The Mainland has a tall order coming its way as Auckland Zoo's 2-year-old giraffe Shira began a three-day sea voyage south yesterday.
The young female, travelling in a 4m purpose-built crate, is being relocated to Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Park as part of the Australasian zoos' regional breeding programme.
Shira's voyage started at 9am with a road trip to the Ports of Auckland where she will board the Quadrant Pacific Liner, Shansi, a 25,000-tonne container ship bound for Timaru.
Although today was the first time Shira had been away from the zoo, she took her half-hour road trip to the port in her stride, deigning from time to time to peer out from her vantage point three times higher than cars lined up behind her along Balmoral and Mt Eden roads.
A zoo spokeswoman said the trip in her elongated olive green float, along a route approved for her height, went without a hitch and "the traffic was on our side".
She caught a few curious glances from passengers waiting for buses through Mt Eden Village, before they returned to consulting their mobile phones, although one young woman remarked that she had seen it all previously as it was the "usual" route for deliveries from the zoo.
After the 734-nautical mile trip to Timaru, Shira will travel by road to her new home. Auckland Zoo vet manager Dr James Chatterton, Pridelands team leader Nat Sullivan, and keeper Larry Lee will escort her.
The breeding programme intends to protect the increasingly threatened African species, as numbers have declined dramatically over the past 15 years due to habitat loss and poaching.
A second Auckland Zoo female, Mdomo, will follow in early 2016.
"Shira and Mdomo are close in age and great mates. Since Mdomo will follow Shira to Orana in early 2016, we've been training them together to walk into and eat in their respective crates, which they both have been taking in their stride," said Mrs Sullivan.
"While it's sad to see these youngsters go, their relocation to Orana is a really great move for the regional programme, as being part-Rothschild giraffes, they are both genetically valuable animals."
Auckland Zoo will remain home to a giraffe herd of five - adult male Zabulu, adult females Rukiya and Kiraka, and young giraffes, female Zuri and male Mtundu. Orana Wildlife Park's head keeper of exotic animals, Rob Clifford said the park was excited to be welcoming Shira and Mdomo.
"Once settled in, Shira will be integrated with our current herd of three females. In time, we hope to source a suitable male with the aim of once again breeding these wonderful gentle giants that are among our most popular animals."