With the arrival of Spring here, the pear tree in our garden is in blossom and the ferns are uncurling, even the honeysuckle and jasmine have started scenting the evenings on the balcony.
One of the ways we know winter is over is with the arrival of the tuis who squabble over the kowhai tree and when the flax flowers in the summer, they arrive at the patio and drink the nectar noisily.
So, what's a tui?
It's a New Zealand bird, endemic, so, only found here..they are related to the Honeyeaters and sing the most beautiful song. I guess the best way to describe them is that they are the nightingales of New Zealand! Sometimes, when there is a full moon, they will even sing at night.
They are a metallic green/black colour with a purple sheen to them and a distinctive white tuft at their throat.
Captain Cook wrote about them while at Dusky Sound in 1773 on his second voyage.
“Under its throat hang two little tufts of snow–white feathers, called poies, which being the Otaheitean word for ear–rings, occasioned our giving that name to the bird; which is not more remarkable for the beauty of its plumage than the sweetness of its note. The flesh is also most delicious and was the greatest luxury the wood afforded us”.
Stories have it that the Maori kept them in cages, that they taught them to speak, as they are highly intelligent and can imitate human speech, like parrots. They trained them to welcome people to the marae!
Nowadays we have a beer here called Tui, which uses the bird as its logo.
And of course TUI (Text User Interface) is another acronym, for all the computer geeks who thought that was what the blog was about!
