[birdboybowley]

Hey everyone, here goes another one!

New Zealand has long been a dream destination for me, and after our adventure around the magnificent Oz, we were eager and ready to go. The birdlist may not be huge, but it is seriously specialized and with seabirds galore on offer and breathtaking scenery to boot, I think this was the country I’d most wanted to get to all year.
We left our backpackers on the 0600 Skybus to Melbourne International Airport and took off pretty much on time at 0900 and landed at 1405 local time into Christchurch, getting great views of the Alps and the glaciers as we crossed the cloudless South Island (oh, how that was to change...!) Upon landing, this time we disclosed everything and found customs to be a lot more welcoming and a lot less hassle than them in Oz - they even cleaned off our hiking boots, result! We changed up some money (which has birds on it!) and caught the bus into the city and checked into Cokers Backpackers where we got ourselves a double room at a good price – what a joy not to have to sleep in a dorm! It proved to be a friendly place with a huge shared kitchen, lounge and internet access, reminding me of an old-fashioned pub with its mismatched carpets and spacious rooms. The first bird on the list was Blackbird, shortly followed by Song Thrush, House Sparrow, Starling and Mallard.....I am on the other side of the world aren’t I or did I miss something?!?
The next 3 days were spent looking for another vehicle and wandering around the charming and very English-like city and bought the Heather & Robertson fieldguide which I found to be an excellent book, with pretty good plates and each species is dealt with in more detail at the rear of the book. A few better birds were noted, including Red-billed and Kelp Gulls, Paradise Shelducks, Australian Magpies, Pacific Black Ducks, Welcome Swallow and Masked Lapwings, and a few more from home: Dunnock, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and numerous Lesser Redpolls. The weather was pleasant and decidedly cooler than Melbourne. We knew we weren’t going to need a full-on 4WD as we did in Oz, so after looking a few vans we bought a cosy-looking Toyota TownAce from another backpacker, Christa. It had everything we needed: it was diesel, had a double-ring gas cooker (with a grill - proper toast, yeay!), comfy bed in the back and seemed to drive ok – the only downer was it only had a tape deck....! We kitted it out with new bedspreads, pots and cutlery and swapped ownership papers at the post office (so much simpler over here than Oz, where we never actually had any due to diabolical WA bureaucracy!!) and bought 5000kms of RUC (Road-User Charge) which you buy in increments of 1000kms because diesel is not taxed and it had WOF (rego) on it until November so we’d only have to buy 3 months more when we came to sell it. Went over the road into good old Pak’n’Save for supplies and that was that – we were now ready for the off!
We left on the morning of the 30th and headed south towards Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula. Now, driving in NZ...not a problem as they drive on the proper side(!!) but turning is most odd – if I’m driving down the road and want to turn left and a car coming towards me wants to turn right down the same road, I have to give way...!!?? Eh?! That caught me out quite a few times...not sure of the logic behind it but.....so remember that when visiting! Other than that, it was fine, the roads are pretty quiet and well signed, and must be like driving in the UK about 30yrs ago. The countryside rolled past and we could see the distant snow-covered peaks away to the west. Saw Australasian Harrier, Royal Spoonbill, Black Swan, the distinctive NZ race of Australasian Shoveler, Australasian and Great-crested Grebes, White-faced Heron, White-headed Stilt, Purple Swamphen, Coots, Canada Geese and Skylarks. The van drove fine and was very economical and we rolled into Akaroa at 1600, booked ourselves onto a harbour cruise in the morning and parked up and walked along the coast for a bit, seeing Grey Warbler and New Zealand Fantail, South Island Pied and Variable Oystercatchers, Great, Pied and Little Pied Cormorants and good-sized flocks of Yellowhammers and Redpolls (something I don’t see at home!). We then found a nice lay-by out of town to park up in for the night - same old, same old! More pasta and sausages for tea and suddenly it was like being back in Oz again – except for the Bellbirds and huge New Zealand Pigeons in the surrounding trees.
Over breakfast the following morning a pair of Sacred Kingfishers was watched near a nesthole and better views were had of the impressive pigeons. We made our way back into the quaint town and boarded our boat, the Black Cat, for our 2hr cruise at 1100 (good thing we were told the clocks went forward last night!!) The captain, Mark, kept up an interesting narrative about the history and culture over the past 150yrs and got us close to some of the local beasties.

