By Celsias
And to complete the cute stories for the start of the New Year, one from our own backyard.
Christmas has come early at Pukaha National Wildlife Centre , with the arrival of the second white kiwi to hatch in captivity.
The kiwi chick hatched just before Christmas and is thought to be from the same parents as seven-month old white kiwi Manukura.This one is called Mauriora.
National Wildlife Centre's manager Kathy Houkamau described it as a "delightful gift, especially at this time of the year". It's not known yet what sex the kiwi is, but it has the same father as the other white kiwi as this can be identified through his transmitter.
A small number of North Island brown kiwi carry a recessive gene which both male and female birds must have to produce a white chick.
Department of Conservation captive breeding ranger Darren Page said it was remarkable that two birds with the rare white gene had paired up in 940ha Pukaha forest to produce two white chicks in consecutive seasons.
There is only a one-in-four chance of a pair with the rare gene producing a white chick.
Darren Page said the probability the pair will breed again was quite high.
"But we have no influence over the pairing and no way of knowing if they produce more chicks - unless they are white."
The white gene is thought to have found its way into the kiwi population on Little Barrier after a white kiwi was put on the island early last century.
Eleven kiwi have hatched at Pukaha so far this season, and more are expected.
Of two kiwi eggs now incubating in the nursery, one is from the same nest as this white kiwi, so who knows what's in store for the new year?
