Detailed Itinerary
Day 01: After our New Zealand naturalist meets us at the Auckland
Airport, we will drop our gear at our lodgings and head out to Tiri Tiri
Matangi Island. There is no better way to begin your nature journey to New
Zealand than by visiting one of the island sanctuaries off the coast. The
most accessible is Tiri Tiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf, and it is
home to Saddleback, Takahe, Brown Teal, Red Crowned Parakeet, Whitehead,
and many other more common species. The opportunities for photography are
tremendous. In the mid-afternoon we'll return to the mainland. The journey
to and from the island will give us an opportunity to watch for seabirds,
such as Australasian Gannet, Black Petrel, Cooks Petrel, and Buller's
Shearwater. We'll overnight in Auckland.
Day 02: The Firth of Thames lies to the southeast of Auckland and is
one of the finest shorebird habitats in the country. En route to the
geothermal regions of the central North Island we will visit this
fascinating region, where so many trans-equatorial and internal migrants
make Miranda on the Firth their 'winter' home. Among the thousands of
Eastern Bar Tailed Godwits, Knots, and South Island Pied Oystercatchers,
there are often a wide array of other migrants, including: the rare
endemic Wrybill, the endangered New Zealand Dotterel, Far Eastern Curlew,
Whimbrel, several Sandpipers, Caspian Tern, Little Tern, and New Zealand
Kingfisher. Continuing southwards we'll climb onto the central North
Island volcanic plateau as we travel to Taupo. This region is the heart of
New Zealand's geothermal activity. Many are now major tourist attractions,
which has been to their detriment. A few remain relatively natural
geothermal wonderlands, and before arriving in Taupo we'll visit one of
the most fascinating, the Waimangu Valley, with its recent volcanic
heritage and large boiling cauldron lakes. We'll overnight in Taupo for
the next two nights.
Day 03: We'll have a dawn start so as to arrive in Pureora Forest in
time to view the endangered Kokako. Hearing and seeing this bird in the
giant podocarp forest at Pureora is one of the most memorable experiences
of any trip to New Zealand. The Rimu dominated forest here is perhaps the
finest in the country, while the elusive Kokako is one of New Zealand's
most special birds with a call never to be forgotten. In addition to the
Kokako this forest type is home to many other endemic birds such as Kaka,
Yellow Crowned Parakeet, Tomtit, Robin, Long Tailed Cuckoo, Falcon,
Whitehead, and Grey Warbler. Later in the morning we'll study the podocarp
forest in more detail, and in particular the grand array of ferns on the
ground, perching on trees and growing as trees themselves. To complete the
day, we'll visit a second geothermal region en route back to Taupo.
Day 04: Immediately to the south of Lake Taupo, itself an enormous
sleeping volcano, are the three high volcanic peaks of Tongariro National
Park. Today we'll travel past these peaks and continue south to New
Zealand's capital city, Wellington. We will then embark on a three-hour
ferry crossing to Picton in the South Island. This afternoon's crossing
can be a delightful one as the sailing takes you first through Wellington
Harbor, and then across a short stretch of Cook Strait. The final hour of
the voyage is spent traveling up the Marlborough Sounds. The scenery is
spectacular and on the water we should be able to see Little Blue
Penguins, Giant Petrel, Arctic Skua, and Spotted Shags. After we arrive,
there will be a short evening drive to our overnight lodgings in Blenheim.
Day 05: The essence of the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park is captured
on our cruise to the outer Queen Charlotte Sound this morning. Our charter
vessel will take us first to a rocky islet that is the breeding ground for
the rare King Shag, and then out to the meeting of the Tasman Sea and the
Pacific Ocean. The rich feeding grounds here will enable us to see several
pelagic species at close range. On our return passage we shall go ashore
for Weka. This is the area where Captain Cook first landed in New Zealand
in 1769. After our mid-afternoon return to mainland, we'll travel south
down the east coast to Kaikoura, where overnight for the next two nights.
Day 06: Our morning will again be spent off the coast (weather
permitting), this time on a unique marine adventure to view Sperm Whales,
Dusky and Common Dolphins, endangered Hector's Dolphins, and an
unsurpassed array of pelagic species including up to four Albatross
species! The birds are often seen at quite close range and there are often
excellent photographic opportunities. We'll have the afternoon at leisure
to walk around the Kaikoura Peninsula.
Day 07: Today we'll cross the northern Canterbury Plains to Arthur's
Pass, where we will encounter the renowned cheeky Kea, whose playful and
inquisitive nature often gets it in trouble, as it will pull windshield
wipers off of vehicles and perform other destructive acts. Black Fronted
Terns are regularly seen on the flats leading up to the pass, and the
scenery throughout the region is quite spectacular. In the afternoon we'll
arrive in Greymouth, with an optional evening excursion to view the
Westland petrel colony. We'll overnight in Greymouth.
