Summer 33
Two people have been counting albatrosses on remote islands in the subantarctic for more than three decades. Their research shows that at least one species is en route to extinction, but there’s still time to save it.
New Zealand’s environmental credentials on the line as coalition takes power
The National party had solid, if vague, policies to tackle pollution and fight the climate crisis, but coalition talks have seen those pledges unwound.
The longest walk
Chris and Jorinde Rapsey and their two children, nine-year-old Elizabeth and six-year-old Johnny, set off from Cape Reinga to walk Te Araroa, the 3000-kilometre track that runs the length of New Zealand. I joined them for a stint of the track.
Photo: Neil Silverwood
The Great Easter Bunny Hunt
It’s a fiercely-fought contest, a 24-hour endurance event, a significant pest control operation, and a family sporting occasion. For the Southern Hopper Stoppers, it’s also a celebration of the friendships forged on the front line.
Photo: Lottie Hedley
Snow birds
No one knew that Kaikōura was home to the world’s only alpine-dwelling seabird until an amateur ornithologist following a rumour discovered its burrows high in the mountains.
Photo: Richard Robinson
The last of the giants
Kauri create shelter and nourishment for other species to grow, but now, a disease without a cure is killing them one by one. Meanwhile, research aimed at preventing its spread remains tangled in bureaucracy.
Photo: Arno Gasteiger
The endless race
Two New Zealanders have created a high-country race that they reckon is as impossible as the Barkley Marathons. I went along to the inaugural event to see if anyone would finish it.
Birds of play
They can use tools. They can laugh. They can wreck your tent. One might distract you while another picks your pocket. Are kea the world’s smartest parrots?