In search of a Kiwi

Dear Family and Friends,

Chuck and I went to a park called Rainbow Springs.  The brochure said that we could see kiwis there.

The park had tall redwoods.  These redwoods are different from the redwoods in the U.S.  These trees grow faster so their wood is not as dense.

Part of the fern forest.

We saw many birds that were new to us.  they are native to New Zealand.

This is a blue pigeon.

Beautiful swans with black feet.

An assortment of little birds about three times the size of a parakeet.  They came in three lovely colors.  Green, yellow and blue.

Finally we arrived to the  Kiwi house.  The good part is that we got to see a real live Kiwi.  The bad part is that we could not photograph them.  They are nocturnal animals and they were in a area that had very low light.  

To protect the Kiwi they did not permit photography....most people would not know how to turn off their flash.

They did allow us to photograph the stuffed Kiwi they had on display.

Instead of a live Kiwi, here is a real live Chuck, enjoying a fake waterfall.

Love to all,
Nancy