Tour OverviewThe remote island country of New Zealand offers untamed wilderness, rich Maori culture, world-class surfing, superb wine and stunningly dramatic Lord of the Rings scenery. The “land of the long white cloud” (New Zealand’s indigenous Maori name) also offers some truly unique birding opportunities, unmatched anywhere else on the planet.
This uniqueness is mostly due to New Zealand’s geographic isolation for 80 million years, leading to a specific and dynamic evolutionary ecology with incredibly high endemism. All bats, all reptiles, all amphibians, 80% of vascular plants and over 90% of insects are endemic to the islands. Some of these species are utterly and wonderfully bizarre!
The official bird species count for New Zealand is currently over 300. The terrestrial birds, wetland birds and seabirds in New Zealand each make up about a third of the total number of species. This is in sharp contrast to the composition of the global bird species where 90% are terrestrial. The wonderful combination of unusual land birds and fantastic marine birds is unmatched anywhere on earth.
This fantastic birding itinerary takes in much of New Zealand’s spectacular and diverse scenery, whilst maximising our chances of seeing some of the 91 endemic species currently on the country’s official list, along with 70 globally threatened species and many others. The tour also includes four exciting pelagic trips where any number of interesting species of birds and mammals may turn up!
With excellent accommodation, truly epic scenery, first world infrastructure, great food, world-class wine and friendly, sport-mad local “Kiwis”, this is sure to be a tour of a lifetime! Let’s go birding!
Get more detail about what to expect on this tour: Go to full itinerary
Safari starts in Auckland (North Island) and ends in Christchurch (South Island)
Tour duration: 21 days / 20 nights
Type of accommodation: Comfortable / Mid-range
Next departure dates: December 2024
Private and small group, customised safaris can be booked on request for your preferred travel dates
-Stunning and dramatic scenery
-Incredible birds with a high endemic count
-Pelagic trips
-Excellent accommodation
-Fantastic cuisine and wine
-Relatively short travel distances between sites
-Friendly local “Kiwis”
-First world infrastructure
Top Birds:
*Denotes Endemic species
• North Island Brown Kiwi*
• Great Spotted Kiwi*
• Southern Brown, Okarito and Little Spotted Kiwi*
• New Zealand Storm Petrel*
• Yellow-eyed and Fiordland Penguin*
• South Island Takahe*
• North Island Kokako*
• North Island and South Island Saddleback*
• Wrybill*
• Black Stilt*
• Kea*
• Blue Duck*
• New Zealand Rockwren*
• New Zealand Kaka*
• Stitchbird*
Top Mammals:
• Hector’s Dolphin
• Long-beaked and Short-beaked Common Dolphin
• New Zealand Fur Seal
• New Zealand Sea Lion
• Leopard Seal
• Sperm Whale
• Several other whale species (depending on time of the year)
Optional Activities:
• Afternoon activity in Kaikoura
| ITINERARY OVERVIEW |
|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival in Auckland, transfer to Kerikeri |
|---|---|
| Day 2 | Kerikeri to Warkworth |
| Day 3 | Warkworth – Hauraki Gulf Pelagic |
| Day 4 | Warkworth to Tiritiri Matangi Island |
| Day 5 | Tiritiri Matanga Island to Miranda |
| Day 6 | Miranda to Whitianga |
| Day 7 | Whitianga to Turangi |
| Day 8 | Turangi to Napier |
| Day 9 | Napier to Foxton |
| Day 10 | Foxton to Picton |
| Day 11 | Picton to Kaikoura |
| Day 12 | Kaikoura – pelagic trip |
| Day 13 | Kaikoura to Arthur’s Pass |
| Day 14 | Arthur’s Pass to Franz Josef |
| Day 15 | Franz Josef to Wanaka |
| Day 16 | Wanaka to Te Anau |
| Day 17 | Te Anau to Stewart Island |
| Day 18 | Stewart Island pelagic |
| Day 19 | Stewart Island yo Oamaru |
| Day 20 | Oamaru to Omarama |
| Day 21 | Omarama to Christchurch and Departure |
All our tours can be customised according to your specific requirements.
Get in touch with one of our team members for more information at info@naturetravelbirding.com