Kōkako flock to Rotorua inner city
DOC Ranger Caraline Abbott and Rotorua District Council City Safe Guardian Jenna showcasing the corflute kōkako.
Rotorua CBD is being visited by 30 corflute kōkako this week as part of Conservation Week 2014.
The birds have been put on display in parks, reserves and shop windows to raise awareness of kōkako populations and the community groups that work for their protection in the Rotorua District.
Capers Epicurean have provided $10 vouchers for the first 10 people who can correctly list three shops displaying kōkako in their windows.
Rotorua District Council Inner City Operations supervisor, Richard Horn, says it is great to have an initiative in the CBD that promotes Conservation Week - especially involving a species that is important to Rotorua.
Department of Conservation Rangers were asked to select three local treasures to highlight during Conservation Week.
Ranger Caraline Abbott says kōkako were an easy choice.
"We have some great community work going on in this district around protecting kōkako. We're really fortunate to have quite significant populations of these beautiful birds in our area. The South Island kōkako has been classified as extinct for many years."
The Bay of Plenty is one of few regions where remnant population of kokako are found. Natural populations are confined to a few scattered forests in the northern half of the North Island. The population at Kaharoa Conservation Area is one of the largest populations in the country.
"Early visitors to the Kaharoa Kokako Track are most likely to see or hear wild kokako," explained Caraline.
The Kaharoa Kōkako Trust will be operating a pop-up shop at the Rotorua Library on Tuesday 4th November to provide information on kōkako and the Trust work to protect this species.
Rotoehu Ecological Trust will be at the Rotorua Night Market on Thursday 6th November with a bop the rat' activity acknowledging the pest control work the volunteer Trust recently completed. Coffee produced by Kokako coffee - a sponsor of the Trust - will be available to buy.