Day 1: This tour begins this evening in Auckland. Night in Auckland.

Day 2: We’ll drive north to Warkworth. One of our first stops will be a forested area near central Auckland where we’ll be introduced to New Zealand forest birds such as New Zealand Pigeon, Grey Fantail, and Grey Gerygone (Grey Warbler). We’ll also visit a spot on the rugged west coast which hosts one of New Zealand’s three mainland Australasian Gannet colonies, complete with superb views and photographic opportunities, as well as common coastal species like Pied Cormorant, Red-billed Gull, and White-fronted Tern.

We’ll return to the east coast and several wetland areas to look for New Zealand Scaup, New Zealand Grebe (Dabchick), Grey Teal, Australasian Shoveler, Pacific Black Duck (Grey Duck), Paradise Shelduck, and other waterbirds. We’ll also look for Buff-banded Rail (Banded Rail) in its mangrove habitat and for forest birds at a predator-free sanctuary. Our accommodation is not far away, and we’ll have a good night’s rest before tomorrow’s pelagic. Night in Warkworth.

Day 3: We’ll spend the day on beautiful Hauraki Gulf. Leaving from Sandspit we’ll make our way towards Little Barrier Island and chum at several locations nearby. The main focus will be seabirds most easily seen in the northern part of New Zealand, such as the recently rediscovered New Zealand Storm-petrel (rediscovered by Brent  Stephenson and Sav Saville in January 2003), as well as Black and Cook’s Petrels, Buller’s, Flesh-footed, Fluttering and perhaps Little Shearwaters, and White-faced Storm-petrel. We’re in excellent marine mammal habitat with both common and bottle-nosed dolphins, Bryde’s whale, and occasionally killer whale present. As the Hauraki Gulf is relatively enclosed, we should be able to get offshore regardless of weather. Night in Warkworth.

Day 4: We’ll travel north to an estuary, one of the last places to see the critically endangered Fairy Tern (currently only about 30-40 birds) as well as shorebirds including New Zealand Plover (New Zealand Dotterel), Variable Oystercatcher, Black-winged Stilt (Pied Stilt) and Arctic migrants such as Bar-tailed Godwit. Continuing towards Kerikeri, we may stop at other estuarine areas depending on time and tide, look for New Zealand Pipit, or visit a small wetland with Australasian Little Grebe and other waterfowl. After dinner, we’ll look for our first kiwi, Northern Brown Kiwi, and we’ll certainly hear, and perhaps see, Morepork. Night in Kerikeri.

Day 5: We’ll head south to Marsen Cove, a small east coast harbor where we’ll embark on our second pelagic into the northwestern Hauraki Gulf. Although it’s a similar body of water to our first pelagic, this one is designed specifically for Pycroft’s Petrel and Little Shearwater which breed on nearby islands. However, it also gives us a second shot at all the northern breeding seabirds, always a good idea as no two days at sea are the same. It’s also a notably scenic area with beautiful islands and a stunning coastline, and, of course, there is always a chance of interesting marine mammals and other marine life. Night in Whangarei.

Day 6: Tiritiri Matangi Island is one of New Zealand’s most incredible birding locations, and truly a gem in New Zealand’s conservation crown. A short ferry ride out to the island will give us a chance for Fluttering Shearwater, White-fronted Tern, and possibly Parasitic Jaeger (Arctic Skua). Upon arrival, we’ll be met and given information about the island by Department of Conservation staff. Once farmed, it is now an open sanctuary that has been extensively replanted, but with some small areas of original forest remaining. We’ll focus on the endemics with North Island Saddleback, Kokako, Stitchbird, Takahe, Brown Teal, and Red-crowned Parakeet being present. We’ll see as well more common forest birds such as Whitehead, Tui, Bellbird, New Zealand Fantail, Grey Gerygone, and North Island Robin, and we may wait for Spotless Crake to appear at one of the small ponds.

After dinner we’ll try for Morepork and Little Spotted Kiwi, and if we’re very lucky Tuatara, an endemic reptile related to the dinosaurs. Night on Tiritiri Matangi Island in a communal bunkhouse with bunk beds, bedding provided, in shared rooms. It’s a rustic experience but we believe well worth it. 

