Weta Story

This story is called 'Willie and the Weta' it's not a true story, but it does have some true facts about Weta in it. It is from the November 1997 Kiwi Conservation Club magazine....

"I think," said Willie, shaking sawdust off his whiskers, "ice-cream grubs are my very, very favourite food. What do you think, Kiri?"
Willie had been tearing at a log with his strong beak. The ground was littered with pieces of rotten wood, and Kiri was probing them with her beak, sniffing to see if a grub hid inside.
"You’re right Willie. Worms are good, but they’re a bit earthy, if you know what I mean. And beetles are tasty but – but – "
" – too crunchy," agreed Willie. "Slaters are a bit crunchy too. But ice-cream grubs, they’re just squishy and delicious."
He set about demolishing the log again, and out fell a fat grub, cream coloured and swollen. They took bite and bite about.

Willie was frightened by the fast moving weta

"Oooh," sighed Kiri. "Try that crack, Willie, I can smell something in there."
Willie levered open the crack and was about to poke his beak in when a big, angry weta scrambled out. Willie gave a shriek and fell backwards, stepping on Kiri’s toes so both birds tripped over.
"Quick!" shouted Kiri, struggling to get up again. "Where’s it gone? Get it Willie, get it!"
Willie picked himself up slowly and looked around. "It’s gone," he said.

"Humph, you were a bit slow," grumbled Kiri. "That was a huge weta. Let’s look for it, it can’t have gone far."
"No, no, I’m full. Let’s sit down for a while," said Willie, squatting down in a patch of sunlight and starting to tidy his feathers. So they did. After a while Willie said, "I didn’t think you liked weta."
"Oh, I do," said Kiri. "A bit scratchy on the outside, but delicious in the middle."
There was a pause. Then Willie said, "If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to laugh?"
"All right."
"Promise?"
"Cross my beak and hope to die," said Kiri.
"I’m scared of weta."
Kiri’s beak fell open in astonishment, and then she rolled about on the moss, laughing and laughing and laughing. "Scared of weta! YOU, scared of weta!"
Willie was offended. "You promised not to laugh," he protested.
"I’m sorry Willie. But it’s so funny! You being scared of weta. A big weka like you! You could easily grab that weta before it nipped you."
"I know I could. But it’s the feelers, Kiri, and the scratchy legs." Willie shuddered. "Hey, let’s look for worms."
Some weeks later, Henry came to see his friends. They sat in the sun on the river bank and Henry told them about school, and lessons, and rugby. Willie was excited about rugby. "Like chasing a beetle," he said. "But you don’t eat it, so I don’t see the point," he later said to Kiri. He was very interested in lessons too, and Henry would explain things while the two birds listened.
"We’re studying native animals at present," said Henry. "Native animals are very special."
"I know," said Willie.
"Most of our native animals are only found in New Zealand, and no where else."
"I know," said Willie.
"It’s because New Zealand is so far away from other countries, so native animals are marooned here."
"I know," said Willie.
"So we’re studying one of the most ancient and special species, the weta."
"Really? I knew I was special," said Willie, fluffing his feathers.
"No, not weka, Willie, we’re studying WETA."
"WETA!" screeched Willie. "Silly insects! How ridiculous. You should be studying me."
"I know you’re special, Willie," said Henry, "but weta are really amazing too. Do you know they are still just like their ancestors, who lived 190 million years ago?"
"I don’t believe it," said Willie huffily. "How can you know that?"
"People have found weta sandwiched in rocks. They’re called fossils."
"Squished in a rock 190 million years ago? You’re pulling my feathers!"
"It wasn’t rock when the weta got stuck in it, it was mud, and now it’s been squashed into rock. I know it sounds funny but it’s true, Willie. Scientists have ways of telling the age of rocks, the oldest at the bottom and the youngest at the top. But I want to find a real, live weta. Will you help me?"
"Me? No! I mean – there’s not many around – they’re really hard to find," said Willie.

Henry was disappointed. Kiri was silent, torn between wanting to help Henry, and not wanting to give away Willie’s secret. Then she had an idea.
"I know a place where you can find weta, Henry! They’re too high up for me to reach, so I haven’t eaten them. They’re different to the tree sort, very leggy and not so scratchy, but I’m sure they’re weta. I’ll show you."
She led the way with Henry almost treading on her in his excitement, and Willie trailing behind. Up stream, where the forest was dark and mossy, boulders had fallen from the cliff. They were covered with mosses and ferns and wrapped in tree roots. Kiri squeezed between two boulders to the opening of a cave.
"In here," she said, sniffing the darkness.
"I can smell them."
"Cave weta!" exclaimed Henry. "Wow! Lucky I’ve got a torch."

Henry and Kiri go in search of Cave Weta

He took off his pack and fished a torch out of the pocket. Then he ducked down and stepped cautiously into the darkness. From the entrance Willie watched the torch beam dance around the rock walls.
"Come and look," called Henry. "There are cave weta everywhere! Big ones and little ones."
"It’s a bit um – bright for my eyes," said Willie.
"I’ll bring one out to show you."
"Don’t bother…" said Willie, but Henry was already coming out, walking very carefully with a weta clinging to his hand. He knelt down to show it to the birds.
"Just look at those feelers! And the legs, and – see – this must be a female because this spike is for laying eggs. I can even see its hearing place on the front leg. Look closer Willie," and he thrust the weta under Willie’s beak.
Willie squarked and tripped backwards, cracking his head on a boulder.
When he opened his eyes, his head was cushioned on the moss, Kiri was grooming her feathers and Henry was watching him anxiously.
"Oh Willie! Are you alright?"
Willie nodded groggily. "Just tripped. The weta – where’s the weta?"
"I put it back in the cave," said Henry.
"Just rest Willie, and we’ll find you some worms."
Soon Willie was sitting up, eating worms and feeling much better. Kiri even found him an ice-cream grub, and he told Henry how they were his favourites.
"Funny, isn’t it, to think they turn into huhu beetles?" said Henry.
"Ice-cream bugs turn into huhu beetles!"
"Yes they do," and Henry drew pictures in the dirt to show the birds.
"Well," said Willie faintly. "Finish this er – huhu grub for me Kiri. I think I’ll stick to worms. You know where you are with worms."