'Small Five' drive promotes NZ wildlife
07 Oct 2009
New Zealand is turning the concept of a wildlife ‘Big Five’ upside down by developing its own ‘Small Five’ list aimed at encouraging travellers to come and see some of the world’s rarest creatures for themselves.
The phrase the ‘Big Five’ was coined by big-game hunters in Africa referring to the five most difficult animals to hunt on foot.
In contrast, New Zealand’s ‘Small Five’ focuses on promoting awareness and conservation of five of its small and rare indigenous creatures - the iconic kiwi, Hector’s dolphin, yellow-eyed penguin, tuatara and kea.
New approach
It is fitting that New Zealand - 'the youngest country on earth' - has turned an old concept on its head. New Zealand’s comparative youth and geographical location make it unique and the country’s biodiversity is one of the most unusual on earth.
Tourism New Zealand is working with the NZ Department of Conservation (DOC) to develop wildlife tourism and the ‘Small Five’ list is being promoted on the newzealand.com website. The UK’s Discover the World travel company has also put together a special wildlife discovery tour covering a range of New Zealand locations.
Rare NZ species
Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton says New Zealand has many indigenous and rare species.
"A holiday here offers unique experiences to enjoy seeing them, from a night walk to kiwi-spot on a deserted beach, to swimming with the world’s smallest dolphin," Hickton said.
"We are working closely with the Department of Conversation to raise our profile as a wildlife destination and while our ‘Small Five’ might not be as big as Africa’s, their uniqueness can’t be matched."
DOC and the operators working with the rare birds and animals have active conservation programmes that help to protect and preserve them, he said.
NZ’s biodiversity
New Zealand’s plants and animals, which developed during 80 million years of isolation, are so distinctive that scientists have described New Zealand as the closest you can get to studying life on another planet.
Today, more than 30% of New Zealand’s land has been set aside in national parks, reserves and special heritage sites to preserve the country’s ecological heritage.
"There are lots of opportunities for visitors to experience these five unique New Zealand species in their natural environment," said DOC spokeswoman Nicola Vallance.
"But why stop at five? New Zealand is internationally recognised as a "conservation hotspot" and there are hundreds of special animals and plants that you will only ever experience by coming here to see for yourself," Vallance added.
Discovery tours
The UK specialist tour company ‘Discover the World’ has introduced a special 18 day ‘Small Five’ trip to New Zealand which includes the opportunity to see kiwi, Hector’s dolphin, yellow-eyed penguin, tuatara and kea.
Tours will cover the North, South and Stewart Island regions with experiences that include the Mount Tarawera Safari, Mount Bruce Native Bird Reserve, White Heron Colony, Milford Sound cruise, Kiwi Watch, Ulva Island, Albatross Colony, Yellow eyed penguin colony, Tiritiri Matangi and Te Anau Glowworm caves.
Rare New Zealand species:
Kiwi
The kiwi is the established icon of New Zealand. This nocturnal flightless bird is a rare sight but can still be viewed in the wild throughout New Zealand. With hair-like feathers, long whiskers and nostrils at the end of its bill, the kiwi wanders the forest floor to sniff out and probe for insects, worms and grubs. One of the best places to see kiwi is in the isolated windswept beach of Mason Bay on Stewart Island.
Hector’s dolphin
The Hector's dolphin is about 1.4m in length and is one of the world’s smallest cetaceans and the world’s rarest marine dolphin. Named after Sir James Hector, of the Museum of New Zealand, who examined the first specimen found in the 19th century, the dolphins are found around the South Island particularly in Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula, or Porpoise Bay, in the remote Catlins district of Southland.
Yellow-eyed penguin
The yellow-eyed penguin or hoiho, and its cousin the little blue penguin both endear themselves to visitors. They strut with dignified formality from the sea to their nests on the shoreline with comical seriousness. Coastal Otago is the best place to encounter these rare penguins.
Tuatara
The tuatara is a unique relic of the past - the only beak-headed reptile left in the world. Every species of this reptile family, except the tuatara, died out around 65 million years ago. They can live for more than 100 years, and were once found throughout New Zealand. Now they are only found on protected offshore islands - around 30,000 live on Stephens Island in the Marlborough Sounds. One of the best places to see tuatara is Zealandia, a unique wildlife safe haven near Wellington.
Kea
The kea is a species of parrot found in forested and alpine regions of the South Island, and are often described as cheeky. They are well known for their intelligence and curiosity - in fact they’re widely regarded as the most intelligent species of bird in the world. This curiosity sometimes leads them to carry away unguarded items such as passports and travellers’ personal belongings. Kea are easily spotted in the Canterbury / Southern Alps mountain ranges.
More information:
‘Small Five’ and other unique NZ wildlife experiences
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