Day 7: We’ll rise early to hear the dawn chorus, and leave Tiritiri Matangi mid-morning, heading south to one of New Zealand’s premier shorebird sites, Miranda, in the Firth of Thames. Its listing under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of International significance speaks to its importance. We’ll check into our accommodation near Miranda before heading to the Miranda Shorebird Centre to get information on the latest sightings, and then see what’s around for ourselves. We’re likely to detect Wrybill, Bar-tailed Godwit, New Zealand and Double-banded (Banded Dotterel) Plovers, Variable and South Island Pied Oystercatchers, Black-winged Stilt, and Black-billed Gull, among others. During the summer months there are usually a few less common shorebirds such as Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed, Pectoral, Marsh, or Terek Sandpipers, and we’ll be on the look-out for these and other vagrants. Shorebird watching in this area is largely dependent on the tides, so we’ll be working around the high tide, and may visit other nearby areas if time permits. Night in Miranda.

Day 8: Depending on the tides and yesterday’s success, we may return to Miranda in the early morning for another look, before heading south towards the center of the North Island. We’ll likely make quick stops along the way but our main focus is Pureora Forest Park to the west of Lake Taupo. This extensive area is one of the best places in the North Island to see New Zealand Kaka (North Island subsp.), Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Long-tailed Koel (Cuckoo), Shining Bronze-cuckoo, and  Rifleman. We’ll also be on the look-out for New Zealand Falcon and New Zealand Pipit. Night in Turangi.

Day 9: We’ll look for our most extraordinary warterbird, the Blue Duck, which Inhabits swift-flowing mountain streams. These birds have declined markedly, even at sites where they were reliable only a few years ago, and there are only a handful of locations where they can be seen without major hikes. We’ll visit several locations and hopefully spend time watching these remarkable birds.

We’ll continue east to a forested area between Taupo and Napier. It’s an intensively managed site where introduced mammals are controlled, and native fauna and flora, some reintroduced, have been able to flourish. We’re likely to encounter good numbers of forest birds including North Island Robin, Kokako, and North Island Kaka, all reintroduced, and we should have at least a chance of seeing New Zealand Pigeon, Long-tailed Koel (Cuckoo), Shining bronze-Cuckoo, Whitehead, Tomtit, Tui, Bellbird, and Rifleman. New Zealand Falcon and New Zealand Fernbird are also in the area and we’ll try to locate both.

Later, we’ll head to Napier where, if time allows, we’ll check an estuarine area for shorebirds, or several wetland areas for waterfowl and other species. Night in Havelock North.

Day 10: Our focus this morning will depend on what we have or haven’t seen to date. We have the day to get to the Manawatu region and there are locations for shorebirds and wetland birds along the way. We’ll overnight in Foxton, very close to the Manawatu Estuary, another great site for shorebird watching as the birds here are sometimes confiding. We’ll see Bar-tailed Godwit, Variable Oystercatcher, and probably Wrybill, and, depending on the tide, perhaps other birds like Pacific Golden Plover, Sharp-tailed and Curlew Sandpipers, and/or Red-necked Stint might be present. Night in Foxton.

Day 11: Depending on the tide, we’ll drop in at the Manawatu Estuary again or head south along the scenic Kapiti Coast towards Wellington, probably making several stops on the way to see Black-fronted Dotterel. The Inter-Island ferry leaves from Wellington, heading across to the South Island via the Cook Strait. The relatively stable ferry is an excellent platform for looking at seabirds, with approximately half of the three-hour trip spent in the open water of the Cook Strait. Spotted Shag, Fairy Prion, Fluttering Shearwater, and White-fronted Tern are likely and, depending on weather conditions and prevailing winds, New Zealand Wandering, White-capped, and Salvin’s Albatross, Northern Giant-petrel, Westland Petrel, and Sooty Shearwater are possible. Common Diving-petrel and Little Penguin are often seen near the entrance to the Marlborough Sounds, the latter often in the calmer enclosed waters of the Sounds. Less common seabirds are often seen within this stretch, as are dolphins, so it is well worth being on deck. The ferry docks in Picton, and we have less than a 5-minute drive to our accommodation.  Night in Picton.

