Hearing the dawn chorus of birds on Tiritiri Matangi is something you have to experience. As light begins to tickle the horizon in the east, the islands swells into life with the songs of Bellbird, Kōkako, Tui, Saddlebacks, and all the others. The air rings with sound. Watching the last stars fade into pearly blue sky, there’s a magic in hearing how the whole of New Zealand once greeted the dawn.  

Having been rained out the previous morning, I flung myself out of bed at the first suggestion of dawn and was out the door, camera in hand. I didn’t end up taking many photos. I just wandered the island and listened, finding birds everywhere. A pair of Kōkako practised their duet while hopping through the dense high branches of Karo and Kowhai. Saddlebacks sang from the low branches, bounding along tracks in the forest. The high trills of Whiteheads and North Island Robins wrapped around the trees, from the leaf litter to the canopy. If I could wake up every morning to that relentless joy of song, I would be in heaven. As it is, I have a Bellbird call set as my alarm clock tone!

Tiritiri Matangi is a haven for our endemic birds that can’t survive on the mainland, due to habitat loss and introduced species. After a long history of human use, Tiri has been replanted with native bush and is regenerating into coastal forest. While not all of the species released there may have been there originally, it is one of our island arks where they can survive. If you ever get the opportunity to stay over on Tiri, grab it with both hands. Stay out late to see kiwi, get up early to hear the island in song. You can stay in the bunkhouse for a very reasonable price. If you’re lucky (like we were), and the weather is harsh, you might get a day there to yourselves!