Butterfly

I have seen my first New Zealand butterflies - or rather butterfly: one species, three or four sightings. It was the New Zealand Red Admiral (Kahukura, for my Maori readers), a common species here, even in town. In pursuit of my quest for early deportation, I must report that, aesthetically, it is very much a poor relation of our own native Red Admiral, but I was glad to see it. That any butterflies at all manage to thrive in a city as windy as Wellington seems wellnigh miraculous. However, we've had a couple of beautiful days of sparkling sunshine and only light breezes. Yesterday I even took a bracing dip in the sea.