New reports of kea attacking mountain bikes at the Aspiring Hut are a good sign that the population is growing.

Kea are an endangered parrot species endemic to the Southern Alps with a reputation for mischief, but Tamsin Orr-Walker of the Kea Conservation Trust (KCT) said there had been few kea nuisance reports in the Matukituki Valley area for some time.

“When we start getting conflict situations, it generally means we're starting to get a decent population of birds in the area,” she said. 

Her team had found two active nest sites in the Matukituki last year and had recently banded 30 birds for monitoring.

Nicholas Cowie, general manager of the New Zealand Alpine Club, which owns the hut a two-hour walk from Raspberry Creek, agreed it was “great to see kea in the valley”.

“New Zealand Alpine Club encourage[s] and promote[s] climbing as well as the respect and conservation of climbing areas,” he said.

“As a seasoned organisation in New Zealand, our members are aware that leaving gear and equipment where kea can possibly get at it will normally result in kea exploring those items.”

The club recently received $100,000 from the Otago Community Trust towards refurbishing the historic Aspiring Hut, including establishing a covered bike shed to protect equipment from the weather and kea.

The New Zealand Alpine Club recently received $100,000 from the Otago Community Trust towards refurbishing the historic Aspiring Hut, including establishing a covered bike shed to protect equipment from the weather and kea. PHOTO: Department of Conservation

While kea were not known to attack people, they were “infamous for conducting very thorough investigations on human belongings, which usually includes pulling things to bits”, a Department of Conservation spokesperson said.

“The best way to deter them is to avoid leaving things unattended and definitely don’t feed them – that only encourages them and can be harmful to their health.”

Tamsin’s suggestion for mountain bikers was to cover up their saddles – she said using a bucket had proved successful in other areas – and to report their experiences on the KCT website, which provided a “database of solutions”.

She also urged those who did see keas – even from a distance – to log their sightings here to help keep track of the kea population.