• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

New Zealand in February (1 Viewer)

Hi Larry,

Trounson Kauri Park is on my list for the first few days of our visit but we don't now have time to visit Milford Sound so will miss out on Homer Tunnel. Are there any other likely spots for Rock Wren?

I've added our probable itinerary below - a few bits might change if we can't book accomodation - anyone know any interesting spots along this route (birding or otherwise) that haven't been mentioned so far? Dates are from the beginning of February to beginning of March.

Day 1 Auckland - Omapere
Day 2 Omapere - Russell
Day 3 Russell
Day 4 Russell - Auckland
Day 5 Auckland - Rotorua
Day 6 Rotorua - Tongariro
Day 7 Tongariro - Wellington
Day 8 Wellington - Blenheim
Day 9 Blenheim - Kaikoura
Day 10 Kaikoura
Day 11 Kaikoura - Mt Hutt
Day 12 Mt Hutt - Twizel
Day 13 Twizel - Dunedin
Day 14 Dunedin - Stewart Island
Day 15 Stewart Island
Day 16 Stewart Island - Wanaka
Day 17 Wanaka - Franz Josef
Day 18 Franz Josef - Hokitika
Day 19 Hokitika - Christchurch
Day 20-24 Rarotonga & Aitutaki
Day 25-27 Auckland

David
 
Maroon Jay said:
Thanks Larry, I will go there. For the big rock at the entrance to the tunnel, which end is that? The road through the tunnel goes from what town to what town or city?
Click to expand...

Coming from the east towards Milford sound. There is a short walking loop trail on the right before the tunnel (and a layby). Rock Wren anywhere on that loop, but we (and others) have had it around the biggest boulder that you'll see along the bottom of the loop.
 
davidg said:
we don't now have time to visit Milford Sound so will miss out on Homer Tunnel. Are there any other likely spots for Rock Wren?
David
Click to expand...

Otira gorge, west of Arthur's Pass village on the road over Arthur's pass is the other traditional site. It's easier to get to from Christchurch, but we dipped the Rock Wren there a couple of times.

This links to about then in the NZ part of our trip. Might be some useful gen in there if you've time to read it. We saw all the mainland endemics.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100901&highlight=bristol+kagu&page=18
 
I agree with Chlidonias-- Stewart Island with a day-trip to Ulva Island is worth it, and it's a pleasant little island that your non-birding significant other should enjoy. Ulva Island is amazing, and it's great to see how the control of introduced predators can be successful. We also took a Kiwi night tour out of Oban which was successful, although it's not a sure thing. It's a tough decision to take a pass on Doubtful Sound to do Stewart Island, but that would probably be my call.

We saw Yellow-Eyed Penguins feeding babies at Curio Bay in the Catlins...

As for the wine tasting, the Central Otago district is worth checking out, particularly if you like a Kiwi-style Pinot Noir.

Enjoy your trip, and I wish I was going back soon,

Jim
 
Chlidonias said:
thinking about long-staying vagrants (the black kite and barn owls), I should also mention for Maroon Jay - and perhaps davidg if they hang around that long - the flock of Australian pelicans at Ruawai in Northland (about 1.5 hours north of Auckland) which have been there since August. There's 14 of them and they look great. Well worth the trip north, and its not far from Trounson either if you're going there for North Island brown kiwi.
Click to expand...
I should probably also add (seeing as you guys may not have been to Australia yet and hence may be interested in these), there is trio of plumed whistling ducks in Napier which have been there for about 13 months now. They are well worth visiting if you can; very lovely birds indeed. Just outside Napier is a long-staying little egret. By Blenheim there is also a long-staying pair of glossy ibis.

A flock of shore plovers has become sort-of-regular by the fire station at Plimmerton just north of Wellington.
 
davidg said:
Hi Larry,

Trounson Kauri Park is on my list for the first few days of our visit but we don't now have time to visit Milford Sound so will miss out on Homer Tunnel. Are there any other likely spots for Rock Wren?

I've added our probable itinerary below - a few bits might change if we can't book accomodation - anyone know any interesting spots along this route (birding or otherwise) that haven't been mentioned so far? Dates are from the beginning of February to beginning of March.

Day 1 Auckland - Omapere
Day 2 Omapere - Russell
Day 3 Russell
Day 4 Russell - Auckland
Day 5 Auckland - Rotorua
Day 6 Rotorua - Tongariro
Day 7 Tongariro - Wellington
Day 8 Wellington - Blenheim
Day 9 Blenheim - Kaikoura
Day 10 Kaikoura
Day 11 Kaikoura - Mt Hutt
Day 12 Mt Hutt - Twizel
Day 13 Twizel - Dunedin
Day 14 Dunedin - Stewart Island
Day 15 Stewart Island
Day 16 Stewart Island - Wanaka
Day 17 Wanaka - Franz Josef
Day 18 Franz Josef - Hokitika
Day 19 Hokitika - Christchurch
Day 20-24 Rarotonga & Aitutaki
Day 25-27 Auckland

David
Click to expand...
you don't appear to be giving yourself much time anywhere. And why are you going to Mt. Hutt?
 
