They gave it little tests to do, devices to unlock to reach food. The Kea just want you to go for a hike and leave them your car to disassemble. With their hook beak they can reach in and pull out the rubber from a car door.
It is very interesting to see them have a go at someone else’s car. 😄
The first time I saw a Kea was in 2008, on the car park of Fox Glacier. A whole gang of them was roaming around, checking out all the cars. As other people walked away, leaving their cars at the crazy bird mecanics’ mercy, I did the same...
This year I was driving past Arthur’s Pass, on the beautiful road from Christchurch to Greymouth, when I spot a group of Asians acting strangely. In this gorge, where I just saw the red Rata blooming in the mist, they were looking up and waving a toy. It turned out that they were calling a Kea they had seen and trying to lure it with their toy Kea. And in fact, a Kea came flying low over us, unfortunately not to join us but to perch on a cliff at a safe distance, but in view.
A sure spot to meet Kea, just like the parking lot at Fox Glacier is the rest area just before the tunnel to Milford Sound. A place to stop on your way in or out of the tunnel and admire the water flowing over black rock from a small glacier just above.
The first day I passed there, as I was waiting for the tunnel’s green light, I saw at least 3 Kea playing around, chased by tourists with cameras. The next day, on my way back from a tramps with Trips&Tramps, I stopped to have a closer look. There was just the one Kea but I did manage to take some pictures of the tourist attention and a shot of its colours.
Look at this show master and the surprising colours hidden under its wings.
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