Christchurch has bid farewell to the flock of bar-tailed godwits that make the city their home each summer.
On Friday, the first of the godwits were due to begin the longest non-stop flight of any bird on the planet as they return to their Alaskan breeding grounds via China's Yellow Sea, the Korean peninsula and Japan.
Christchurch City Council hosted a sausage sizzle at the Southshore Spit Reserve to mark the occasion.
The birds will return to the city from Alaska in September.
