A weka who travelled from the West Coast to Christchurch over the Alps has been returned home after his roadie adventure.
The endemic bird caught a ride after a couple left their car door open at their campsite in Buller Gorge while packing up from their Easter getaway.
The gear was split between campers Kim Ranger and her partner Ian’s two vehicles, with the weka going unnoticed, hidden in dog blankets in Ian’s ute despite multiple stops.
“He didn’t hear it, didn’t see it, nothing. He got home to Christchurch and hopped out and didn’t notice the weka,” Kim said.
“When I got home, I opened the back door of the Ranger to get something there it was in the rear passenger footwell.
“I couldn’t stop laughing, and then I came to the realisation, what on earth do you do with a weka in Christchurch?”
Kim said they contacted the after-hours vet, SPCA and DOC but were told to care for the bird until morning.
Apart from setting off the car alarm at 7am and covering the inside of the ute with poo, Kim said the weka didn’t seem distressed.
Kim named the weka “Ranger”, after her last name and given its temporary home.
Ranger was collected by DOC and checked over at the South Island Wildlife Hospital where — apart from being slightly dehydrated — was in good health and was released back to the area from where it hitched a ride.
DOC Biodiversity supervisor Craig Alexander said the episode was a reminder for people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping.
“There are no wild weka in Christchurch so we wouldn’t want to see them accidentally introduced here.”
“In the last few months, we also had someone accidentally bring two wētā over from the West Coast in their wetsuits,” said Alexander.
If you find a native animal has snuck a ride somewhere, it shouldn’t be; contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) for advice on what to do next.
