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For the next week, every step he takes will be seen by thousands, but today Prince Harry got to see what one Department of Conservation ranger calls “the old New Zealand”.
The prince was treated to a getaway to one of the country’s most spectacular remote islands, the pest-free Ulva Island open island sanctuary, on Sunday afternoon.
The island is home to plants and wildlife that aren’t seen anywhere else on earth, and Prince Harry didn’t have to wait long for his first glimpse of a rare bird.
Barely a minute after stepping onto the island, he was greeted by a weka.
“There are birds here that are unique to this island?” he asked DOC rangers.”Wow, that’s something.”
While he didn’t come across a kiwi as he had earlier revealed was the top of his New Zealand bucket list, the unspoiled rainforest turned on a treat for its royal visitor, who was notably impressed by his surroundings.
The prince was given a guided tour of part of the 270 hectare, 3.5km long island, stopping along the way to learn how to set a rat trap and to meet with members of the Ulva Island Charitable Trust.
The island has been pest-free since 1997 and is on the leading edge of island conservation management, attracting about 25,000 tourists each year.
DOC leads the world in pest eradication and has cleared mammalian predators from 117 offshore islands in the past decade, with senior ranger Dale Chittenden describing Ulva Island as “the jewel in the crown”.
The relatively unmodified island “shows what New Zealand used to be”, in the midst of an environment which is under threat and continues to decline, he said.
Achieving the best possible conservation results came down to spreading the word, and there was no better way to do that than to show one of the world’s finest examples of conservation to one of the world’s most high-profile people, he said.
“Stewart Island had attracted a lot of important people, but having Prince Harry here is just really special,” Chittenden said.
“It’s not often people get the opportunity to get out into an environment like this, so we’re very fortunate that someone of his profile has come here to help showcase what’s here.”
The charismatic prince also met members of a family which has owned a portion of the island for almost a century, joking that the two sisters at the end of the family line would have to “fight it out” to claim ownership.
He described them as being “very lucky” to lay claim to a part of the world as picturesque as Ulva Island.
“We’ve owned 7.2 hectares for 93 years,” John Hunter said.
“[Prince Harry] is a very nice young fella and he was very interested in what’s being done here.
“We’re just caretakers of this in our lifetime – it’s something we need to preserve for the next generations to inherit and it’s great to have a person in [Prince Harry]’s position understand that and take an interest.”
Prince Harry visited Ulva Island to try his hand at bird watching.
The Prince reportedly told locals he wanted to see a kiwi bird on his tour, but unfortunately, the birds remained elusive for his trip.
He did spot a weka bird, however.
The Prince talked with locals and was given a tour of the Island.
“It’s really come to life after the rain yesterday,” he said. “It’s a beautiful place, it really is.”
After his romantic beach stroll, Prince Harry has since returned to the mainland.
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