Mission impossible! (2 Viewers)

Hi,

I am looking for some help please.

I am currently looking at a holiday next October/November. We have about 3 weeks to do Australia and New Zealand (hence the title "mission impossible"). We are looking at spliting the time equally between the 2 countries. Australia will be mostly Melbourne, Tasmania and the Cairns area.

New Zealand is where I'm struggling to choose the best areas to stay for 7-10 days. Ideally we would like to not have too much travelling, but we would like to see some of New Zealand's endemic birds as well as the beautiful countryside. Can anyone help suggest whether the north or south island is best and where is a good base to see as much as we can without too much travelling. Do any companies offer short tours or even individuals who give day tours around certain areas?

I would be very grateful for any help as I seem to have saturated myself with information.

Thank you in advance

Rachel

rachk116 said:

Hi,

I am looking for some help please.

I am currently looking at a holiday next October/November. We have about 3 weeks to do Australia and New Zealand (hence the title "mission impossible"). We are looking at spliting the time equally between the 2 countries. Australia will be mostly Melbourne, Tasmania and the Cairns area.

New Zealand is where I'm struggling to choose the best areas to stay for 7-10 days. Ideally we would like to not have too much travelling, but we would like to see some of New Zealand's endemic birds as well as the beautiful countryside. Can anyone help suggest whether the north or south island is best and where is a good base to see as much as we can without too much travelling. Do any companies offer short tours or even individuals who give day tours around certain areas?

I would be very grateful for any help as I seem to have saturated myself with information.

Thank you in advance

Rachel

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If you are anywhere near Auckland you should book a day trip to Tiritiri Matangi island. This has been predator-free for some years,and thanks to introductions it is possible to see quite a few of the endemics that are almost impossible to find elsewhere.From Auckland you are also within easy reach of a huge Australasian Gannet colony,and Miranda the shorebird capital of NZ. You should also try to get down to South Island as the scenery,particularly on the west side, is superb.A good base for part of the time there would be Otago,with Albatrosses and Yellow-eyed Penguins on the Peninsula.If you go to Cairns with the very limited time you have the seafront promenade is great,and don't miss the cemetery where the Thicknees shelter from the sun behind the gravestones. You could combine this with a trip out to the Barrier Reef.Make sure that this incudes Michaelmas Key for Terns. You could spend at least three weeks in the Cairns/Atherton Tableland alone and still not see everything!!!
Tom Lawson.

We had three weeks in NZ and didn't see everything, or go everywhere..... Agree Tititiri, Miranda, Otago.
Cairns area is wonderful. Melbourne area - go to Werribee!

Personally, I'd just spend three weeks in one of them....we had 2 months in NZ and still needed more time!!

birdboybowley said:

Personally, I'd just spend three weeks in one of them....we had 2 months in NZ and still needed more time!!

Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more! We had six superb months in Australia, but barely scratched the surface.
MJB

Thanks all for your responses but unfortunately 3 weeks is all we can manage due to family commitments. This will probably be our only chance to get to this part of the world too so 3 weeks will have to be enough. I do realise that you probably need that amount of time for both but I'd love to go and experience both countries all be it very briefly.

We may end up choosing somewhere else that we can do justice to but we'll just have to see.

Thanks again

Rachel

Zealandia at Wellington is worthed to be seen. Kaikoura on the eastern coast of South Island is great for Albatross, Shearwater, Petrel and Cetaceas. Stewart Island is maybe the best place for endemics ans specially for Kiwis. Fiordland (south-west of south Island) is great for landscape and primary forest. I spent 2 months (January/february 2014) in NZ. If I had only 12 days and birdwatching focused I would choose : Auckland (Tiritirmatangui and Mirawai gannet colony), Wellington (Zealandia, Kapiti Island), Kaikoura (Albatros and cetaceas), Stewart Island (Kiwis and other endemics). But this would mean a lot of travelling in a short period of time.

I've a friend who went to Tiritiri Matangi & got great photos of the Takahe, once thought extinct.
Ulva Island beside Stewart Island is a bird sanctuary & I've been wanting to go there for a while.

With only three weeks, and not doing much travelling, I'd suggest one week each at Melbourne, one at Cairns and one at Auckland, leaving out Tassie. Apart from the trip out to Tiritiri from Auckland you should be able to pick up a fair selection of birds around the cities. At Melbourne try Werribee ( waders and ducks ), Ferntree Gully ( used to have Powerful Owl and Superb Lyrebird ) and, if you have time, Wilson's Prom. For Cairns you've got The 'nade ( superb for waders at high tide and the fig trees and gardens can be good ) and the Centenary Park / Mt. Whitfield area can be brilliant for 'urban' birding. In NZ I suspect you'll be wanting to visit Rotorua so I'd suggest Mangere Sewage Works ( Wrybill, Royal Spoonbill ), Muriwai Beach (Australian Gannet and a good chance of Red-breasted Dotterel ), Tiritiri has Takahe, Saddleback, Stitchbird, Whitehead and, if you stay overnight, Little Spotted Kiwi ). Miranda is the site for waders etc. in NZ. The Rotorua area has more Stitchbirds and Saddlebacks on Mokoloa I in L. Rotorua, NZ Grebe and Scaup are mainly at the south end of the lake behind the Polynesian Pools complex.

I would agree with Ojeff if you want to get the most out of your short stay. I have been twice to New Zealand for 7 weeks each time and I would STILL re do the areas Ojeff has suggested. Enjoy your trip. Tony

In Cairns try to book with Alan Gillander. Tuesday morning, free guided birdwalk from the botanical gardens. Also well worth spending a day at Mareeba