Winston the weka dupes park visitors

Winston the weka is up to his old tricks again, hustling up the highway and shamelessly duping unsuspecting tourists to part with their picnic lunches.

It’s a ruse even a kea would be proud of. Every day as tourists pull in to gaze at the scenic wonder of Coghlans Lookout, north of Punakaiki on the South Island’s West Coast, the wiley weka flops out of a bush, dragging a gammy leg.

With his mournful eyes and skidding gait he secures yet another handful of artisan pumpernickel bread, freshly sliced and baked just to his liking.

Yes, Winston’s got hustling down to a fine art.

So notorious is the plump charlatan that one mention of the ‘‘lay-by weka’’ elicits a long chuckle from the Department of Conservation’s spokeswoman for the area, Teresa Wyndham-Smith.

There was a time when she felt sorry for Winston, but now she suspects that when out of sight the cunning bird’s deformed leg magically heals.

And at least twice a week during the summer months, tourists will ring the local Paparoa National Park visitor centre to report the injured bird.

Many will ask how they can catch him, and wring their hands at the thought of leaving him to the wild in his condition.

Some coax Winston with all sorts of luscious food from the bowels of their chilly bins in the hope they can throw a towel over him, before dropping him at the nearest vet. But Winston has the last laugh.

Too smart for any bog-standard attempts at capture, the plucky bird can easily turn his limp into a full-gated scoot into the bush if people get too near.

Like a naughty toddler with their hand caught in the lolly jar, Winston knows his tragic limping act yields scrumptious pickings that ultimately will be bad for him, yet he continues.

Plucking anything he can, even going as far as to politely peck from the outstretched hands of any Tom, Dick and Mary, Winston has yet to ever be caught.

Visitor centre supervisor Jacob Fleming said Winston has been tricking his adoring public for over two years.

Much loved, locals check on him regularly and report that he remains in rude health.

Fleming believes Winston may have suffered a broken leg when he was younger that healed in a deformed shape, though it doesn’t appear to be painful.

It all helps the bird’s hankering for the finer foods in life, although Fleming warns against feeding him human food. ‘‘Everyone feels sorry for him.’’ Wyndham-Smith puts it another way. ‘‘He’s quite a card.’’