Day 12: We’ll board a boat and spend the morning in the Marlborough Sounds for further exploration of Queen Charlotte Sound. Our main target is the New Zealand King Shag, a rare endemic with a population of only about 700 birds. We’ll also be looking for two dolphin species, the endangered endemic Hector’s dolphin, and the more common dusky dolphin, as well as Little Penguin, Fluttering Shearwater, Spotted Shag, and Australasian Gannet. New Zealand fur seals are also present.

We’ll likely make a stop on a small island sanctuary, where we’ll try for Orange-fronted Parakeet, Weka and South Island Saddleback, and other common forest species such as New Zealand Pigeon and Bellbird. We’ll return to Picton for lunch and then travel south towards the bustling town of Kaikoura, perhaps making a few stops to look for waterfowl. A brief pause on the very scenic coast just before Kaikoura will feature excellent views of New Zealand fur seals and Spotted Shags, and enable us to ‘forecast’ sea conditions for the following day’s pelagic trip.

If time allows we’ll check the surrounding areas for the introduced Cirl Bunting, and after dinner those who wish can look for the introduced Little Owl in the neighboring farmland. Night in Kaikoura.

Day 13: We’ll spend the morning offshore in Kaikoura Canyon, one of the most celebrated New Zealand pelagic trips in part because we’re in water over 3000 feet deep within half an hour of leaving port. The species list for this trip varies with time of year but in any season we can expect to have at least four species of albatross, normally as close as 5-6 feet away, possibly including Northern and Southern Royal, New Zealand Wandering, Black-browed, Campbell, White-capped, and/or Salvin’s. In addition, we’ll be looking for Cape Petrel (Pigeon), Westland and White-chinned Petrels, Northern Giant-petrel, and the endemic Hutton’s Shearwater which breeds in the spectacular mountains behind Kaikoura. We have at least a chance for other species like Grey-faced Petrel, Southern Giant-petrel, and Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwaters.  In short, it could be a truly memorable morning. The area is also renowned for dusky and Hector’s dolphins, and we may see these along the way.

We have nothing scheduled for this afternoon so there will be time for relaxing and enjoying the scenery, or the option of self-financed activities including an afternoon pelagic, whale watching (sperm whales are present year round), or swimming with dolphins. Night in Kaikoura.

Day 14: We’ll drive deep into the Southern Alps through to Arthur’s Pass, making several stops along the way, and passing through some exceptionally scenic alpine areas. Our target bird will be Kea, which we should be able to find near Arthur’s Pass itself. On the way we’ll make short stops to break up the journey, including one at an estuarine area where we’ll look for shorebirds and terns. We may be lucky enough to find what is almost certainly one of the most beautiful terns, the Black-fronted, which breeds nearby. We should also catch up with some of the South Island's forest species, such as New Zealand Brown Creeper, Yellow-fronted Parakeet, and South Island Robin. After dinner we’ll listen for Great Spotted Kiwi, which are occasionally heard nearby. Night in Arthur’s Pass. 

Day 15: We’ll motor west, up and over the Pass and on to the stunning West Coast. Our day’s events will be dictated by our previous successes. We can go to forested areas to look for South Island endemics, such as New Zealand Brown Creeper, New Zealand Fernbird (South Island subsp.), and Weka, or to alpine areas to look for Kea again and make stops to take photos of the stunning scenery. Nearing the town of Franz Josef we can visit a glacial valley to admire views of the Franz Josef glacier or the coast for a forest walk. As we’ll be out late tonight, we’ll try to be back at our accommodation by late afternoon for a rest. After dinner we’ll look for Rowi (Okarito Brown Kiwi), the rarest of the three Brown Kiwi, with an estimated 600 birds remaining. Night on the outskirts of Franz Josef township.

Day 16: With a departure hour depending on how late we were up last night, we’ll drive south towards the township of Haast, stopping at one or two places on the way to look for Fiordland Crested Penguin which will have bred at sites along this coast. At the time of our tour, our best bet is further south, where we might find one or two birds close to shore.

