The totally psychedelic version! I understand these used to be considered a seperate species A. praerupta: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/379981-Austrocidaria-praerupta. However, a closer look found them to be merely a wacky colour form of Austrocidaria callichlora (John Dugdale made quite a few dissections of these and regarded praerupta as a definite synonym of callichlora, though the synonymy remains unpublished). Interesting how both colour forms live together at this site and how the "psychedelic" colour form is so much rarer across the species range. Only the second spot I've found them (first was Sinbad Gully https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/109529042). They certainly don't make callichlora like this on the Maniototo!

I initially thought this maybe a Copper butterfly. Until looking more closely and concluding its a day flying moth. I tried to find the species on the Landcare database but failed to be happy with a definite. If anyone could help that would be fantastic. Obviously the second specimen was either dead or paralysed as it was under attack from ants. The favoured plant species seemed to be Pimelea prostrata. The specimen I followed to take these photo's was very flitty if that is any help. Cheers...

'Southern North Island Forest Gecko'

Quite the rare occasion to spot this animal in daylight. I saw the faint movement of something hugging a vertical branch, and spin around it trying to evade me, a walker though the bush.