The kea is the world's only alpine parrot — and it will try to eat your car

Waiting at the Homer Tunnel traffic lights on the Milford Road, you'll often be inspected by a kea — olive-green, hawk-billed, with a flash of orange under the wings. It is the world's only alpine parrot, and studies rank it among the most intelligent birds anywhere: keas solve logic puzzles, use tools, and work in teams.

That intelligence has a cost for visitors: rubber seals, aerials and wiper blades are all fair game. Enjoy them up close, but never feed them — human food harms them, and fewer than an estimated 3,000–7,000 survive in the wild.