From Haast we’ll travel inland through spectacular mountain scenery to Haast Pass, home to a number of forest species, and at least in the past the endangered Yellowhead. However, more recently the species has been very hard to find here with the population struggling to hold its own against introduced predators. Still, the site is also good for New Zealand Kaka (South Island subsp.), Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Rifleman, South Island Tomtit, New Zealand Brown Creeper, and Long-tailed Koel (Cuckoo). We’ll stay as long as we can, making the most of our time in this amazing forest, then continue to the beautiful lake-side town of Wanaka, just over an hour away. Night in Wanaka.

Day 17: It’s a long driving day, but we’ll pass through some of New Zealand’s most spectacular scenery on our way towards Milford Sound. We’ll be in likely areas for Kea, Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Rifleman, South Island Robin, Tomtit, and Long-tailed Koel (Cuckoo). The key stop will be in alpine habitat for Rock Wren (South Island Wren), one of the world’s most primitive passerines, and related to the more common Rifleman. Recently, access to the site has changed, and it can only be reached when several streams can be safely crossed. The rest of the day’s activities will depend on how we fare with the wren. Although the entire day will be in stunning scenery, and if time allows, we might head through to Milford Sound to view it from the shore. Night in Te Anau.

Day 18: We’ll explore Stewart Island, the third main island of New Zealand, catching the mid-morning ferry from Bluff. There are options for stopping on our way to the ferry, but it is likely we’ll head straight there. We’ll board as foot passengers, with luggage for our two nights on Stewart Island.

Depending on the sea and weather conditions the one-hour ferry crossing can be excellent for seabirds with (Southern Royal, White-capped, and Salvin’s Albatross, giant-petrel, Mottled and  Cape (Pigeon) Petrels, Common Diving-petrel, Fairy Prion, Sooty Shearwater, and Brown Skua all possible. We should also see Foveaux Shag, either as we leave Bluff or as we arrive at Stewart Island.

Upon arriving we’ll check into our accommodation. We should be able to see New Zealand Kaka (South Island subsp.), New Zealand Pigeon, and Tui around the township of Oban, before heading to nearby Ulva Island via water taxi. Ulva Island is another predator free sanctuary and home to some of the South Island specialties we may still need. Yellowhead, South Island Saddleback, and some of the more common forest species such as Brown Creeper, Red- and Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Kaka and Rifleman can all be found here.

Back in Oban, and after dinner, we’ll search for Southern Brown Kiwi, a truly memorable experience. Night in Oban.

Day 19: We plan on a pelagic, but this is one part of the world you don’t want to be caught out by weather. Assuming we’re not weathered out, we’ll head offshore but the distance and direction of travel will depend entirely on the wind and seas. However, if we hit it right, the results can be stunning. With such a close proximity to the Southern Ocean, and with large seabird colonies on many of the surrounding islands, we may be able to find an excellent array of seabirds. Target birds in particular are Fiordland Crested and Yellow-eyed Penguins, the latter now becoming rarer, Southern Royal, White-capped, Buller’s and Salvin’s Albatrosses, Northern, and if lucky, Southern Giant-petrels, Mottled and Cook’s Petrels, Broad-billed and Fairy Prions, and Common Diving-petrel. Other more common species we’ll almost certainly see are Cape Petrel (Pigeon), Sooty Shearwater, Spotted and Foveaux Shags, Brown Skua, White-fronted Tern, and Red-billed Gull. Almost any vagrant Southern Ocean seabird is possible, and we’ll be hyper alert for storm-petrels and other albatross and petrel species.

Depending on our success with Southern Brown Kiwi the previous night, we may try again after dark. Night in Oban.

Day 20: We’ll leave fantastic Stewart Island on the early morning ferry, hoping to catch up with a few more seabirds as we head to Bluff. We’ll then head northwards towards Oamaru, taking one of two different routes depending on timing and target species. We may make a stop at a scenic beach along the way, or we can stop off at several other places on route to admire the scenery and look for forest birds. We’ll also stop at a beach to look for Yellow-eyed Penguins coming ashore. Depending on the weather and prevailing winds, seabirds may also be passing along the coast, with species such as giant-petrels and Otago Shag being possible. Night in Oamaru.

