A Welsh tramper made an unexpected find on the South Island stretch of the Te Araroa trail, when she came across a tiny black kitten nestled in the undergrowth near Lake Sumner.
Many would have just kept walking, but not Katie Evans, who took the feral feline under her wing, for the next 50km of her mammoth adventure hiking the length of New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Bluff.
Unexpected companion: Tramper saves feral kitten in South Island bush - Watch on TVNZ+
Welsh tourist Katie Evans was stunned to see the wee feline peeking out from undergrowth near Lake Sumner but she knew what she had to do. (Source: 1News)
"This little kitten just appeared pretty much like on trail in the middle of nowhere it was quite deep bush," Evans said.
She said she just couldn't leave it behind and that decision "probably came from the heart right away".
"Also, I was quite aware of New Zealand's fragile ecosystem with all the native birds and I knew that cats and kittens were pests out in the wild."
The Department of Conservation estimated feral cat numbers to exceed two million nationwide, and a 2019 survey revealed they are to blame for killing 20% of the kea population.
DOC North Canterbury manager Leeann Ellis said Evans did the right thing by removing the kitten from the environment it was in.
"Like everyone, we found the story really surprising. One less feral cat in conservation land is a win in our opinion. Feral cats are one of the worst introduced predators that we have in New Zealand.
The kitten caused quite a stir on the trail. "I arrived at the hut and there was quite a few surprised trampers but everybody fell in love with the kitten," Evans said.
She made herself at home in two different huts, sometimes going to sleep inside Evans' hood. "One of the hikers was, like, we should call it Lady Bluff because that's where we're all heading to."
When Evans emerged from the bush, she knew she had to find Lady Bluff a forever home, as she still has 800km to go to complete the trail from one end of New Zealand to the other. But giving her new companion up wasn't easy.
"It was really hard, like I got so attached to the kitten so quickly and it was so cuddly and adorable, but I also knew I have a trail to hike. I can't hike with a kitten."
The kitten's new family have shortened her name to Bluffy, and have sent daily videos to her Te Araroa saviour, showing her living her best life.
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