Chlidonias said:
you don't appear to be giving yourself much time anywhere. And why are you going to Mt. Hutt?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's a bit of a whistle-stop, isn't it? I hope we won't regret it but there is so much we want to see and time is restricted - we've already dropped several places from our original itinerary and, as I said at the start of the thread, it's unlikely we'll be back for a second trip. Where we know there is a lot for us to see we're staying for 2 nights and we've tried to keep distances between stops reasonable - I think 250-300 km is our longest drive. Mt Hutt is a remnant from the original itinerary upon which ours is based and is half way(ish) between Kaikoura and Twizel. We probably won't book there but so far we haven't come up with an alternative. Any suggestions?

David
 
I'd say
Day 11: Kaikoura to Tekapo
Day 12: spent around Tekapo and Twizel
Day 13: Tekapo to Dunedin

Its only about 45 minutes between Tekapo and Twizel so easy back and forth, and you'll pass Lake Pukaki and a view of Mt. Cook if its clear. There are chukar on Mt. John above Lake Tekapo, and black stilt can potentially be found up the west side of Lake Tekapo on the way to Lake Alexandrina. There are rock wrens in the mountains round here as well. Also falcon etc. Tekapo is one of the best places to see black-billed gulls as well.
 
Hi Chlidonias,

I showed your previous message ("you don't appear to be giving yourself much time anywhere") to my wife who said "Yes, I've been thinking that" - so it looks like we're having a major re-think! My first idea is to spend a few days around the Bay of Islands and then fly down to Queenstown and work our way north from there. The benefit is not only that we get to spend more time at the places we visit but we might also be able to fit in the Doubtful Sound trip! Drawback, of course, is that we visit fewer places.

Thanks for your suggestion of Lake Tekapo - certainly looks more interesting than Mt.Hutt!

Finally - Doubtful Sound or Milford Sound? If anyone has been to both - I'd be interested to know how they compare from both a birding and a general touristy point of view.

David
 
At the end of your trip I think you will look back and wished you had spent more time in Northland! That said the roads in Northland are poor and you will feel it even on a short drive!
 
flossiepip said:
At the end of your trip I think you will look back and wished you had spent more time in Northland! That said the roads in Northland are poor and you will feel it even on a short drive!
Click to expand...

You're probably right but I suspect we'll think that of most of the places we visit on our trip!

David
 
After some criticism (particularly from other half who will be doing half the driving) I've come up with a somewhat less frantic itinerary:

Day 1 Auckland - Omapere
Day 2 Omapere - Russell
Day 3 Russell
Day 4 Russell - Auckland
Day 5 Auckland - Queenstown - Te Anau
Day 6 Doubtful Sound
Day 7 Te Anau – Stewart Island
Day 8 Stewart Island
Day 9 Stewart Island - Dunedin
Day 10 Dunedin
Day 11 Dunedin – Lake Tekapo
Day 12 Lake Tekapo
Day 13 Lake Tekapo - Christchurch
Day 14 Christchurch - Kaikoura
Day 15 Kaikoura
Day 16 Kaikoura - Blenheim
Day 17 Blenheim – St Arnaud
Day 18 St Arnaud - Greymouth
Day 19 Greymouth - Christchurch
Day 20-24 Rarotonga & Aitutaki
Day 25-27 Auckland

Not much time now in the North Island which means my trip to Miranda has been lost - is there a good site for Wrybill in Northland or on the South Island?

Stewart Island is now booked as accomodation was going fast and I've arranged a trip to Ulva Island. I'm also trying to organise an evening trip to Ocean Beach for Kiwi - has anyone ever done this one?

Our last night before Christchurch is pencilled in for Greymouth, which doesn't sound too inspiring. Anyone suggest somewhere else nearby or is Greymouth more exciting than the name implies?

David
 
davidg said:
I'm also trying to organise an evening trip to Ocean Beach for Kiwi - has anyone ever done this one?

Our last night before Christchurch is pencilled in for Greymouth, which doesn't sound too inspiring. Anyone suggest somewhere else nearby or is Greymouth more exciting than the name implies?

David
Click to expand...