Day 21: We’ll again turn inland, this time to one of the driest parts of the South Island, the arid Mackenzie basin. With stunning glacial till-colored lakes, mountains, and red tussocks, the scenery and birds will be amazing. The focus of the day is the world’s rarest shorebird, the Black Stilt. With a population of around 100 wild birds, they are a species in which a considerable conservation effort has been invested. Depending on our luck, we may find them easily at our first stop, or they may make us work for it.

Along the way we’ll keep our eyes peeled for New Zealand Falcon, sometimes found in this area, as well as the introduced Chukar, and waterbirds including Great Crested Grebe, Eurasian Coot, and the ever difficult Baillon’s Crake (Marsh Crake). On a clear day we should have views of New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki-Mount Cook. Night in Twizel.

Day 22: Heading northwards towards Christchurch we’ll pass through agricultural country before hitting the coast and crossing a large number of braided rivers that flow from the majestic Southern Alps to the sea. Mostly we’ll spend our morning moving ever closer to Christchurch. We may make some stops along the way, but this will depend on any species we still need. We’ll end the tour about 1 pm at the International Airport in Christchurch.

2025 Narrative

8 February 2025 – Day One

The trip kicked off with us all meeting in Auckland and heading to our first stop, a forested area nearby, where we picked up our first endemics of the trip, including kaka, tui, New Zealand pigeon and fantail. We also had a good range of introduced species such as California quail, Australian magpie, and Eastern rosella. A pair of close and vocal Sulphur-crested cockatoo was also nice to get on the list.

We then moved on to some nearby coastal cliffs which gave us great views of an Australasian gannet colony, including some well-developed chicks.

After some lunch and getting stuck in the Saturday traffic we headed to a wildlife sanctuary where we had some brief views of a buff-banded rail beside the road. We also got good looks at Brown teal, whitehead, a roosting morepork and a brief saddleback. We got a tipoff that there was a takahe pair with a juvenile at the top of the hill. We pushed on through the hot summers day and were rewarded with excellent views of the family right up close. A huge highlight for all on day 1!

9 February 2025 – Day Two

Morning of day two we were up and ready for our first pelagic of the trip. After a quick catch up with a banded rail parent and chick we hopped on our boat and headed towards our chum spot in the Hauraki Gulf. Regular little penguins on the way out were a welcome lifer for many, giving us great close views.

We arrived at our chum spot where we quickly picked up flesh footed and Buller’s shearwater, along with a few black petrel and good numbers of Cook’s petrel and white-faced storm-petrel. After a bit of waiting some New Zealand storm-petrels joined our chum slick, posing especially well for the cameras today.

A brief Pycroft’s petrel flew past at a distance and a sooty shearwater came nice and close to the boat. A stunning black-winged petrel made a brief, but close fly by and was seen by all on board. Just before departing we picked up a Salvin's albatross, an unusual bird here for February.

On the way back in we had a great marine mammal encounter with a pod of dolphins containing mainly common dolphins but also a couple of bottle-nosed and most spectacular of all, two very showy Bryde’s whales!

10 February 2025 – Day Three

We departed our accommodation and drove north stopping at a few local estuaries on the way. Our main target being fairy tern. While waiting for the tide to go out and create some foraging habitat we checked a high tide roost for the terns.

Whilst we didn't have any luck with the terns at this location we did find a few New Zealand pipits and brown quail. Along with a group of variable oystercatchers and New Zealand dotterels we found a wrybill, very surprising as it is not a usual spot for this unique wader. And we had a lovely walk on a beautiful beach!

After the tide dropped a bit more we moved to another couple of estuaries finding a fairy tern at both!

After dinner that evening we set off to look for our first kiwi of the trip, the Northern brown kiwi. Within a few minutes of arriving at our location we had already found one and everyone got to see it exceptionally well. We continued walking along the track finding five more kiwi including a chick!

11 February 2025 – Day Four

After an action packed night, we packed up and headed south to meet our boat for the day. After boarding we steamed straight out to a distant island group where we picked up at least 40 grey noddys and had a few flyover red crowned parakeets closer to the main islands.

At our main chum spot in the afternoon we picked up a couple of cooperative Pycroft’s petrels which allowed everyone great views as well as some New Zealand storm-petrels and all the other usual suspects. We then headed back to the mainland (picking up a few reef egrets on the way) to prepare for the next day.