We had great views of 6 of the dapper and endemic Hector’s Dolphin (the world’s smallest) as they played around the boat and plenty of NZ Fur Seals, gorgeous Spotted Shags at their noisy colonies, a stunning Gibson’s and a Salvin’s Albatross, along with Westland and Northern Giant- Petrels were seen as we reached the harbour mouth and edged into the South Pacific, and Short-tailed and Hutton’s Shearwaters were present also. White-fronted Terns and gulls followed us closely, but by far the best were the 5 White-flippered Penguins seen swimming near the boat – excellent!! The only place they can be seen is here and they didn’t disappoint. Met up with 2 SA birders on board who had just been to Kaikoura and were singing its praises and also mentioned that there was a Leopard Seal hauled out on a beach there yesterday...so that kinda decided our next move!
It took us 3.5hrs to drive north towards Kaikoura, phoning Albatross Encounters (www.oceanwings.co.nz) en route and booking ourselves onto the 0900 trip for the following morning ($80pp), although bizarrely they didn’t seem to know where the seal was hauled out....most unhelpful that! The road was mostly single lane and rose and fell quite sharply with the contours of the countryside which itself was pretty bare and rugged with sheep everywhere and once a big male Common Turkey near the road. It was almost like driving though North Wales or Scotland, until the huge mountains rising above the cloud layer came into view. As the road moved to the coast it hugged the cliffs tightly and at times went straight through them with various tunnels. We parked up in a pull off near the mouth of the Kahutaru River and as the wind had picked up big time, we found the van had the added advantage of being able to cook inside it. We ate our staple of pasta watching the thousands of Hutton’s Shearwaters that were streaming past and the clouds roll in and obscure the surrounding mountains. Oh dear....
The following morning we drove into the town, seeing a pair of California Quail by the road, and pulled up at the Oceanwings office along the Esplanade and found out we were the only ones on the trip – cool! We hopped onto the bus with the multitude of dolphin and whale trippers and were driven down to the docks. We met our jolly skipper, Gary, and boarded the (alarmingly small!) boat. Out into the murk we sped, launching over the rolling waves and stopped after about 10mins. A bit of chum and a feeding ball out the back, and we were literally surrounded by seabirds: first to appear were the delightful Cape Petrels (of both races) and then the lumbering Northern Giant-Petrels appeared, throwing their weight around and having huge scraps with each other. A single Sooty, several Short-tailed and a multitude of Hutton’s Shearwaters kept their distance and delicate Fairy Prions swooped in on opportunistic flights. A gorgeous White-chinned, a single Great-winged and many Westland Petrels loitered with intent and a Southern Giant-Petrel also came into scrap with its bullish cousins. Best of all were the albatrosses which included 2 Snowy, c22 Gibson’s, 3 Northern Royal, c12 Salvin’s, c9 White-capped and 5 Campbell Albatrosses....WOWOWOWOW!!!! Unbelievable, to have these amazing birds so close and personal was a life-experience I will never forget...

We cruised round some rocks where huge NZ Fur Seals were hauled out, and had a couple of Black-billed Gulls join the throng of Red-bills and Kelps that were our constant companions and 2 Australasian Gannets were also noted.
Upon disembarkation, Gary showed us where the Leopard Seal was yesterday – it was on a tiny bit of shingle right behind where the Oceanwings boats dock – why couldn’t someone of said that when I phoned the office I don’t know...bummer, would loved to have seen that beast!! We drove back round to the docks and had lunch as the tide came in, just in case it returned, but no joy. A lovely pair of Cirl Buntings fed in one of the gardens, and Variable Oysters and 3 Turnstones fed on the rocky shore along with a couple of Eastern Reef-Egrets.
The weather began to turn, so we headed back southwards, picking up a very wet hitchhiker, Rachel, and dropped her back into Christchurch, visited Pak’n’Save again and ended up parked up near Ashburton, unfortunately between the road and a railway track – I swear one train kept passing for over 5mins last night! We spent the following day avoiding the torrential rain by doing internet and going to the cinema in Timaru. The 4th dawned amazingly bright and sunny, and after good views of a Grey Warbler singing in the trees above our car over breakfast, we hit the road towards the distant snow-clad mountains that beckoned us inland....

[deborah4]

Oh boy, this is going to be a joy to read - fantastic shots of the berties

Originally Posted by Birdboybowley

so after looking a few vans we bought a cosy-looking Toyota TownAce from another backpacker, Christa. It had everything we needed:

I'm not saying a word

[birdboybowley]

Thanks Deb, hope you enjoy!
You're not dissing the van are ya??!!

[hampers]

Looking forward to reading your report, been there twice its an amazing country. Bizarre to see well know species with unknown ones. Sound of calling bellbirds and tui is amazing.

Thanks for the read.

Phil

[chowchilla]

Wow, was that six species of albatross?!

Pretty damned impressive.

[birdboybowley]

Yep Chowchilla, only 6.....give me seawatching off Sussex anyday...!!!
Thanks Phil, I found Stewart Island to be especially evocative with its native birdsong.
Well, here's another quick installment guys...enjoy:

With every turn of road the mountains and scenery became more and more photogenic which is why it can take a long time to get anywhere in this country! We stopped at the breathtakingly gorgeous crystal-clear Lake Tekapo for a photo-op of the flock of dainty Black-billed Gulls against the backdrop of cloud-clad mountains and brilliant blue sky.

We stopped at the visitor centre at the bottom of Lake Pukaki, where a group of NZ Scaup were swimming and Black-fronted Terns were diving offshore, and phoned the DOC office at Twizel and asked Rachel (a friend of our hitchhiker Rachel!) for any good sites for Black Stilt. She obliged and we were soon heading up the valley alongside the stunningly blue Lake Pukaki towards the awesome Mount Cook (Aoraki). We stopped at a lookout near \the start and had good views of a charming male South Island Tomtit and then stopped again at the end of the lake at the Tasman Delta which is where the braided river systems begin and soon had a superb adult Black Stilt in the ‘scope – fantastic!

A few White-headeds and a couple of hybrids birds were also present. For better views we followed Rachel’s tip and parked in Glentanner and walked down to the river system and had excellent views of at least 3 adults feeding in this amazing place. I glanced nearer to us and saw a group of pied stilts that I initially took for hybrids, so I thought I’d get some reference footage and then noticed that each of the 18 ‘hybrids’ was sporting an antenna....doh, they were all immature Blacks!! Brilliant! Also had great views of Double-banded Plovers and SIPOs feeding in the shallow pools. We drove into Mt Cook village and got some info on the tramping tracks up the mountain. The surrounding valley was right out of Middle-Earth and the majesty and grandeur of Mt Cook itself, with its underlying danger, was just unbelievable. We parked up alongside the road near a little pool that had Grey Teal on it, and watched the surrounding peaks glow pink as the sun set and the moon came up. People are gonna be bored of mountain photos when I get back home...!

