A winter in the Waikato, but summer on Great Barrier Island ... Kaka birds are proving to be little travellers

Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research is studying the endemic bird's movements for conservation purposes - but it hasn't come without its drama.

Eleven birds were tagged in the Waikato for tracking - but gloomy spring weather caused the solar-powered tags to become too flat for eight of the birds - meaning no date could be recorded.

Ecosystems researcher Neil Fitzgerald says they could only follow three birds - and they headed to Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf.

He says that's much further away - but there's also a healthy population there, and is probably where they were raised themselves.