New Zealand: Comprehensive Birding and Wildlife
Trip Description
Brief Itinerary
This itinerary takes in as much of New Zealand’s spectacular scenery as possible, while maximizing our chances of locating as many of the New Zealand endemics and natives as possible. We have structured the tour so that we have enough time to see the things we need to see without a hectic pace.
Our tour aims to see members of the six endemic New Zealand families – the kiwi (aiming at four taxa), the New Zealand parrots (Stripgopoidea, aiming at both kaka subsp. and Kea), the New Zealand wrens (aiming for both of the two extant species), the New Zealand wattlebirds (aiming for all of the three extant species), and the newly revised Stitchbird now in its own Family, the Notiomystidae, and the New Zealand creepers, the Mohouidae.
Our 21-day tour trip list generally boasts over 155 species of birds, with around 65 endemic breeding species and 25-30 tubenose species. We consistently have the highest species tallies for any New Zealand tour; no one else even comes close, with our guides seeing a record 168 species during two different tours in late 2011.
Day 1: Arrive any time today in Auckland
Day 2: AM Pick Up in Auckland: Introduction to New Zealand's forest and Coastal species; PM in Trounson
Day 3: AM and PM Birding to Find the Critically Endangered Fairy Tern and Other Shorebirds
Day 4: Full Day Pelagic Birding and Mammal Watching
Day 5: Full Day Birding New Zealand's Jewel: Tiritiri Matangi Island
Day 6: AM Birding in Tiritiri Matangi and PM Birding in The Firth of Thames, Miranda
Day 7: AM Birding in Miranda; Mid-day Transfer to Whitianga and PM Pelagic Birding
Day 8: Birding along the way from Whitianga to Turangi
Day 9: AM Birding looking for Blue Duck and PM Birding in Taupo and Napier Forests
Day 10: Transfer to Manawatu Region and Birding along the way
Day 11: Kapiti Coast Towards Wellington and Picton; Making Several Birding Stops On The Way
Day 12: Kaikoura, Forest and Coastal Birding
Day 13: AM Kaikoura Pelagic Birding and PM Leisure Time with Many Choices
Day 14: Southern Alps Through to Arthur’s Pass, Making Several Stops Along The Way
Day 15: Birding South Island Endemics; Coast and Forest
Day 16: Transfer from Franz Josef to Wanaka; Birding in Haast Pass and Many Other Places
Day 17: Transfer from Wanaka to Te Anau and Birding Along the Way
Day 18: Stewart Island Birding
Day 19: Pelagic Birding in Stewart Island
Day 20: Transfer to Oamaru via the Scenic Catlins Coast with Birding Along The Way
Day 21: Transfer to Christchurch with Birding Along the Way
Day 22: Birding MacKenzie Basin and Other Places
More details about this Trip:
Detailed Itinerary
Find below our New Zealand: 22 Spectacular Days Detailed itinerary, or download it.