Sunday 18th February 2018

The Fiordland Crested penguin in soft release

​Hello friends and family
I am safely home after a great break away visiting the family. Everything went to plan until I was sitting in the plane at Wellington airport, waiting for take-off to Christchurch when they made an announcement that there was a baggage discrepancy and so we sat there for 45 minutes which meant that I missed my bus home.

Olivia with cousins and Kickass waiting for her first movie

​Luckily, I decided to contact Graeme and Wendy and was able to stay the night with them in Christchurch and got home at mid-day on Friday. Their hospitality was amazing, and I really enjoyed my visit. I returned home to Chris and grand-son Hamish, 14 YEP chicks, a juvenile YEP, a Fiordland Crested, an Erect Crested and a Snares crested. By mid afternoon we had rescued an adult YEP from Shag point and then were able to have dinner after Hiltrun arrived. 

Leaving the Mount

​Yesterday Hamish left for his new academic year at Canterbury University in the morning and we had a film crew in the afternoon. The chicks in the colony are leaving and the juveniles and unemployed adults are arriving to moult. Every day is different from the last and having a week’s gap is amazing!

Mt Taranaki beyond Mt Ruapehu

​The garden is producing at full speed and last night we ate the first beetroot harvest. I cooked it and diced it and sprinkled it with Balsamic vinegar – delicious!

A fat chick ready to fledge

Today we will keep filming and this afternoon I have a video conference - busy times!
Have a great week
Rosalie
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