Some of the terrifying New Zealand wildlife
We don’t have much in the way of poisonous or bitey things here in New Zealand. They all evolved over the other side of the ditch after we split off from Australia. In fact, there weren’t even any mammals in this country until they hitched a ride with the humans about a thousand years ago (give or take a significant margin), which explains all the flightless birds we used to have.
But you still get to see some interesting fauna.
Jake and I went for a rock-skimming stroll along Bucklands Beach, outside Aunty Micky’s place, and found this particular specimen, still alive, waggling its arms about. Neither of us had ever seen such a large starfish, and we certainly didn’t expect it on Bucklands Beach. The odd jellyfish, sure – but nothing exotic like this.
We patted it. It was a bit cactus-y. Then we let it get on its way.
The fisherman we saw surfcasting was less successful at leaving only footprints. A shag made the mistake of diving for the bait he’d tossed out for the fish, and tried to fly away with a hook in its beak. After a bit of alarming flapping, there was nothing to do but cut the line and wish the shag luck getting that thing out of its face.
Bet the fish thought it was funny though…
Having a wonderful time, wish you were here.
Tagged: New Zealand, Travel