We drove up to the White Hill campground and found a few gorgeous Riflemen in the stunted bushes, along with NZ Fantails and numerous Silvereyes, Greenfinches and Redpoll. We set off up the Sealy Trail along a rocky path with a steep incline that wound relentlessly upwards causing burning thighs and calves bringing back nightmares of Mt Kinabalu! These minor niggles were pushes aside as I gazed around at the views each level-up afforded: looking down over the two glacial meltwater lakes and up the sheer sides to the mountains opposite I felt very small indeed. We crossed a short section of snow which gave us the opportunity to eat some as we’d left the water in the van...further up the meltwater ran clear and cold, so drinking wasn’t a problem! As we reached the tableau the views down the valley were awe-inspiring and Mt Cook and Mt Sefton were so close now that the snow blown clear from the icy blue ledges was clearly visible. No sign of Rock Wren though, so we tried to get higher but my leg disappeared up to my thigh so we gave it a miss!

The vegetation was mostly stunted and twisty, mostly grasses up top and with an enormous variety of alpines growing between the huge rocks all set to the backdrop sounds of continually trickling water and the intermittent explosive screams of cheeky Keas as they flew overhead. Getting down was much easier on the legs and we left Mt Cook with it forever imprinted on our minds. A quick stop at the delta gave good views of 7ad5imm Black Stilts and we ended up parked on the southern shore of Lake Pukaki with Black-fronted Terns for company and settled down to watch the sun set over the postcard-perfect lake.

[Pluvius]

This gives me great memories of being there three years ago. Hopefully going back next February. Sounds like you were having a lot of fun. It is no doubt an absolutely fab country.

[deborah4]

Originally Posted by birdboybowley

With every turn of road the mountains and scenery became more and more photogenic which is why it can take a long time to get anywhere in this country! We stopped at the breathtakingly gorgeous crystal-clear Lake Tekapo for a photo-op of the flock of dainty Black-billed Gulls against the backdrop of cloud-clad mountains and brilliant blue sky.

...The surrounding valley was right out of Middle-Earth and the majesty and grandeur of Mt Cook itself, with its underlying danger, was just unbelievable.

How anyone could look at that photo of Lake Tekapo and not just be awe inspired by the beauty of Planet Earth ... and want to do everything possible to safeguard it ... just dunno

(now give me back the Ring precious ... nice Hobbit ... precious Hobbit )

[halftwo]

Another brilliant start to another epic Ads.
I didn't know that you could get that close to albatrosses - superb.

[birdboybowley]

Cheers H - you're literally within touching distance of them! It was truly amazing. Apparently the best way to ring an albatross there is to reach over the side, grab its' beak and pull it into your lap...!

[birdboybowley]

We awoke to the amazing view across the azure lake and the mountains beyond, separated only by a thin line of mist...I’ve awoken to worse things....! We headed up into the valleys around Lake Ohau and the road soon degenerated into a dusty gravel track as we aimed for the Temple Valley, along which we christened the van ‘Dyson’ as it sucked in about as much dirt as one! We reached the carpark and walked into the mature beech forests, the trees festooned with lichens and mosses with ferns sprouting from everywhere and small cascading waterfalls tumbled their way down to the vast rocky riverbed below. There were even native birds here!!!

Ever-delightful Riflemen crept up the trunks, with flocks of Silvereyes and Pipipis (or boringly Brown Creepers) actively fed through the foliage while tomtits and fantails flycatched all around to the backdrop of calling Bellbirds. The only downer was the discovery of the dreaded sandflies that voraciously viewed me as a walking meal-ticket – these things are awful, second only to the mozzies along the Snake Bight Trail in the Everglades!
We left the splendour of the mountains behind us as we headed eastwards for the coast again along the scenic route past Lake Aviemore which was another unbelievable shade of blue – the kind of colour that if I painted it true to life would just look wrong! We took the slight detour and crossed its rather impressive dam and stopped for fuel in Kurow where the guy in front seemed to b filling every fuel can in NZ....so thought bugger this and continued towards Duntroon, which turned out to be a mistake as there were no pumps in Duntroon and we’d been on empty for the past 10mins! We asked in a local pub where the nearest petrol station was (yep, Kurow of course) and a very nice man named Ray said he could help. We followed him back to his place, he moved his big-rig to reveal his very own pumps!! He gave us 20litres for $20 so we gave him $10 for his trouble, not that he wanted it – what a dude!!
Headed towards Omauru and stopped at the Elephant Rocks which was used as the setting of Aslan’s camp in the first Narnia film – cool! We finally reached the town and proceeded straight to Bushy Beach where we walked along the clifftop boardwalk to the viewing platforms. We didn’t have to wait long before a stunning Yellow-eyed Penguin waddled out of the kelp-filled surf below and began its steady climb up the beach. 20mins later it walked past in front of us, no more than 5ft away...WOW!

