you want them too.

Another friend saw two at night out in the open at Shakespeare Park. It could be a better option.