<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[White Heron Sanctuary Tours | Guided Birdwatching | Whataroa New Zealand]]></title><description><![CDATA[Join our guided bird and nature tour to visit New Zealand's ONLY Kōtuku or White Heron nesting colony in the enchanting, Waitangiroto Nature Reserve. ]]></description><link>https://www.whiteherontours.co.nz/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 14:38:58 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.whiteherontours.co.nz/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Discovery of New Zealand's Only Kōtuku Breeding Colony]]></title><description><![CDATA[Early breeding season at New Zealand's sole Kōtuku (White Heron) nesting site in the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve, West Coast, South Island. The location of New Zealand's only Kōtuku (White Heron) breeding colony remained largely unknown to Europeans until the mid-19th century. Following an expedition along the Waitangiroto River on 30 December 1865, a young surveyor Gerhard Mueller wrote the earliest known European record of the colony in a letter to his wife, "Bannie", who was living in...]]></description><link>https://www.whiteherontours.co.nz/post/the-discovery-of-new-zealand-s-only-k%C5%8Dtuku-white-heron-breeding-colony</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6311de532301fe59f75a9d</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:39:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3185cc_87af8901079f4580bdde2e2d39f61fe2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>White Heron Sanctuary Tours</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>