We watched about 6 more follow their favoured paths to their nest sites. We them drove round to the Little Penguin parade but seeing as they had a no video rule, didn’t bother going in. We stayed in the Top 10 Holiday Park ($28) in town as batteries needed charging and the lure of hot showers was too much!
The next day we headed basically southwards and stopped at Moeraki Beach to look at the bizarre circular rocks that looked like props from ’Cocoon’ with their tortoishell-like markings. We drove through the picturesque Trotter’s Gorge and back up to Shag Point (no puns please children!) and had good views of Spotted and Stewart Island Shags (of both colour morphs), another fantastic Yellow-eyed Penguin and a distant huge male Hooker’s Sealion. We drove inland along the 85 & 87, crossing over the impressive Tairei Ridge which was basically ‘Rohan’ from Lord of the Rings. An amazing play of light as the sun played hide and seek with the broiling dark grey clouds as the wind whipped up the tussock grasslands so it looked like the entire countryside was moving. An amazing rainbow appeared as we drove parallel to the Rock & Pillar Range along which the sheets of rain were visible causing the colours to diffuse together as they fell in front of it. The birds definitely took backstage to the scenery but Common Turkey and California Quail were notable. The wind really picked up as we neared the Sinclair Wetlands near Berwick, to the point that as came up over a ridge the van was literally blown sideways off the track...! Eek! With the wind blowing a gale we parked up in a little turn off just up from Lake Waihola.
The following morning we went back to the wetlands. We picked up a map from the deserted visitor centre and wandered along the trails and soon found a superb pair of duetting South Island Fernbirds (male – ‘u’; female – ‘tick’) and watched them cautiously climbing through the sedge grasses and shrubs.

Plenty of the usual waterfowl on the lakes, but the unfortunate Black Swan floating face down by one of the jetties didn’t look too well at all....
We left this pleasant spot and headed up a long, arduously winding road and finally joined the coast road onto the Otago Peninsula and made it into Dunedin – which looked as Scottish as it sounds! We followed the road out to Taiaora Head and parked up at the Royal Albatross Centre, the only mainland albatross colony in the world - and not to be missed. The wind was unbelievable – it was n effort to open the door against it!! Birds seemed to fly backwards as they tried to battle against it, and the single Northern Royal Albatross I saw seemed to be the only thing out there enjoying it, effortlessly hanging steady against the relentless wind. The visitor centre is pretty spectacular but timing was, as usual, pretty crap as the albatrosses are only just returning so there is no walking out into the colony allowed until they are sitting. Drove round the rest of the Peninsula which was quite worrying at times as the wind literally blew us off the road a few times! We stopped at Seal Point where a huge Hooker’s Sealion was rolling around in the dunes below where a single White-capped Albatross and thousands of Sooty Shearwaters and Fairy Prions raced by offshore – if there were any other prions I couldn’t make them out! Parking up in a little picnic area outside of town we found another bonus of the van – being able to cook whilst sitting on the end of bed inside it, as torrential rain had joined the party outside now.....
The next day the wind had died down and the sun came out so we visited Lanarch Castle with its stunning gardens and then drove back into Dunedin and couldn’t pass up the chance to drive up and down the steepest road in the world – Baldwin Street with its 1 in 2.86 gradient! The van almost ran out of oomph as we struggled to the top in 1st gear!! Looking back down was akin to being at the top of a rollercoaster and the van coped much better on the descent!!

Good fun, but would hate to live up it and not have a car, and if I did have a car, hope to god that the handbrake worked! We then drove out onto the Mole, near the infamous settlement of Aramoana, on the north side of the bay and got buffeted by the unwelcome return of the super-strong wind and blustery showers. Managed to wedge the ‘scope and vid out the window to get some (pretty good, considering the buffeting and range) footage of the displaying Northern Royal Albatrosses and the shag colony opposite on Taiaora Head.

We headed back out to the camp spot near Lake Waihola and again cooked in the van as it was now hailing outside....

[halftwo]

Ads,
I might have missed this - but what date was it. And I presume you did this straight on from Oz?
H

[birdboybowley]

Yes, mate, sorry - 2006 it was. What a year.......

[halftwo]

Originally Posted by birdboybowley

Yes, mate, sorry - 2006 it was. What a year.......

Any more specific on your Pacific lookout date? Weather seems grim-ish, but was it the best time for the Alberts?

[birdboybowley]

Sorry H, seemed to have deleted the dates out of the beginning of the thread - oops!
We were there from the 26th September 'til the 27th November. Great time for albatrosses, but they seem to be good up til Jan/Feb least, just differing numbers and a slight change of species. I think Northern and Southern Buller's are easier later, as are Southern Royals and Antipodean. We were lucky with Southern G-Petrel too as it was quite late apparently. The weather was grim at times on the South Island, but it was their spring and is notoriously changeable - especially the west coast! Still, that's half the fun...allegedly!
I wouldn't have changed dates really (a bit more sun would have been nice down south..!) but go any later and then the Fiordland Penguins are very difficult, so it's swings and roundabouts really.

[hampers]

I've been twice in March/April and albatrosses were great. in April 2000 had 9 species of albatross and mollyhawk, in 2004 its was 10 species. All from the Kaikoura pelagics. Weather was ok at this time, but no fiordland penguins. Other yellow-eyed and blue penguin were both ok.
Looking forward to reading further instalments of your journey.


Phil

[Larry Wheatland]

OMG! I'm going to have to find time to read this too. Big time!

