The last time I was on Tiritiri Matangi, the bird sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, I noticed a bunk house. This facility is run by the DOC (Department of Conservation), so you can stay on the island. Staying in the bunkhouse is in high demand as it is popular among volunteers staying on the island, but it is also for bird-watchers as nocturnal birds cannot be seen during a day trip. From time to time, I looked up vacancies, somewhat half-heartedly, as weekends are always booked out, and due to work, I am not able to go throughout the week. But eventually there was a vacancy from Friday to Saturday. Quickly checking my work schedule, I decided I could make it work, and therefore, I booked the bunk and got the ferry ticket.
The 80-90 minute trip to the island by ferry is already very relaxing: it was a little cool, though, this early Friday morning as it was still considered early spring in Auckland.
I arrived at the island, and my pack and the other people’s luggage were transported up the hill and to the bunkhouse. That gave me plenty of time to stroll around the numerous trails to watch the birds and listen to their birdsong.
Tiritiri Matangi is a considerably small island, and as this is the second time I have been there, I wanted to challenge myself: how about I hike all the trails while I am here overnight? As my partner John is a programmer, software developer, and dedicated hiker, he works on a GPS tracking app that I wanted to use „to redline“ (track myself while hiking) all the trails on the island. After ticking off the first couple of trails, I made my way to the bunkhouse, checked in, picked a bed, and quickly chatted with the other people staying overnight. Several bunks remained empty. That is surprising, given that the bunkhouse is almost always booked out. Anyway, after lunch, I made my way out to redline more of the island. The further along the trails I got, the fewer people I met. The last ferry leaves the island around 4 pm, so after around 3 pm, most trails are deserted. It was nice to stroll around and explore without hurrying for the ferry. There are fantastic views over to the other islands in the Gulf; I saw and heard many birds and did a bit of redlining. Later, I returned to the bunkhouse to cook myself some dinner. After nightfall, I went for another short walk, hoping to see a kiwi. These iconic New Zealand birds are nocturnal and a number of them live on Tiritiri Matangi. I was not lucky; however, two women who stayed at the bunkhouse saw one kiwi at the shore. Lucky them. Oh well!
After a very calm night, I enjoyed my breakfast, a cup of tea and a good read at the picnic table next to the island’s lighthouse. The sun was shining warmly, the sea was glittering in the sun, and as the first ferry hadn’t arrived on the island yet, it was as peaceful as it could be. These were the moments why I came out to the island!
After a bit more redlining, I returned to the bunkhouse, and it turned out that the ranger staying at the island was planning to hike Te Araroa next season. The quick chat turned into a long conversation about hiking in New Zealand, and a couple from Christchurch chimed in. The husband turned out to be a vivid mountaineer, and – in a typical Kiwi manner – he only shared after quite some time that he summited Mt Cook/Aoraki plenty of times in his life. After this, I eventually finished hiking all the trails on the island and then made my way down to the little wharf, where I chilled in the sun until my ride back to Auckland showed up. What a lovely two days on the island!
