A VISIT TO KAPITI.

Shannon News, 11 April 1924, Page 4

A VISIT TO KAPITI.

BIRD SCARCITY REPORTED.

HUMAN RELICS FOUND.

A parte A>f 6,4 men and women, members of the Tararua Tramping Club' returned to Wellington Sunday from a week end jaunt to Kapiti land, where they had interesting experiences.. Thp party, was ■ bv Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., mid Mr. F. W. Vosseller, president of the club. Leaving Wellington by the 9.10 train on Saturday morning, the party were entertained , at morning tea at Paraparaumu by Mr. Field, and crossed in two launches. They_ report a rough trip, having to tranship from. the” launch to flat-bottomed pontoons to reach the beach. They scaled Kapiti Peak (1725 feet). * . “We were perhaps the largest party that ever visited Kapiti at one time, they told a reporter last night We were the recipients of many kindnesses at the hands of the the Watsons, and the Bennetts, at the lslanc. We were surprised at the'scarcity of birds on Kapiti. We had heard a lot about it being a sanctuary, but we saw very few birds, comparatively speaking. In the order iof numbers, there were "bell birds, tui, parakeets, robms,> and half a dozen.-pigeons. We were led to believe that : thevgoats were extinct, hut we counted twenty-six. We weie told that the caretaker has shot ten thousand in; seven years, and the end of them is in* sight. There were numerous penguins, which kept us awake at night. We saw penguins j right away ..in the. .deepest part of the I bush —an anomaly- in their habits that is somewhat 'difficult to understand. There was excellent, fishing blue cod and tcrakihi. Wc came across human remains, evidently Maoris. Ope of the bones was identified by a medical student as a femur. A party of five had to remain on the peak all night, haying been overtaken by darkness Being non-smokers, they had no matches, and spent the night singing, songs.