[birdboybowley]

Hey everyone - sorry it's been a while but gotta get a painting finished for this coming weekend so've been a bit busy with that!! Needed a break so here goes the next instalment:

Snow ‘n’ sleet upon awakening – lovely! We had a leisurely breakfast before heading towards Nugget Point. On the way we came across a sign for a whale fossil near Milton so followed the directions into the hills and came to a disappointing hut with a jaw bone in it...hmmmm. Then we got hit by a vicious blizzard that coated the windward side of the van in an icy shell....ah, springtime down-under! We reached Nugget Point lighthouse with the stinging sleet turning to rain and hailstones in the whipping wind so made a dash for the cover of the building. The scenery was stunning and when the sun popped out it turned the sea from a murky grey to a gorgeous turquoise.
Lots of NZ Fur Seals rollicked in the surf and the huge kelp beds below, with Stewart Island and Spotted Shags breeding on the cliffs. Offshore, Sooty Shearwaters arced everywhere you looked. We went back down to Roaring Bay and wandered out to the hide where we watched 3 Yellow-eyed Penguins swimming and squabbling in the windblown surf until they headed back up the cliffs towards us and joined another adult with a large imm nearby. Offshore, a couple of White-capped Albatrosses and lots of Northern Giant- and Cape Petrels flew by. My bloody video camera then snapped my tape which made me less than happy...then it started to hail again causing a hasty retreat to the van. With the weather against us, we stopped at Cannibal Bay briefly then headed through Owaka and camped up in Tawanui, near the Catlin’s Forest.
The following morning, the sun was out so we went for a wander through the atmospheric beech forest, the trees bedecked in ferns and lichens and other epiphytic plants; the sides of the rough path furry with mosses and succulents. The worst of the wind swept across the top of the valley so it was really quite peaceful with only the tops rustling and the river rushing past. Lots of native birdsong too, with Bellbirds, NZ Fantails, Silvereyes, Grey Warblers and Pipipis all present and a few Yellow-crowned Parakeets flew around too. We left and headed along the coastal scenic route in the rough direction of Invercargill, stopping at the evocative Matai and Horseshoe Falls, and went to Curio Bay to look at the fossilized forest on the beach there. Offshore, 2 fabulous Southern Royal, a White-capped and stacks of Salvin’s Albatrosses were wheeling past, with a single Arctic Skua and good numbers of Sooties and a few Northern Giant-Petrels also present. On the nearby rocks, another charismatic Yellow-eyed Penguin rested without a care in the world. Unfortunately, the Cathedral Caves were closed due to the tide being wrong and then Slope Point - the southernmost point of the NZ mainland – was also bloody closed due to lambing.....We ended up at Waipapa Point where we parked up with the wind howling outside rocking the van quite severely and the lighthouse flashing its warning light nearby. What a night we had! The wind howled through the ill-fitting window seals and the van lurched as if tied behind a 747....
Got up and went for a quick scan over the seas but saw nothing of interest so nipped down the into dunes towards the beach...and promptly came running back up with 2 irate female Hooker’s Sealions in hot pursuit – those things are bloody big close-up with rather large teeth and they can move faster than they look so decided to be nice to them and let them stay put! Stroppy bloody females!

