Auckland Council is celebrating the return of escaped takahē mother and daughter duo, Heaphy and Tawhara, who swapped the comfort and safety of the Tāwharanui Open Sanctuary 10 days ago for an unscheduled adventure around the Takatu Peninsula.
Their travels have been keeping rangers, volunteers, and local landowners firmly on their toes.
“Whether they were searching for new territory, a potential suitor, a shopping trip in Matakana or simply a change of scenery, only Heaphy and Tawhara know for sure,” the Council said in a statement.
The Council says heartbreak may have been the reason behind the pair’s escape from captivity.
“Heaphy, having sadly lost her mate earlier this year, wasn’t planning on spending too long moping around at home. With daughter Tawhara recently reaching breeding maturity, perhaps the pair decided there was a big wide world beyond the fence worth exploring.”
Whatever the reason, the pair embarked on a journey that has eventually stretched across much of the peninsula.
Young Tawhara appeared particularly ambitious. On Friday evening (6 November), following a sighting from a member of the public, sanctuary staff intercepted her while she was apparently making determined progress towards Point Wells. Quite what awaited her there remains the subject of speculation.
“Meanwhile, mum appeared to have a change of heart. After several days on the outside, Heaphy quietly made her own way back towards home and was located near the predator-proof fence, safely returning under her own steam as if the whole thing had been a perfectly reasonable outing,” the Council said.
While the girls may have been enjoying themselves, the search effort behind the scenes was immense.
Staff, volunteers, neighbouring landowners, conservation groups and local supporters joined forces in an extraordinary community effort to bring the pair home safely.
Search teams covered farmland, coastline and private properties. There were telemetry searches, drone surveys, coastal patrols by boat, countless volunteer hours and more gates opened than anyone could remember.
Auckland Council’s Principal Ranger, Miranda Bennett says the successful outcome is thanks to an enormous number of people who generously gave their time, local knowledge, equipment and support.
“We searched by air, by sea and by land, but in the end the girls decided the adventure was over and home was the place to be. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped bring them safely back,” she said.
Now safely back at Tāwharanui, Heaphy and Tawhara will spend some time in pens while the next chapter is worked through with the Takahē Recovery Group.
Ironically, their return home will be temporary. Having demonstrated a rather impressive ability to locate the exit route, the pair will soon undergo health checks and vaccinations before moving on to new homes.