Ocean beach kiwi trip was bloody Fantastic when we did it 12 years ago. They were the only wild kiwis we saw.
Chris
 
davidg said:
After some criticism (particularly from other half who will be doing half the driving) I've come up with a somewhat less frantic itinerary:

Day 1 Auckland - Omapere
Day 2 Omapere - Russell
Day 3 Russell
Day 4 Russell - Auckland
Day 5 Auckland - Queenstown - Te Anau
Day 6 Doubtful Sound
Day 7 Te Anau – Stewart Island
Day 8 Stewart Island
Day 9 Stewart Island - Dunedin
Day 10 Dunedin
Day 11 Dunedin – Lake Tekapo
Day 12 Lake Tekapo
Day 13 Lake Tekapo - Christchurch
Day 14 Christchurch - Kaikoura
Day 15 Kaikoura
Day 16 Kaikoura - Blenheim
Day 17 Blenheim – St Arnaud
Day 18 St Arnaud - Greymouth
Day 19 Greymouth - Christchurch
Day 20-24 Rarotonga & Aitutaki
Day 25-27 Auckland

Not much time now in the North Island which means my trip to Miranda has been lost - is there a good site for Wrybill in Northland or on the South Island?

Stewart Island is now booked as accomodation was going fast and I've arranged a trip to Ulva Island. I'm also trying to organise an evening trip to Ocean Beach for Kiwi - has anyone ever done this one?

Our last night before Christchurch is pencilled in for Greymouth, which doesn't sound too inspiring. Anyone suggest somewhere else nearby or is Greymouth more exciting than the name implies?

David
Click to expand...
Miranda is only about an hour from Auckland, you could probably still fit it in on one of the days there if you can match up with the tides. Otherwise Lake Ellesmere outside Christchurch but nowhere near as easy or close as Miranda.

Apparently the kiwi tour on Stewart Island is pretty reliable (haven't done it myself).

There's nothing at all in Greymouth except a biting wind. You might look instead at Punakaiki (on the coast halfway between Westport and Greymouth); or Reefton is a nice mountain town (in Lewis Pass, halfway to Chch); or Arthurs Pass Village with its reliable kea and nice bush walks (brown creeper, riflemen, etc; the Otira Valley for rock wren, blue duck and fernbird is at the top of Arthurs Pass not far from the Village); or just drive all the way to Chch and save a day there for Ellesmere or something. There's a resident flock of 30-odd sulphur-crested cockatoos at Price's Valley near Ellesmere if that interests you. Of that lot, I would go with Arthurs Pass.

At Te Anau, if it is of interest, visit the Te Anau Wildlife Centre which is run by DoC and is free (open dawn to dusk) where you can see captive takahe and orange-fronted kakariki amongst others.
 
Chlidonias said:
Miranda is only about an hour from Auckland, you could probably still fit it in on one of the days there if you can match up with the tides. Otherwise Lake Ellesmere outside Christchurch but nowhere near as easy or close as Miranda.

Apparently the kiwi tour on Stewart Island is pretty reliable (haven't done it myself).

There's nothing at all in Greymouth except a biting wind. You might look instead at Punakaiki (on the coast halfway between Westport and Greymouth); or Reefton is a nice mountain town (in Lewis Pass, halfway to Chch); or Arthurs Pass Village with its reliable kea and nice bush walks (brown creeper, riflemen, etc; the Otira Valley for rock wren, blue duck and fernbird is at the top of Arthurs Pass not far from the Village); or just drive all the way to Chch and save a day there for Ellesmere or something. There's a resident flock of 30-odd sulphur-crested cockatoos at Price's Valley near Ellesmere if that interests you. Of that lot, I would go with Arthurs Pass.

At Te Anau, if it is of interest, visit the Te Anau Wildlife Centre which is run by DoC and is free (open dawn to dusk) where you can see captive takahe and orange-fronted kakariki amongst others.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chlidonias, useful info as always. I'll look into staying at Arthur's Pass and I think I can probably squeeze in a visit to Lake Ellesmere earlier in the trip.

David
 
davidg said:
Thanks Chlidonias, useful info as always. I'll look into staying at Arthur's Pass and I think I can probably squeeze in a visit to Lake Ellesmere earlier in the trip.

David
Click to expand...

Aah, just realised Lake Ellesmere is huge! The road along the spit looks interesting - would that be the best place to view from?

Thanks,

David
 
Chlidonias said:
what are you talking about? You can get a $69 flight at 7am, arrives Queenstown 8.50am, and then Queenstown to Te Anau is a two hour drive!
Click to expand...

David had been talking as though the whole holiday was driving, if he'd mentioned flying from Auckland to Queenstown I'd missed it.
I know people that have driven Melbourne to Brisbane in one day, though I wouldn't do it myself. I've done 1000km days that was more than enough.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 11 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

Fowl Mouth
Advice for NZ Trip in May
Replies
0
Views
567
Fowl Mouth
Fowl Mouth
wolfbirder
GRAN CANARIA - 2- 6th February 2024
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
Mike Crawley
Mike Crawley
E
Morocco birding in February
Replies
10
Views
2K
DMW
DMW
R
Help Arranging Northern Territory Visit (Australia:
Replies
3
Views
1K
rdcny
R
lgonz1008
Galapagos in August
Replies
9
Views
1K
LittleBrownCreeper
L

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top