The wind was so strong I had to physically push myself up the ridge to the lighthouse, walking at such a bizarre forward-leaning angle that if the wind suddenly stopped, I’d have found myself flat on my face! Took a quick pic and beat a tactical retreat. Heading back to the carpark we discovered that the sealions had taken the beachhead and were advancing towards us....and after baring teeth at the cars, ran up the opposite hill and hid in the grasses atop it. No wonder there weren’t any sheep around this morning!
Headed towards Invercargill, stopping briefly at a windblown Waituna Lagoon...nothing to see here folks, move along, move along.....Stopped at the info centre and decided not to do Stewart Island for a couple of days as the weather was to remain shite, so we took the coastal scenic route towards Te Anau. Finally saw some fantastic Tui along the drive. We had a walk around a pleasant loop trail through native podocarp forest near Tuatapere then took a horribly dusty road into Fiordland NP and ended up parked near Lake Hauroko (NZ’s largest), it’s choppy waters surrounded by snow-capped peaks. The rear door of the van decided to break and not open at all which was just great....almost as annoying as all the bloody sandflies! The wind was extremely high all night but a distant Morepork was heard.
The wind was gusting so much the following morning we gave the walk around the lake a miss – dodging airborne branches is not fun! Headed back out and walked around the Totara Giant Tree Reserve and marvelled at these immense trees, some estimated to be over 1000yrs old. A Rifleman was nice, with Pipipis and fantails, Tuis, Bellbirds and Silvereyes all singing and good numbers of Yellow-crowned Parakeets seen well acrobatically feeding in the trees. Finally got back onto sealed roads and stopped at Clifdon Suspension Bridge for lunch before heading up to Te Anau, the wind buffeting us all the way and restricting our speed to about 70kph....
We reached the town and dropped into a garage to get the door sorted. The two mechanics, Jock and Bart, were absolute diamonds. They sorted the door out so that it would open and lock just not with the key, so not a problem at all really. They also materialised with a rear wiper that we’d never had on the van (I hate driving and not be able to see out the back). They wouldn’t take any money but said they finished at 5 so we went and got some stubbies and went back and spent an enjoyable couple of hours with them. Parked up next to the impressive lake and found we have a rodent problem in the van – something has taken a little nibble out of the bread and the sausage packaging and worst of all, ate some chocolate raisins! Little bugger! Unpacked my main bag just in case it had made a home in there but no sign. I heard it in the middle of the night scampering around in the roof! Oh joy!
The following morning we awoke to sun and not much wind...result! Headed into town to the DOC office and was told that there was no stopping near the Homer Tunnel due to it being avalanche season.....so there goes Rock Wren I thought and we set off up the Milford Road with me in a bit of a mood....to say the least! Stopped at the Mirror Lakes which were aptly named and it was nice seeing a NZ Scaup diving beneath the crystal waters. The scenery was absolutely stunning, the valley sides covered in a plethora o waterfalls from the meltwater above, ranging in size from small trickled to freefalling cascades all running into each other and creating a haphazard display of white lines across the cliff-faces. Others literally burst out from holes in the rocks in gushing torrents – I have never seen anything like this in my life.
We stopped at the little meteorological station (which is outside the avalanche danger area) just before the Homer Tunnel but no luck with the wren, but cheeky Keas kept us entertained as they checked out the van’s door linings and Tomtits and Dunnocks got the heart racing a few times in the boulder fields. The visuals were again awesome with ominous rumblings from the snowfields above, rocks falling down and a small avalanche running down the nearby cliffs, the natural acoustics of the valley making it seem much larger! Time to go!!
The tunnel was pretty cool – all 1.4kms of it – and the panoramic view the other side was quite something too. We stopped at the Chasm which was a truly terrifying amount of meltwater funnelled through a narrow rocky gorge whose sides have been eroded smooth. Walking across the bridge the roar of the water reverberated in the very air, the clouds of mist gave the area an ethereal feel and standing above this turmoil I could physically feel the force of it through my body. Cool! Made it to Milford Sound where the rain began to fall in earnest, thus scuppering the planned boat trip....
Tried to book into the Milford Lodge campsite but they had no powered sites so headed back through the tunnel (which now had mist inside it!), checked the rivers for Blue Ducks (nope!) and checked into the themed Gunn’s Camp, a truly excellent place steeped in local history, full of 1930s paraphernalia, clippings and visitors books dating back to the 60s! Run by a lovely woman named Helen and her partner Bill, it has a great little kitchen, chalets and is a great place to base yourself if you want to do the Holyford Track. It only has a generator for a couple of hours a night and a safe ‘generator box’ for cameras and stuff to recharge in. Rain, thunder, lightning and sandflies...perfect!!
Spent the next rain-filled day walking some of the track and reached the immense Humboldt Falls which were pretty cool actually. The sun even came out later and back at the camp, 2 South Island Kakas flew over and a loudly-calling NZ Falcon was ‘scoped in trees above the reception –excellent! Dawn took a tumble into the water on a river crossing so we got ourselves into one of the chalets and managed to get the fire going as it was a bit chilly to say the least! Once the smoke had dissipated it was rather homely inside. Helen came over to see If Dawn was ok and said we could do some washing in her machine – jus not to let anyone else know!! Such a nice lady!!
The following morning, the sun came out to reveal a dusting of snow right down over the treeline which looked great. After bidding farewell to our generous hosts (and swatting the multitude of sandflies in the van as we repacked it) we headed back towards Milford. A quick stop at the meteorological station and it was totally unrecognizable due to the amount of snow dumped on it. We reached the Sound only to have missed the first boat by 5mins.....grrrrr! So we booked ourselves onto the afternoon (and more expensive!) trip and went unsuccessfully looking for Blue Ducks again. We boarded our boat, the Lady Bowen, at 1300. We picked up a flyer for this trip called ‘Encounter’ from Gunn’s Camp and you get a 10% discount for doing so. The captain puts the bow of the ship under the waterfalls so you can appreciate the full force of these natural wonders and get an icy shower too! The Sound looked as fantastic as all the photos of it I’ve seen and we had an enjoyable trip. The waterfalls tumbling into the almost black waters ranged in size from thundering cascades three times higher than Niagara to the smallest one in Fiordland: a 98% pure natural spring dropping all of 3ft to the waters below.
After stringing 2 distant Pied Cormorants (!) a superb Fiordland Crested Penguin was found on the rocky shoreline of the aptly named Penguin Cove, preening amongst the hauled out fur-seals. What a bird, excellent! We also visited the cool Underwater Obs and viewed the various wrasse, triplefins, sponged and rare Black Coral (which is actually white beneath the water...!) through the 5cm thick acrylic windows ($10000 each..!) We decided to stay an extra half hour and get a lift back with the Obs staff. Good choice, as on the return journey in a little boat, we had another stunning Fiordland Crested Penguin swimming right next to us!! Sometimes they can even been seen diving past the Obs’ windows! A much more enjoyable trip than I initially though it would be.

We drove back up the torturously slow road, through the tunnel for a final time and stopped for one last chance by the meteorological station. I headed up into the vast boulder field and sat down, watching the Tomtits and Dunnocks and feeling a bit crap. Suddenly I get a yell from Dawn and she’s pointing in front of the van. Trying to run down the snow-covered boulders wasn’t easy but I made it without breaking anything and after sitting up on a huge boulder in front of the van I soon saw the bird I most wanted, a male Rock Wren! What a fantastic little bird, all long legs and seemingly tailless, I watched him bobbing up and down and calling to the female which soon appeared and he passed some food to her, all about 10ft in front of me!!

I think it’s even more amazing due to the fact it’s so small yet lives in this vast unforgiving landscape...absolutely brilliant and well done Dawn!! She said later that the trip report I’d gleaned the info from did actually state they were on the boulders adjacent to the station...smartarse!
So, very happy now, we drove to Cascade Creek and scored with a couple of NZ Pipits as we cooked dinner, with a friendly South Island Robin coming for scraps. In the forest, a lovely black-phase NZ Fantail was seen, with loads of Yellow-crowned Parakeets, Tuis, Pipipis, Grey Warblers and Silvereyes, Riflemen and NZ Pigeons all watched. Stunning scenery – alpine grasslands, fast-flowing streams and green-furred beech forests all surrounded by snowy peaks and as night fell, we could actually see stars tonight!! What a day!

[deborah4]

Another excellent read BBB -

This:

Originally Posted by bbb

Stroppy bloody females!

Plus this:

Originally Posted by bbb

Suddenly I get a yell from Dawn and she’s pointing in front of the van. Trying to run down the snow-covered boulders wasn’t easy but I made it without breaking anything and after sitting up on a huge boulder in front of the van I soon saw the bird I most wanted, a male Rock Wren!

= grounds for future suppression by expert female birder in party

[halftwo]

[quote=birdboybowley;1262864]

Snow ‘n’ sleet upon awakening... Then we got hit by a vicious blizzard that coated the windward side of the van in an icy shell.... with the stinging sleet turning to rain and hailstones in the whipping wind so made a dash for the cover of the building...then it started to hail again causing a hasty retreat to the van...We ended up at Waipapa Point...wind howling outside rocking the van quite severely... What a night we had!
The wind howled through the ill-fitting window seals and the van lurched as if tied behind a 747...
and promptly came running back up with 2 irate female Hooker’s Sealions in hot pursuit – those things are bloody big with rather large teeth ...decided not to do Stewart Island for a couple of days as the weather was to remain shite...
The rear door of the van decided to break and not open at all which was just great....almost as annoying as all the bloody sandflies! The wind was extremely high all night...
The wind was gusting so much we gave the walk around the lake a miss – dodging airborne branches is not fun!
...and found we have a rodent problem in the van – worst of all, ate some chocolate raisins! Oh joy!
...ominous rumblings from the snowfields above, rocks falling...a small avalanche running down the nearby cliffs...Time to go!!
...but they had no powered sites so headed back through the tunnel (which now had mist inside it!)... the multitude of sandflies in the van ....the meteorological station was totally unrecognizable due to the amount of snow dumped on it.
...watching the Tomtits and Dunnocks and feeling a bit crap.


I see it now...Total Wuss!

[birdboybowley]

Ooh that's fightin' talk that is.....!!

[birdboybowley]

The following morning was a tad chilly – in fact the windows had frosted on the inside and our water had iced over – but outside the sky was a brilliant blue and the sun set the surrounding peaks aglow. We wrapped up warm and had breakky with the pipits and robins for company again and walked through the forest to the breathtaking mirror-surfaced Lake Gunn, its reflections broken only by the ripples of the diving Scaup, and took in its amazing views down the valley. Wow!

The forest was full of birdsong, had better views of the black-phase fantail and a NZ Falcon flew over calling. This beech forest was fantastic – the only place you could see bare ground was the pathway, everywhere else was overwhelmed by a multitude of mosses and fernery giving the impression that if you were to lay down for even a moment you too would be swallowed under the all-covering greenery and become just another unrecognizable lump beneath it all. Simply stunning. (See H, not all doom and gloom, eh, eh??!!)
Headed back towards Invercargill where we went to the i-site and booked ourselves on to the ferry to Stewart Island tomorrow. Parked up next to the birdless Awarua Bay and the following morning packed our gear and set off for Bluff, about 25mins away. We parked in the secure zone, whereupon reading the small print on the card it stated that the company ‘is not liable for damages to or losses from our car whilst it’s parked here...kinda made us wonder what the hell we were paying for then.....?!
Anyway, we boarded the ferry at 0900 and began the 1.5hr journey to Oban across the infamous Foveaux Strait. The sea was a little rough but there were two nice Southern Buller’s and several White-capped Albatrosses following along with Fairy and Broad-billed Prions, Sooty Shearwaters, a light-phase Arctic Skua, a few auk-like Common Diving Petrels and about 9 Little Penguins swimming in the calmer waters of Halfmoon Bay as we entered it.
We were here – fantastic Stewart Island!

The small ‘town’ of Oban was alive with calling Tuis as we walked to Stewart Island Backpackers where we’d booked a room. It was quite small but perfectly adequate and the kitchen area was spacious as this place was very popular with trampers. Lots of Dunnocks, Chaffinches, Lesser Redpolls, Goldfinches, Starlings, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes all added to the cacophony of birdsong and gave a little feeling of home. We wandered to the DOC office and picked up the latest Ulva Island newsletter, only to find a picture of Loydie on the front of it (he’d volunteered here for a season earlier in the year!) – good to see his ugly mug again! I also took the chance to book a kiwi-spotting trip (NZ$95pp) and book the trip to visit Sirocco on Ulva Island. More of that later....
We walked the Fuschia, Raroa, Golden Bay and Deep Bay Tracks, with flocks of Tuis and confiding NZ Fantails for company, South Island Kakas overhead and a couple of Red-crowned Parakeets also. A brief Shining Bronze-Cuckoo was a bonus too. We had great views across Golden Wharf Bay and watched Stewart Island Shags and the ‘steadi’ race of Spotted – known as Blue Shag – in the waters below. Went back for a catnap and wandered down to the wharf for 1930 where we met by our guide for the evening, Ulva Goodwillie. There were about 30 people, including a few birders. We reached the tiny island and walked the bumpy tracks until we were diverted off the path into the forest. A kiwi and Weka were heard in the darkness, but up ahead dim lights meant we had reached our destination. Looking over a low screen, there was Sirocco – a fantastic male Kakapo in all his glory! What an unbelievable bird, and sooooo big too - he weighs 3.1kg! We watched as he began to blow himself out and begin booming, watched as he fed on the grapes (his favourites!) and nuts given to him...an unforgettable experience and I revelled in the chance of a lifetime to see a bird I never thought I’d see in the flesh. A bit of a grey tick really as if I’d seen him on his other island home of nearby Codfish I guess I’d be able to class him as a wild bird....even though all Kakapos live on what are basically island-sized enclosures and are all supplementary fed too so....?? Who cares, what a brilliant bird!! My timing was spot-on for a change and I can’t really put into words how privileged I felt watching him and wondering what it must have been like a couple of centuries ago when they were all over Fiordland, not precariously hanging on as they are now – 86 but rising! NZ now leads the way on conservation issues and long may they continue.

The following day we went down to the Golden Bay Wharf and got a water taxi over to Ulva Island, piloted by the accommodating Peter Cox. Unfortunately the weather had taken a decided turn for the worse. Nice birds around, especially the South Island Saddlebacks and the inquisitive Stewart Island Robins that would feed at you feet if you scraped the leaf litter away! Kakas, Yellow- and Red-crowned Parakeets, Riflemen, Pipipis, Bellbirds, Tomtits and Grey Warblers were all present.

Cheeky Wekas rifled through the tideline debris and any bags put down also! The weather got worse, as did my mood...so bad that when the vid snapped another tape I banged it down onto the table in one of the shelters which promptly broke the lens and zoom off......Dawn left me alone on the island after that......probably a wise move as to say I was angry would’ve been an understatement. Peter picked me up at 1600 and we rode the huge swell in his little boat back to the main island, literally airborne sometimes as the ride went sea – sky – sea - sky.....eek! Needless to say our kiwi trip was cancelled. After a silent night (inside the room at least!) the following day at least had sunshine but the wind was still very high so decided to stay on another day as the trip may go tonight. Wandered along to Ringaringa Beach where another Weka was seen in the gardens and scanned the Strait for seabirds with Salvin’s and Southern Buller’s Albatrosses, Northern Giant-Petrel, Sooty Shearwaters and several Little Penguins were seen. Had a look at Wohler’s Monument then started towards Acker Point which is when the rain started again.....
Luckily the wind dropped later so tonight’s trip was on! We got down to the main wharf at 1945 and met Phil Smith and boarded his boat, Wildfire with the 6 other participants. A few penguins and prions were seen on our way to Glory Cove over on ‘the Neck’. Took about 40mins to reach the jetty, got the torches out and began climbing the uneven steps towards Ocean Beach, which is where Sir Dave filmed kiwis for Life of Birds! Investigating a rustling in the undergrowth we soon had a superb, prehistoric-looking young male Stewart Island Brown Kiwi (or Tokoeka) feeding in front of us....! Wow, another fantastic bird and again, something I’d wanted to see since I was a kid! We reached the beach and enjoyed great views of another ‘sneezing’ and feeding in the seaweed under a starlit sky. Wish I hadn’t broken my vid camera now...that’ll learn me! On the return journey, a young couple at the back of the line who were ‘just doing the trip as it’s what you do when you come here’ had a bloody kiwi walk over her feet and actually snuffle her legs...!!! And they didn’t really care!! Lucky buggers....I found another also, but didn’t wanna walk over my feet! Back by 2300 after a very enjoyable night.
The last day dawned sunny, so got Peter to run me over to Ulva once again where I bumped into Ulva (the woman!) guiding a couple and showing them a young Saddleback which used to be thought to be a different bird, the Jackbird (the North Island young are similar to their adults). She gave me a good spot for Yellowhead and told me their call, so I set off down the Boulder Trail and soon located a gorgeous male by his high-pitched ‘machine-gun’ call. Excellent birds, watched the pair feed actively along the branches, often coming down quite low and then they totally disappeared in the forest. On the way back I startled a bird from the undergrowth that ran across the path. Lifting my bins I was gobsmacked to see not the expected Weka, but a kiwi running down into the gulley!! Should’ve saved my money last night! Ulva came round the corner and was amazed I’d seen one as it’s a very rare occurrence and told me to go and buy a lottery ticket for the weekend!
Peter dutifully picked me up at 1200 and even dropped me back at the backpackers – nice guy. We boarded the ferry back to the mainland at 1500 (the earlier ferry had been cancelled due to the swell!) and had a lurching journey back across the Foveaux Strait with the same birds visible as before, only this time viewed from inside! Looking out the windows, one minute we were staring into a trough of roiling water, the next up at the sky...be still my belly, be still! None of the crew looked bothered so no worries – if they look flustered then it’s time to panic! Got back ashore, the Dyson was fine, argued over parking charges as they said we owed more than we did and headed up Hwy6 towards Queenstown with the wing hammering us all the way, camping overnight near Athol.

[birdboybowley]

A few more....

[halftwo]

That's the moon, that Kakapo.

Great Ads, but brrr..

[birdboybowley]

Ha, felt like I was standing on it when I was watching him!!
And yeah, very brrrrr!