12 February 2025 – Day Five

We were packed up early and ready to head to our next location, a predator free island in the Hauraki Gulf. After a bit of carpark birding we hopped on the ferry to Tiritiri Matangi Island, noting the usual seabirds plus good numbers of juvenile Australasian gannets. On the island we quickly picked up some of our main targets, including stitchbird and better views of saddleback, whitehead, bellbird, tui and New Zealand pigeon. Kokako were heard well but didn't want to show themselves.

In the afternoon we finally managed to spot a pair of kokako in a Puriri tree just before we got back to the bunk house.

After a bit of a chill out and a beautiful BBQ dinne,r we headed out on dusk to try our luck with kiwi and tuatara. We managed to get onto a little spotted kiwi reasonably early in the night which gave great extended views and meant a few people could get to bed at a reasonable hour. A few intrepid souls stayed out a bit longer and were rewarded with a couple of little blue penguin chicks in a burrow, an amazing close kiwi encounter and eight tuatara sightings!

13 February 2025 – Day Six

Before departing the island in the morning we caught the end of the dawn chorus with a distant but spectacular song from a couple of kokako and a nice close encounter with the local takahe family. After packing up everyone finally got a good look at a rifleman on the way down to the wharf.

A quick water taxi ride and we were back on the mainland where our next stop was a park in South Auckland where we hoped to get onto a white-winged tern that had been seen there recently. Within five minutes of arriving we found the tern sitting with a flock of black-billed gulls (another new bird) and red- billed gulls.

After lunch we headed to a nearby bird roost to build our wader list for the trip. We had a good look at a big flock of around 1000 wrybill and lots of red knot and bar-tailed godwits. A nice bonus was a reef egret hunting among the rocks. We relocated to the other side of the estuary and got onto a sharp-tailed and a pectoral sandpiper, both reported recently and in amongst a huge group of feeding red knot and bar-tailed godwit. We then headed to our accommodation for the night.

14 February 2025 – Day Seven

We kicked off the day with a visit to another estuary/wader roost for the early morning high tide. We were greeted by thousands of shorebirds. Including mainly bar tailed godwit, South Island oystercatcher, pied stilt and red knot. We managed to pick out a few rarer species including 5 sharp-tailed sandpiper, 54 golden plover, 6 whimbrel and 1 red necked stint. The morning light was stunning and we had a spectacular show when a swamp harrier came through and put all the birds up in the air and had them circling around over our heads for a couple minutes. We picked out the leucistic bar tailed godwit that had been hanging around the area. 

On our way south we made a quick stop and added eastern cattle egret to the list as well as Australian tern.

After a bit of a drive, our next stop was a patch of beautiful native forest, where we added yellow-crowned parakeet, and long tailed cuckoo to the list whilst also getting our best views of kaka so far. We then drove to the central North Island and called it a day.

15 February 2025 – Day Eight

We were up early to do some birding at a local wetland where we added spotless crake and fernbird to the list and also a flyby Australasian bittern!

We then called into a large, clear fast flowing river on the way out of town and added a pair of blue duck and 3 juveniles to the list.

After a bit of driving we reached our next stop. Here we had lunch and did a loop track seeing lots of North Island Robin and our first and only views of North Island tomtit.

We headed through to the coastline from here and had a walk around another estuary. Here we saw some great waders including pacific golden plover, sharp-tailed sandpiper and two new species for the trip which were marsh sandpiper (6!), and black fronted dotterel.

16 February 2025 – Day Nine

We left early in the morning and drove to a nearby hilltop where we had great views of the region, as well as a few New Zealand pipit. We continued to a wetland to try for Baillon’s (marsh) crake, unfortunately to no avail, but good views of spotless crake and New Zealand dabchick was a nice consolation.

We then headed straight across to the opposite side of the North Island and visited another estuary. Here we had our best views yet of pacific golden plover and wrybill, we also saw a couple of sharp-tailed sandpipers for the 4th day in a row!

