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My companion for the morning is Craig Fahey, boat skipper and hiking guide for Eco Wānaka Adventures, and a regular visitor to Lake Wānaka s most remote island. En route to the compact lake that also resembles a rugged natural infinity pool, he introduces me to Mōu Waho s island residents. Extinct on the New Zealand mainland since 1920, the buff weka was only reintroduced from offshore islands in 2004, but now there s more than 200 of the squat and curious birds ranging across Mōu Waho s 120 hectares. We re met by one as we arrive on the island, and Craig also points out the well-known Sally, confidently patrolling the scrubby fringes of Arethusa Pool as we arrive closer to the island s 473m summit at Tyrwhitt Peak.