Of course, he isn't the national symbol. If he were, the natives would call themselves Hillarys. Instead they are known as Kiwis. Their nom de plumage is the way the populace happily pays respect to a rare, cherished bird, the kiwi, flightless figurehead of a nation. A bird unable to imagine getting as high as Hillary, or even a foot or two in the air.
Security is tight.
No armed guards, you understand, or metal detectors when you enter the Kiwi House in this small North Island town, Otorohanga. But, crossing the thresh old, you can feel the presence of a respected presence. I haven't been so awed since meeting a songbird named Grace Slick of the since-extinct Jefferson Airplane, a symbol of the '60s. Somebody to Love,'' would have described Kiwis' feeling for kiwis. But it's mostly spiritual, and at a distance.