On 20 November 1948, Dr Geoffrey Orbell and three friends headed into a hidden valley in Fiordland’s Murchison Mountains with a dream in mind: to find the thought-to-be-extinct takahē.
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When he and the group returned victorious, it made headlines around the world.
November 2023 will mark the 75th anniversary of this rediscovery. So, what’s happened in the time since?
Geoffrey Orbell and Robert Falla with a takahē chick, 1951. (Courtesy Department of Conservation) Photo:
Someone who has been following the fortunes of the takahē closely is former Our Changing World producer and presenter, natural history book author, and lover of birds, Alison Ballance.
In November 2018 she joined the celebrations of the 70th anniversary, which involved the release of two takahē into Takahē Valley, the place where they were rediscovered, with family members of the original party who found them.
Alison has just released her latest book: Takahē – Bird of Dreams.
She sits down with Claire Concannon to talk about writing the book, her experiences of seeing takahē in the wild, and how the takahē have fared in the five years since the last celebration.
Listen to hear the recent interview with Alison Ballance, and a replay of the 2018 episode she produced.
To learn more:
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Alison also spoke to Kim Hill about the rediscovery and recovery of the takahē.
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Turnaround in takahē’s fortunes covers the inital release of takahē into Kahurangi National Park in 2018.
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Looking for more bird conservation stories? Listen to the Voice of the Kākāpō series – produced by Alison Ballance, all about the rollercoaster ride of the 2019 kākāpō breeding season.