RFI New Zealand Birding tour (1 Viewer)

Hi everybody,

I am preparing a tour to New Zealand for year 2014 or 2015.

I have read the messages in the forum and get good info but I still would like to ask for your help.

It seems that a good month to visit New Zealand could be November (true?) although it seems that birding in New Zealnd is not so season-dependent as in other parts of the World (true?).

My main aim is to watch birds. I would like to watch at least one specie of every endemic family in New Zaeland.

In addition to that, as many endemic birds as possible, as many new birds for me and in general as many birds of any kind as possible.

Seabirds seems to be also very interesting so I could be very helpfull for me to know if there is a webpage with different possibilites to take a pelagic tour.

Probably we will be a group of five birders and the aim of the tour is only birding, we will not have time to visit the country (unfortunately).

Due to the fact that our time in the country is limited, could anybody tell me if a tour of 12- 15 days could be enough?

I have read that some low cost airlines offer good prices so the idea could be to fly Madrid-Auckland (expensive) and, if necessary, take any low cost local plane.

We wouldn't like to spend a lot of money in expensive hotels so cabins in camping sites could be enough for us. Any suggestion?

And if you could recommend me interesting webpages about birding in New Zealand and how to organize a tour I will thank you very much.

Thanks in advance

Jose Ramon

Here are some possibilities for seabird pelagics:
http://www.albatrossencounter.co.nz/albatross/ocean_wings/
http://www.nzseabirds.com/haurakigulf.php
http://www.wrybill-tours.com/schedtours/pelagics.htm
http://www.ruggedyrange.com/bird-watching_stewart-island-pelagic.htm
http://www.naturetours.co.nz/new-zealand/Birdwatchers/
Inter-island ferries e.g. North to South Island and South Island to Stewart Island should also be productive.

I recently went on two of the tours mentioned above. The Ruggedyrange and Albatross Encounter tours are both excellent. Penguins at Otago Peninsula. Kiwis at several places. Lots of birds at Tiritiri Matangi Island. See my report at Touring New Zealand in the NZ forum.

Accommodation: http://www.bbh.co.nz/

I would recommend November as great for Fiordland Crested Penguins and all the other species of South Island. Leave it until January and the FCPs become very difficult. It is possible to see "wild" populations of most species of South Island including Yellowhead, although you need to go to Ulva Island for introduced South Island Saddleback.

Don't miss the trip to Ocean Beach for Stewart Island Kiwi - magical.

cheers, alan

NZ bird sites

Hi Jose,

New Zealand is a great place to see some great birds but you should be aware that you have to travel long distances within the country to see some of the most sought after species.

The best island reserves to see most of the harder to find endemics are Tiri tiri Matangi near Auckland in the North Island and Ulva Island near Oban on Stewart Island, at the southern end of the South Island.

Kaikoura in the north-east South Island is the the best place to see the most species of albatross plus a good selection of the other seabird species.

You can find more information on NZ birding sites here:
http://www.birdingnz.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2870

and here:
http://www.birdingnz.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2920

Good luck with your trip,
Michael