For some time now I've had it in mind to write a story about the Kea. My current status (read: not skiing) provided me the opportunity a few days ago to stalk the Kea with my camera. No I wasn't wearing khakis and a pith helmet poking through the tussock and pompas grass, I was strolling around the Treble Cone lodge and cafe.
The Kea is a large (up to 50 cm in length) parrot indigenous to the high alpine areas of the South Island. They are among the most intelligent birds in the world, generally unafraid of people, will and do eat anything, and have a particularly odd affection for all things rubber. They are well known for removing the windshield wipers and weather stripping from the cars parked at TC and are not bashful about eating any unattended food from the plate of a guest in the cafe, while the guest is still seated in front of it. Keas are a protected species here in NZ, so they pretty much have the run of the place at Treble Cone.
Among the photos below my favorite is of the Keas chowing down on the stinky bike shoes of one of the competitors in the recent Peak to Peak multisport race at Treble Cone. Enjoy.
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