The second mystery cache hidden in the Chatham Islands. The Chatham Island taiko was also a bird of mystery. Early European settlers were aware that the first inhabitants of the Chatham Islands (the Moriori) hunted a bird that lived in the cloudy rainforests of the south-western corner of Chatham Island. This bird known as tchaik was a mysterious bird and remained unknown to European scientists of the 19th century. For the Maori who occupied the Chatham Islands from the 1800s it was known as the Chatham Island taiko. On the mainland the taiko was the black petrel; a seabird that nested in the mountains of both North and South Islands. After feral cats, pigs and rats swept across the island, the tchaik/taiko slipped quickly from human memory. Then in the 1950s an ornithologist called David Crockett found boxes of bones of a mysterious seabird from the Chatham Islands. These had been collected in coastal middens in large numbers. He wondered if they could be the mystical Chatham Island taiko. Another ornithologist suggested that a unique seabird specimen shot at sea - the Magenta petrel might be the Chatham Island taiko. Soon the hunt began. In 1978, two birds were spotlighted and captured from flight over the Tuku Valley. The Chatham Island taiko was rediscovered. The photos proved it was also the Magenta petrel. The first burrow was found some years later and today over 30 breeding pairs are known. The rediscovery of the Chatham Island taiko and its slow recovery in a landscape full of predators and other pests is one of the untold success stories of New Zealand conservation.
To find the location of the mysterious cache, you will need to answer these 8 questions. This website will help. http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz
A = The Sweetwater predator-proof fence was built in ? (first number)
B = What colour is the Magenta petrel on the head? Red, grey or black? (number of letters)
C = Clutch size is ?
D = Average weight is ?50g
W = The Magenta petrel was shot at sea in ? (second number)
X = The nest type is a ? (number of letters)
Y = Birds average length is ?8 cm
Z = Incubation length is typically ?3 days long
The cache can be found at S44 0A.BCD West 176 3W.XYZ
Remember to bring your own pen. The hiding place is on road reserve. No need to cross any fences.