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Drawing of a kingfisher
KWT AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND BIRDING & NATURE TOUR
(North, South & Stewart Islands)
Tours for 2009 (Austral) Season – 21 Nov to 14 Dec 2009 (Auckland to Queenstown);
Tours for 2010: 8 February – 2 March 2010 (Auckland to Queenstown – TWO PLACES LEFT);
8-30 November 2010
Tours for 2011: 7 Feb – 1 March 2011
Contact us for full itineraries, pricing options and checklists
***This is our flagship tour. We are confident these are the most comprehensive birding and nature tour packages offered by any tour operator for New Zealand. Don’t miss out. ***
On our New Zealand tours we spend 22 days exploring New Zealand and some associated offshore islands. The many highlights include: Bay of Islands, a day on Tiritiri Matangi Island, a native bird sanctuary; spotlighting for kiwis on Stewart Island and at four other locations elsewhere in New Zealand; penguins and tiny Hector’s dolphins on the West Coast of the South Island; overnight on Milford Sound; and pelagic trips for the famous great albatrosses off Kaikoura, South Island. Also, Hauraki Gulf and Stewart Island. Volcanoes, high mountains, glaciers, fiords, forests ranging from the sub-tropical kauri in the north to cool temperate podocarp/rata and southern beech forests in the south, tussock-lands, sweeping beaches and rugged coastlines, interspersed with pasturelands, (yes) sheep and introduced passerines. We begin in Auckland and at each place we go, the more spectacular the scenery becomes and the more havens for endangered species we encounter. Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand, ‘land of the long white cloud’. It is truly – a land uplifted high.
Contact us for full itineraries, pricing options, and check lists.
New Zealand Tour (with Birdquest UK) FULL
Dates: 25 Oct to 14 November 2009 (Auckland to Auckland)
See http://www.birdquest.co.uk/HolidaysbyRegion.cfm?Holiday=896 for more details
Birdquest (UK) The Ultimate Endemics and Seabirds Tour
Dates: 23rd October – 14th November 2010
See http://www.birdquest.co.uk/HolidaysbyRegion.cfm?Holiday=1027
Cheesemans Ecological Safaris New Zealand’s Unique Wildlife
Dates: 11 November – 1 December 2011
See http://www.cheesemans.com/newzealand_nov11.html
Contact us for full itineraries, pricing options and checklists
We have more New Zealand tours on offer – please contact us for details.
For information about New Zealand’s seabirds – go to www.nzseabirds.com(our pelagics website)
NORTH ISLAND GUIDED TOURING
New Zealand’s North Island has an enormous amount to offer birdwatchers. Some of our special endemics are more easily seen in the North Island than further south and there are some remarkable landscapes to enjoy as well. The Central North Islands allows us to find a wide range of endemic birds for you, including kokako, North Island brown kiwi, blue duck, kaka, yellow and red-crowned parakeet, falcon, fernbird, rifleman, plus many of our more common species. New Zealand’s Northland (or North Auckland) is often ignored by the traveler to New Zealand. Most of our very special remaining kauri forests are found in the north. The coastal scenery is superb and we can enjoy a boat trip out onto the Bay of Islands. We have opportunities to see kiwi on nocturnal walks, search for the rare brown teal duck and fairy tern, plus some other gems. Allow five-six days for the North Island (at least) and combine with one of our superb Hauraki Gulf pelagics (see www.nzseabirds.com for more information on our pelagics).
We can get your New Zealand visit away to flying start, a wonderful introduction to NZ birds!
Contact us for more details
Wrybill plover Australasian gannet Ngaruhoe
Wrybill plover Australasian gannet Ngaurahoe, Tongariro NP
EXCURSION IDEAS FOR THE AUCKLAND AREA
Cost per person: NZ$175 per day per person, plus expenses. Single NZ$300 per day, plus expenses
Day trips – we run these on demand
Tiritiri Matangi Island Sanctuary – the jewel of the Hauraki Gulf with many endangered or rare birds easily seen
Miranda shorebird centre – premier wading bird location in NZ: wrybill plover
Manukau Harbour – Mangere Ponds and Ambury Regional Park
Kaipara Harbour including Tapora Peninsula – shorebirds in wild locations
Straka Lake, Waiwera and Wenderholm Regional Park – this is our backyard – great birding locations for waterfowl, rails, shore and estuary birds)
Auckland’s Wild West – Muriwai gannet colony with spectacular wild coastal scenery and Cascade Kauri Forest Park and Waitakere Ranges for large kauris
Rangitoto Island – this is Auckland’s most recent volcano and only finished erupting 500 years ago
Regional Parks – Wenderholm, Shakespeare, Tawharanui and Mahurangi are all close by
Waipu for fairy terns and waders, also NZ dabchick and Australasian little grebe
Goat Island Marine Reserve – great for snorkelling and picnicking
Night excursions for morepork
Contact us for more details
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Please contact us for tour outlines and bird lists – [email protected]
New Zealand Bird Books
The Hand Guide to the Birds of New Zealand; Hugh Robertson & Barrie Heather; published by Penguin Books NZ
We have copies of this comprehensive and easy-to-use New Zealand guide and other bird books available for sale, please contact us: