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Nature rules in NZ’s South Island

Where can you see an island in a lake, on an island in a lake, that is on an island in an ocean? It takes a bit to get my head around the question but that’s what Eco Wanaka guide Andy Woods says we are going to see.

We are heading to an island called Mou Waho on Lake Wanaka in New Zealand, in the Pacific Ocean. And at the top of Mou Waho there is a lake called Arethusa Pool with a small rocky island in the middle — get it?

Apart from this unusual phenomenon, Mou Waho is also a scientific reserve under the protection of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. It has been cleared of introduced pests and there is an ongoing project of reforestation after European settlers cleared much of the island’s bush for farmland.

While we head for the island, Andy explains that the two main beneficiaries of the conservation project are a rare flightless native bird called a buff weka and a large insect that dates back to before the dinosaurs, called a weta bug, but other native birdlife including bellbirds, falcons and fantails have also returned in good numbers. Like the kiwi bird, the buff weka is easy prey for introduced species such as stoats, rats and possums, so they need a predator-free environment to thrive.

An Eco Wanaka boat. Picture: Mogens Johansen

After a 30-minute boat ride to the island, we set foot on Mou Waho at a small picnic area by the jetty. “People are free to come here and enjoy a picnic or a barbecue and camp overnight if they want,” Andy says as he leads the way up a narrow track towards Arethusa Pool. We haven’t gone far before I hear rustling in the undergrowth and spot my first buff weka. It seems curious and comes out to investigate us — no wonder they are easy prey for the introduced species; this curiosity must have been a contributing factor in virtually wiping out the species.

We walk on while Andy tells us about the local plants and how the natural balance of the ecosystem is being restored, thanks to poisoning of introduced pine trees and replanting of native ones. It is clearly working, because we see and hear plenty of bird life as we head up towards the lake.

A rare flightless buff weka. Picture: Mogens Johansen

Arethusa Pool is near the top of the island, about 150m above Lake Wanaka. We stop here for afternoon tea, which Andy magically produces from his backpack. While he sets it up on a rock table by the lake, he tells us about Wally the weka, one of the first to be relocated to the island.

He is apparently a bit of a character and sometimes joins the tea party to pick up a few biscuit crumbs that may fall his way. Unfortunately, he doesn’t grace us with his presence on this occasion but as we sit lakeside enjoying the tranquillity Andy asks “Can you hear that?” We sit quietly and listen. “What?” comes the inevitable question. “The silence,” he says and laughs — typical Kiwi humour.

After our tea break, we continue upwards towards a lookout further above the lake, where we get a better view of the small rocky island in the middle of Arethusa Pool on the island in the lake, on the island in the ocean — you know the drill by now. Even on this overcast day it is a sight to behold.

Guide Andy Woods with a weta bug. Picture: Mogens Johansen

Before we head down, we have a little weta bug hunt. Among the largest insects in the world, weta bugs are flightless and look a bit like a cricket. We check a under many rocks and logs without success until I find one under a large rock. It is not the most endearing creature but, left to its own devices, it is very hardy. So after a photo opportunity, we put it back under its rock and begin our hike back down to our boat.

Our last task before leaving is to plant a tree. Each time Eco Wanaka takes a tour group here, they plant a tree to help with the reforestation of Mou Waho.

Mogens Johansen was guest of Lake Wanaka Tourism and Air New Zealand.

FACT FILE

For details of tours with Eco Wanaka, see ecowanaka.co.nz.

For more on visiting Wanaka, see Lake Wanaka Tourism at lakewanaka.co.nz.

Air New Zealand flies from Perth to New Zealand, including daily flights between Perth and Auckland with its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. airnewzealand.com.au or 13 24 76.