Arthur's Pass is the gateway to the west coast of New Zealand when travelling from Christchurch and it is renowned for its friendly kea. These are large birds which are also known as mountain parotts and at Arthur's Pass they have become relatively tame and will even 'steal' items from unsuspecting tourists.
We saw about 4 birds in the village, and then two more at the Otira viaduct lookout. The latter were incredibly tame and one even came and pecked at my camera lens as I tried to take its photo.
Yeah that's just a little too close actually!
A selfie with a kea! Notice that I'm keeping my hand on the strap just in case. I'm quite sure that this bird would have tried to make off with my camera if I'd let it, no doubt dropping it down the cliff face.
Kea are often seen in Arthur's Pass village and this bird was one of 4 birds which dropped in in the evening and started trying to dismantle various cars.
Otira Viaduct.
The Wobbly Kea pub.
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