After checking into accommodation early and having a successful trip to the estuary, we decided to head up the coast and try our luck at finding a nankeen night heron. Within 2 minutes of parking up at the spot, we had a mint condition adult right out in the open preening, giving everyone incredible extended views of this stunning bird.

We finished up the night with a BBQ dinner where we had a Rook fly over us. Notably further south than their usual range, and a welcome addition to the list.

17 February 2025 – Day Ten

We made our way south and into the Wellington Region, where we made a few brief estuary stops, which didn't reveal any new species for the trip. However, we did get some great views of several spoonbill pairs and begging juveniles.

We made it into Wellington City and onto the Interislander Ferry, which would take us to Picton in the South Island. The crossing between the islands revealed few seabirds, but included our first white-capped albatross and King shags of the trip.

18 February 2025 – Day Eleven

In the morning we hopped on a boat and headed off towards another predator free island, stopping at several spots along the way to get some nice close views of both King and spotted shags. We landed on the Island and quickly got onto a New Zealand falcon circling overhead. This was immediately followed by some close, extended views of our main target, the orange-fronted parakeet. While waiting for our boat pickup we had close views of South Island tomtit and weka.

Before heading back to shore we had an excellent encounter with several Hector’s dolphins, with 5-6 sets of mothers and their calves, very close to the boat.

We then made out way down the east coast of the South Island making a few stops along the way, adding black-fronted tern and hoary-headed grebe to the list.

19 February 2025 – Day Twelve

Our morning saw us getting on another boat, for our 3rd pelagic of the trip, a beautiful morning on the water of Kaikoura, with our first close albatross of the trip which included, Salvin’s, white-capped, New Zealand (Gibson’s), Northern and Southern royal albatross. All of which were right in close by the boat allowing everyone to take in the sheer size of these impressive birds.

We also saw a few new petrel species including, Cape, Westland and white-chinned petrels, as well as the alpine nesting Hutton’s shearwater.

The afternoon was mostly at leisure, although some of us ventured back out on the water for more albatross fun.

 20 February 2025 – Day Thirteen

On our way south in the morning we checked a spot for cirl bunting, and to our delight found one on the powerlines within 5 minutes.

We then hit the road and drove south to another estuary in search of a couple of rare birds that had been in the area. Upon arrival we quickly added mute swan to the list, then went to the wader roost where we eventually got onto the long staying terek sandpiper, a rare vagrant to New Zealand. We switched our attention to the tern flock and scoured it in search of a common tern (uncommon vagrant to New Zealand). After looking and not finding it, it all of a sudden flew in and landed right in front of the flock giving us great comparative views with the rest of the white fronted terns.

We grabbed lunch and had a good but brief look at a New Zealand falcon in a hedge nearby.

We pushed on into the Southern Alps of the South Island, where we had great encounters with the cheeky and charismatic Kea one of which was trying to hop in the minivan! We also had great views of another new bird, brown creeper.

In the evening we went to try hear a great spotted kiwi. Unfortunately, only a very distant bird was heard by 1 person.

21 February 2025 – Day Fourteen

We left and descended down onto the West Coast. On the way, a quick pullover beside a river revealed a pair of blue duck.

We did a couple stops around the coastline adding great egret and redpoll to the list as well as tracking down a really good local rarity in the form of a sharp tailed sandpiper. A quick walk around a forested lake margin gave us good views of weka and tomtit.

On the way south to our destination for the night we checked out a river mouth in search of an out of range sooty tern unfortunately to no avail, then headed to our accommodation and had dinner.

As the sun went down we headed out and mission Ōkārito kiwi began. After our target pair of kiwi went straight into the deep bush after waking up for the night, we split up along the track to maximize our chance of seeing a bird. After 30 min of nothing happening we all of a sudden had Ian Cooper move us into place quickly, only to have an Ōkārito kiwi out in the open crossing the creek. An absolutely amazing bird and incredible experience for all!

22 February 2025 – Day Fifteen

We left our accommodation and went to a nearby forest walk where we added South Island Robin, South Island fernbird, black morph New Zealand fantail and more fantastic looks at South Island tomtit. At the top of the track we were rewarded with spectacular views of the Southern Alps including the 1st and second highest peaks in the country – Aoraki Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.

