Kākāpō
Kākāpō, is the second neighbourhood to be released in Karamū. Continuing Karamū, Riccarton Park’s focus on the nature of the area, this neighbourhood is named for one of the world’s rarest parrots - our very own Kākāpō. Once New Zealand’s third most common bird; today, just over 200 remain. Thought to have lived in Canterbury many centuries ago the vegetarian and nocturnal Kākāpō (Strigops habroptila) are the only flightless parrots, and can live up to 90 years. Sometimes kept as pets by ancient Māori, the Kākāpō feed on species including Rimu, (their favourite), Southern Beech, and Manuka. Let’s hope we see them back someday.
Kuia the Kākāpō
We couldn’t resist! Say hello to Kuia the Kākāpō! With the launch of the Kākāpō neighbourhood in July 2018 we decided to adopt her to help with the birds population recovery and to raise awareness of the Kākāpō recovery programme.
Fun Facts
- Kuia was hatched on Maud Island in 1998
- Kuia in Te Reo means ‘wise, old woman’
- Kuia is the only female carrying genes from the Fiordland bird: Richard Henry so she is very special. Richard Henry is credited by many to have ‘single-wingedly’ saved the Kākāpō species. More information on him can be found here
For updates on Kuia and Karamū follow our Facebook page.
