I recently went kiwi spotting with Okarito Kiwi Tours, it was 4.5 hours in the forest, standing very still and silent for most of the time, plus intermittently walking a total of 4 klms on an uneven wet

/boggy and stony trail to find a bird. For most of this time we had no light, therefore we were attempting to place our feet safely in total darkness without an appropriate torch. Whilst Okarito Kiwi Tours do provide a torch for each customer, they are white light and not allowed to be used for most of the night so as not to scare the birds. The guide explained that kiwi do not see red light, and the guide had the only red torch.

In my experience of the tour I did on a very black night, it is totally unacceptable and dangerous to expect people to safely navigate an unfamiliar forest trail in darkness. I hope that this tour operator considers providing each customer with a red torch to help prevent a fall, sprained ankle or worse.

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2020