Pokey vs the Nga Manu Nature Reserve

by Rachel Hoyt

All photos in this post are courtsey of Jim McIntosh of Holes in My Soles.  No reuse without permission.

I wrote yesterday about an argument Pokey and are having about whether or not I should travel to New Zealand soon.  She recognizes that not all areas of the island were harmed by the Christchurch earthquake, but had thought I would visit a certain person in Christchurch whenever I did make it to New Zealand.  I, however, am completely swept up in the Blog4NZ worldwide blogosphere event and can hardly think of anything other than traveling to New Zealand.  So, today I continued my debate with Pokey using information about other extremely rare animals to entice her.

My friend Jim at Holes in My Soles sent me some photos from the Nga Manu Nature Reserve and the place looks amazing!  It is one of those places where I want to pack a picknick lunch (and maybe dinner too) so I can just sit and watch the animals because I know how lucky I am to be in their presence.  Some animals are so rare that most of the world will never see them in real life.

First I showed Pokey The Tuatara.  Sometimes called a "living fossil" this reptile has been around since dinasour times and is only found in New Zealand.  Pokey agreed the Tuatara sounded pretty cool and perked up slightly when I told her they were both members of the reptile family.  My hopes of winning her approval rose slightly.

Then Pokey saw the pictures of the eels and her mother's creepy smile as she thought about feeding them...

Then came the photo of a Weta.  What's that, you ask?  An insect that has been around since before the dinosaurs.  I think it looks a little scary, but interesting here.  I've never been a girl to freak out about seeing a bug before.  Yet, after a bit further research, I learned this particular insect took out the rat population in New Zealand.  I'm not sure if I should be frightened of them or tempted to bring one back to the U.S.?  Obviously I wouldn't actually bring one, but which is the normal human response to a giant insect?

 Pokey was a little upset by how much these creatures enticed my curiosity.  So, although I'm convinced she did see the value of a trip to view such a unique country, she is now giving me the silent treatment.  She stomped off into her log cave for the day and won't come out.  I guess we'll have to continue the conversation tomorrow.