Day 08: From Greymouth, we'll follow the West Coast south to Lake
Moeraki. On the way, we'll stop to look for the endemic Fernbird near the
Okarito Lagoon. Herons are often seen in the lagoon area, and there are
several beautiful rivers and streams along the drive. Near Lake Moeraki,
we'll take a delightful walk to the coast through a beautiful forest area
to view a northern colony of the rare Fiordland Crested Penguin. To
complete our memorable and diverse day, we'll look and listen in the
evening for the Morepork, New Zealand's only remaining native owl species.
We'll overnight at Lake Moeraki.
Day 09: This morning we'll search the southern Beech forests of Haast
Pass for the elusive Brown Creeper, Rifleman, and Yellow Crowned Parakeet.
The afternoon brings stark contrast as we drive into the rain-shadow
regions of Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basin. If we have a clear day,
or during breaks in the clouds, we may have a chance for views of the
mountains, including Mt. Cook. Later in the day, we'll search the braided
rivers for the rare and endangered Black Stilt, the rarest shorebird in
the world, as well as the Banded Dotterel, and a range of inland
waterfowl. We'll overnight in Twizel.
Day 10: In the morning we'll drive to Mount Cook National Park, where
we will seek out the endemic New Zealand Falcon, before departing for the
southern coast. The scenic and twisting mountain roads are quite
memorable. Later in the afternoon we'll arrive in Invercargill, and from
there we'll take a short 20-minute flight to beautiful Stewart Island.
Most of Stewart Island has recently been designated a National Park. In
the evening we'll take an excursion by boat to a nearby location, where we
will go ashore for a short walk to view Brown Kiwi, returning around
midnight! We'll overnight in Oban for two nights.
Day 11: Today we'll take a marine charter to Paterson Inlet and the
South Pacific. This region is renowned for the diversity of sea birds.
We'll be seeking out two species of penguin that breed around the coast,
the Yellow-eyed Penguin, and the Fiordland Crested Penguin, the world's
two most rare penguin species. Both species can be found living on the
northeastern coast of Stewart Island. Farther off the coast we may
encounter Southern Giant Petrel, Shy Albatross, Black-browed Albatross,
Buller's Albatross, Southern Great Skua, and Broad-billed Prion. To
complete a memorable day we'll go ashore on Ulva Island, a pristine islet
rich in lush podocarp forest and inhabited by many forest birds such as
Kaka, Tui, Stewart Island Weka, and Red Crowned Parakeet.
Day 12: In the morning, we'll fly back to South Island then travel
northwest into Fiordland National Park. Beyond Te Anau the sub-antarctic
Beech forests of the Eglinton Valley bear little or no resemblance to the
northern hemisphere's deciduous Beech forests. Here, in the wet Fiordland
climate, the evergreen beeches are excellent habitat for several New
Zealand parrots, including Yellow- crowned Parakeet, Kaka, and the
ubiquitous Kea. Sadly, this is the last stronghold for the threatened
Mohua or Yellowhead, and with luck we may find one. We'll overnight on the
shores of beautiful Lake Te Anau.
Day 13: Beyond the Eglinton Valley are range upon range of glacially
sculptured mountains and valleys. One of the most spectacular is the
little visited Gertrude Valley and, mountain conditions permitting, we
shall devote a half day to walking in the herbfields and boulderfields in
the valley. We'll search for the rare threatened endemic Blue Duck on the
river downstream, which along with the elusive Rock Wren inhabits this
mountain environment. There should be time to see this tiny endemic wren
before arriving in Milford Sound for a cruise on this famed fjord.
Spectacular waterfowls plummet down the steep walls of this glacially
carved fjord, and whether raining or sunny are truly awe inspiring to
view. We'll return in the early evening to Te Anau.
Day 14 : Alas we must leave this wild, wet, and grand corner of New
Zealand and re-cross the southern South Island, arriving in Dunedin in the
early afternoon. From here, we'll immediately embark on a delightful
harbor cruise that has as its focus Taiaroa Head at the harbor entrance.
This headland on the Otago peninsula is a remarkable wildlife haven,
especially since atop the headland is the only mainland breeding colony of
any albatross species in the world, in this instance the Northern Royal
Albatross. On the cliffs below live thousands of rare Stewart Island Shags
and Spotted Shags, while close to the water's edge Little Blue Penguins
and New Zealand Fur Seals abound. There could be no better way to complete
a New Zealand journey of discovery! We'll spend the overnight in Dunedin.
Day 15: In the morning we'll be free to explore Dunedin city before our
early afternoon flight from Dunedin north back to Auckland International
Airport.
