New Zealand: North Island

Our New Zealand birding tour begins today. We will meet after lunch, for a gentle introduction to New Zealand birding around Whangarei. We will visit Vinegar Lake to look for waterbirds such as New Zealand Grebe, Australasian Grebe, Australasian Shoveler, Grey Teal and Paradise Shelduck, and then Old Mill Wetland to look for Buff-banded Rail, Australasian Bittern and New Zealand Fernbird. Dinner and night in Whangarei.

Today we’ll embark on a full-day pelagic birding adventure in the outer Hauraki Gulf. Departing from Marsden Cove, we’ll head northeast past the Hen and Chickens Islands to the deep waters of the gulf—an area known for its rich marine life and exciting seabird diversity.

As we cruise these productive offshore waters, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for an exciting mix of seabirds. Highlights may include New Zealand Storm-Petrel, Parkinson's Petrel, Buller’s Shearwater, and Flesh-footed Shearwater, along with possible sightings of Cook’s and Pycroft’s Petrels, White-faced Storm-Petrel, Fluttering Shearwater, and Fairy Prion. There’s always the chance of spotting something unexpected, and the presence of feeding flocks often draws in dolphins or even a passing whale.

The trip lasts approximately 7.5 hours, returning in the late afternoon. If a full-day pelagic is not of interest, you can do some walking and exploring of Whangarei. Lunch on your own if you are not on the pelagic. Note that there is no discount if you do not participate in the pelagic.

Night in Whangarei.

Toward we will work our way south towards Warkworth. On the way, we will stop at Waipu Wildlife Refuge and Mangawhai Heads to look for New Zealand’s rarest bird, the Australian Fairy Tern, of which only 45 individuals remain, along with other species such as Buff-banded Rail and various shorebirds such as the endemic Variable Oystercatcher and South Island Oystercatcher.

We will visit Tawharanui Regional Park on the journey south to look for North Island Robin, Takahe, North Island Saddleback, Brown Teal and Whitehead.

After dinner we will be making a special night excursion to the Tāwharanui Regional Park for our first chance to see a kiwi! North Island Brown Kiwi and Morepork are our targets for this evening outing. Night in Night in Warkworth.

Today we take the boat ride to Tiri Tiri Matangi Island—one of the greatest bird conservation success stories in New Zealand. What was once an overgrazed islet supporting little birdlife, is now a predator-free sanctuary covered in native plants, all supporting a vibrant bird community including some of the countries rarest endemics like Stitchbird, North Island Kokako, and the iconic Takahe (giant flightless swamphen), as well as North Island Saddleback and Red-crowned Parakeet.

If the weather permits, back on the mainland we will visit Shakespear Regional Park in search of Spotless Crake and Buff-banded Rail, before heading back north towards Warkworth. Dinner and night in Warkworth, with an option to return to look for North Island Brown Kiwi in Tawharanui again if needed.

Make the journey south to the amazing spectacle of waders at Miranda/Pukorokoro Shorebird Centre. Our day will be partially organized around the high tide here. The coastal mudflats and saltmarsh of Miranda (NZ’s most famous shorebird hot spot) support Bar-tailed Godwits (who fly non-stop from Alaska—11,000+km—to winter here!), Red Knot, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Wrybill, Red-breasted Dotterel, Buff-Banded Rail, Pied Oystercatcher, Pied Stilt, Pacific Golden Plover and White-fronted Tern. If we’re lucky, there might be a few other Siberian waders, such as Marsh Sandpiper or Greater Sand Plover.

We will then head to Piako Wader Roost, which often hosts rare waterbirds among good numbers of Royal Spoonbill, Paradise Shelduck and Grey Teal.

We will continue south to Turangi for dinner and the night.

We will spend the morning birding around Turangi. We will visit Turangi Bridge to look for Blue Ducks (or “Whio”)—a highly specialized endemic of NZ’s mountain rivers, followed by Tokaanu Historic Wharf to look for Australasian Bitterns and Spotless Crakes.

Late morning, we will drive (2.5hrs) to Upokongaro for a late lunch. There is a lovely cafe there where you can see New Zealand’s only Nankeen Night Herons roosting above the tables in the garden. Night in Whanganui.

We will begin our day with a visit to Bushy Park Sanctuary near Whanganui, with a good chance of finding Stitchbird, North Island Saddleback and more. We will then journey south towards Foxton Beach and Manawatu Estuary to look for waders and other waterbirds.

Continuing south towards Wellington, we will visit various forests and wetlands on the way to look for birds like Black-fronted Dotterel, Spotless Crake and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.

After dinner will will go on the Zealandia night tour to look for Little Spotted Kiwi and Tuatara. Night in Wellington.

This morning we will bird at Zealandia, a wonderful bird reserve near the centre of Wellington. Target birds will include Takahe, North Island Saddleback, Stitchbird, Kaka, Red-crowned Parakeet, Pied Cormorants, Little Pied Cormorants, and Black Cormorants.

After lunch, we may visit Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum, which has an incredible array of natural history exhibits, or visit Plimmerton to find rare Terns and Jaegers, or other wetlands near the city in search of Crakes and other waterbirds.
If you are not joining us on the New Zealand: South & Stewart Island tour, this will be our final dinner together with the group. Night in Wellington