We drove a bit further south making a couple of stops along the way and having a great encounter with a New Zealand falcon juvenile and adult.

Another forest walk in the afternoon, in beautiful mossy beech forest, gave good looks of rifleman, but not much else. Into Wanaka for a lovely Indian dinner.

23 February 2025 – Day Sixteen

In the morning we made a quick stop to add great-crested grebe to the list. We then drove through to our main destination which was a high alpine boulder field. This specific habitat being home to one of the more challenging to find endemics, the South Island (rock) wren. After not too long, we spotted a male hopping around which gave us great extended views, bathing, preening, and just showing off. After our success we visited the world famous Milford Sound, where among the amazing scenery we found a couple of close weka and a brief sighting of another blue duck. On the way to our accommodation we did a quick forest walk, glimpsing a couple rifleman and yellow-crowned parakeets.

24 February 2025 – Day Seventeen

We left our accommodation and headed straight to Bluff, at the bottom of the South Island, where we would board our ferry to Stewart Island. Once on the Island we were picked up by a small water taxi and taken to a location where we saw some moulting Fiordland crested penguins. After admiring the penguins we headed to Ulva Island, where we hoped to see yellowhead and South Island saddleback. It didn't take long to find a noisy flock of yellowhead feeding all around us giving incredible close views. We spent some more time walking around the island enjoying the other birdlife such as kaka, red-crowned parakeet, brown creeper, South Island robin, rifleman, tomtit and weka. We eventually got onto a couple of families of South Island saddleback getting great views of both adults and juveniles (jackbirds).

Once we were back at our accommodation and had finished dinner we headed out to look for our last kiwi the Southern brown kiwi. before we even got to our destination for kiwi spotting we had to pull over for an adult female kiwi feeding right beside the road! After watching her for a while we continued on and managed to find two more that night. 

25 February 2025 – Day Eighteen

We boarded our boat for the day and headed out towards our chum spot for our final pelagic of the trip. On the way we had more Fiordland crested penguins. Once out in deeper water we had a pretty good lineup of pelagic species. This included Hutton’s and sooty shearwater. Salvin’s, white-capped, Buller’s, and Southern royal albatrosses. White-chinned, Cape, Cook’s, and a single mottled petrel as well as common diving petrel, fairy prion, and white-faced storm-petrel.

The biggest surprise was a single Pomarine skua and two long-tailed skua both very rare species in this part of the World. The sheer number of seabirds on this trip was incredible. with over 6000 sooty shearwaters seen through the day and 250 white-capped albatross many of which flew right over our heads as we headed back to shore.

26 February 2025 – Day Nineteen

We left Stewart Island in the morning on the ferry, seeing a few Cook’s and mottled petrels on the way. Arriving back in Bluff, we hopped in the van and drove to a coastal location near Dunedin. Here we looked for the exceedingly rare yellow-eyed penguin. After waiting for an hour and a half, a yellow eyed penguin finally popped out giving us great scope views. Just before checking in for the night we visited a wharf with good numbers of spotted and Otago shags. 

27 February 2025 – Day Twenty

We headed to inland Canterbury for our last target endemic, the Black stilt, a critically endangered shorebird. We managed to find a couple of stilts at various locations getting some good views of 18 individuals across 4 sites. That's around 10% of the population!

While the introduced chukar eluded us on a couple of attempts in their habitat, we were more than happy for a consolation Baillon’s (marsh) crake feeding around the edge of some reeds.

28 February 2025 – Day Twenty-One

We packed up and drove back towards Christchurch Airport, where the trip would come to a close. Along the way we had a quick look at the lake edge finding another black stilt. We made a well anticipated pie stop at the famous Fairlie Bakehouse, before continuing through the Canterbury plains, watching the odd black fronted tern hawking over the paddocks.

We had travelled a grand total of 5,155 kilometres together (3,203 miles), covered all three main islands of New Zealand, and some of the ‘lesser’ isles, and eaten approximately 467 pies and 123 lamb shanks. Some of these statistics are correct, others completely fictitious. We totalled 161 species for the trip, with effectively no endemic targets missed, a pretty excellent trip! Along the way, a lot of laughing, fun and memories made.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  - B. Shields

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