SOUTHERN ENCOUNTER AQUARIUM & KIWI HOUSE

On my first full day in Christchurch I went straight for the kiwi birds. There's really no chance of seeing one in the wild, but a few places around the country have kiwis in captivity, such as the wonderful Southern Encounter Aquarium and Kiwi House.

I arrived right after the kiwis -- one male, one female -- woke up. They were racing around their dark, quiet enclosure like mad pigeons, heads bobbing wildly, thick legs pounding the dirt. The kiwis were much larger than I'd imagined, about the size of an obese cat, and their bodies resembled furry brown pears. I felt like I was witnessing a rare show of unabashed kiwi exuberance.

After they calmed down, I watched one kiwi, just inches away with only a plexiglas wall between us, poke its long beak into the dirt, snorting and snuffling around. I couldn't believe I was face to face with this cute, funny, and practically mythical animal.

Since I wasn't able to take pictures of the kiwis, I took pictures of the less exotic but still interesting sea life displayed in various tanks throughout the general viewing area.

27 Victoria Square near Bowker Fountain	28 sea horse in a tank	29 NZ freshwater crayfish (koura)	30 NZ blue cod
31 camera shy	32 non-moving turtle
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