agent86 wrote:
only saw a real kiwi in a zoo.with a kaka and a few weta's and maybe a kia
Yes it is rare to see a kiwi in the wild nowadays, I have never seen a wild one. I've seen them in zoos but that is sadly it. Cats, dogs, ferrets, weasles and other imported animals have decimated their populations.
Kaka can be seen occasionally around here and more often further south. In winter they often leave the deep bush and fly into cities looking for food. They are gorgeous parrots. In hamilton at the zoo there's a few there in a big aviary which is proper bus but enclosed so predators don't get in and the birds don't get out. My sister visits there often and she discovered if you go to the right place, stand quietly and wait, the kakas come and sit on your shoulders. It's awesome to have rare parrots doing this and it gets lots of strange looks from other zoo-goers. I have been there a few times with her and it always works. I think the keepers feed them there so they're looking for a feed.
Wetas are everywhere where it's dark, dank and creepy. Caves and woodsheds especially.
Kea are the most awesome birds there as, in the world. They have been studied and found to be brainier even than dolphins. You won't see them in the wild here, but down south in the mountain regions they're always present and up to mischief. They love stealing from humans and wrecking anything they can get their beaks and claws on. There used to be one in the Hamilton Zoo which could talk, now that would be a great pet to have, a talking Kea.
As for your mates buying Budweiser, I think Baz is right, they were being polited for their US visitor and ensuring you didn't get anything too high in alcohol or taste that you might not handle.

Or maybe they were just Aucklanders and it was trendy at the time?