Takahe rediscovery, historic footage

On 15 August 2007, doctor and tramping enthusiast Geoffrey Orbell died. Orbell was the first president of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association, and was renowned for leading the exploration party that rediscovered the Takahē in Fiordland in 1948. By 1840 the Takahē was already considered rare, and it was last seen in 1898. From an early age Orbell had been fascinated with stories of the Takahē, and after reading about possible sightings, Orbell took time off from his Invercargill medical practice and dedicated himself to the search. Orbell figured that if the Takahē did survive, it might be found in an area of the unexplored Murchison Mountains west of Lake Te Anau, Fiordland. And that is exactly where it was. On his first expedition into the area in April 1948 Orbell and two companions heard strange bird calls and saw tracks. They returned the following spring climbed four hours to reach the open tops, and in an area of snow grass near Lake Te Wai-o-pani (now known as Lake Orbell