I am a Kiwi by birth and inclination, and, as an excuse to get back "home" and to show New Zealand and its birds to others, I run a birding tour to New Zealand in November of alternating years. I charge enough to cover costs; making money on these tours is not my priority. I like to keep the group to 8-10 in size. We stay at quality accommodations and the food is outstanding; the trips have been described more than once as "culinary tours of New Zealand with some birding thrown in", or as "eating our way around New Zealand". But seriously, the quality of New Zealand restaurant food and wines is outstanding these days. The tours are not physically strenuous, but we do keep moving, and so you must be reasonably active and in fairly good shape. We take a number of pelagic and other boat trips, which might be a consideration if you don't like boats, although for many, the seabirds and islands that we visit are high points of the tours.

(B,L,D=Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner included; distances are approximate for each day's travel)

(Day 1) Sun Nov 2. Meet Ross Silcock and New Zealand tour leader and our minibus at Auckland International Airport. We'll make a quick stop at Puketutu Island for a few common birds as well as Spotted Dove and then begin a loop around the northern part of New Zealand, hoping to see a kiwi during the evening of our first day! We will bird our way north, picking up the common birds as well as a few key endemics and even a few established Australian birds! We'll check out Waiwera Estuary, Wenderholm Park, and look in the Matakana area for kookaburras. Further north we'll visit Waipu Estuary to look for the threatened Fairy Tern, endangered NZ Dotterel and other shorebirds. Leaving Waipu, we look for Brown Teal at a favored resting site near Teal Bay; this is one of the last surviving mainland populations. We'll then drive up to historic Kerikeri and spend the evening trying for our first kiwi at Aroha Island. Overnight Kerikeri. 220 miles. L,D.

(Day 2) Mon Nov 3. This day (Australia day?) we make a fairly leisurely return to the Auckland area via tranquil Lake Kereta, home of Australasian Little Grebes, the fascinating Australasian Gannet colony at Muriwai, and will look in at Cascades Park in the beautiful Waitakere Ranges for Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and a few bush birds. Along the way we'll look for anything we might have missed on our first day! Overnight at Orewa. 230 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 3) Tue Nov 4. For our first departure from the mainland we drive to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and Gulf Harbor Marina and head out towards Little Barrier Island where we will enter a productive area for several pelagic species, including Black and Cook's Petrels, with a chance for Pycroft's Petrel. We return via Kawau Island, rumored home of the Kookaburra (in NZ anyway!) and one of the last significant populations of North Island Weka. We also pass close to Motuora Island, where a few Shore Plovers translocated from the Chathams have attained a tenuous toehold. We will be deposited at Tiritiri Matangi Island, avian jewel of the Hauraki Gulf. "Tiri" is a predator-free "open sanctuary" which has become a haven for an increasing number of New Zealand's severely threatened species, notably Little Spotted Kiwi, Takahe, Stitchbird, Saddleback, and Kokako. Other endemics are present also and Spotless Crake is a possibility. We will stay overnight to see/hear Little Spotted Kiwi. We will be indoors and prepare our own evening meal (no guarantees on culinary expertise!); sleeping bags and pads will be provided. Overnight on Tiri. 10 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 4) Wed Nov 5. We will look for species we still need early this day on Tiri, then return to the mainland and drive to Miranda on the Firth of Thames in time for an afternoon high tide. In the evening we will go to Whangamarino Swamp to look for Australasian Bittern and Spotless Crake. The Firth of Thames is a world-class shorebird site. The Firth is a large bay where some 8500 hectares of mud and silt are exposed at low tide and where high tides concentrate shorebirds on shell-bank roosts and tidal pools where they can be easily observed. Included are large numbers of Bar-tailed Godwit and Red Knot, along with other asiatic shorebirds, as well as a pair or two of NZ Dotterel. In the bay Parasitic Jaegers and Fluttering Shearwaters are often seen. Breeding on the shell-banks are Black-billed Gulls, White-faced Terns, and Caspian Terns. In nearby ponds are White-faced Heron, often Little Terns, and Paradise Ducks. Overnight at Miranda. 140 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 5) Thu Nov 6. Early morning we will check an early high tide for shorebirds, returning for breakfast. We drive to Whitianga and meet our boat for an afternoon trip out to Red Mercury Island, home of about 1000 breeding pairs of Pycroft's Petrel. We will stay out until the light fades, to catch the birds returning to the island. Overnight in Whitianga. 75 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 6) Fri Nov 7. Leaving Whitianga, we will stop at Opoutere, a reliable spot on a falling tide for Banded Rail, and continue on to the beautiful Bay of Plenty. After a stop at Matata Lagoons, we head for Whakatane, where we take an afternoon boat trip out to the active volcano White Island, some 35 miles offshore. Just beyond White Island are the Volkner Rocks, home of a colony of the very localized Grey Ternlet. After our return to shore we drive the short distance to Rotorua. We will make a brief visit to the lakeshore to see NZ Dabchick, NZ Scaup, and Little Black Shag, along with nesting Red-billed and Black-billed Gulls. Overnight in Rotorua. 210 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 7) Sat Nov 8. Today is a rest day (laundry?) in Rotorua. Rotorua is a center of Maori culture and the site of the geothermal wonders of Whakarewarewa, at the south edge of town. There are regular ferry crossings to the nearby predator-free island of Mokoia in the lake, where certain endangered and more common endemic woodland birds occur. Overnight in Rotorua. B,D.

(Day 8) Sun Nov 9. We will start this long but exciting day early to visit the so-called "dinosaur forests" of Pureora to see endangered Kokako and hopefully hear its haunting song, usually heard only at dawn. These forests contain superb stands of tall, ancient podocarps, and a viewing tower puts us in the middle of the canopy for great views of Kaka, Yellow-crowned Parakeet, and Rifleman. While here, we will lunch in the territory of NZ Falcons, which hopefully will favor us with a visit. We will travel to Lake Taupo, where we will check for crakes, bitterns, and NZ Fernbird. We then travel southward past the magnificent Tongariro National Park, with active volcanoes Ruapehu and the beautiful cone-shaped Ngauruhoe. We stop at the Manganuioteao River for Blue Duck and continue to Wanganui. At dusk we will visit the only known colony of Rufous Night-Herons in New Zealand. Overnight at Wanganui. 240 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 9) Mon Nov 10. From Wanganui we travel to Wellington, making stops at a few special places in search of waterbirds, shorebirds, and cockatoos (!) We drive to Palmerston North to look for Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Mute Swans, and Black-fronted Dotterel, then on to Foxton Beach and the estuary of the Manawatu River to look for shorebirds and waterfowl. We catch the ferry across Cook Strait late in the day to Picton. Overnight Picton. 190 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 10) Tue Nov 11. The best way to see the beautiful Marlborough Sounds is by boat. After a delicious breakfast at Te Pangu Lodge, our speedy catamaran takes us through the sounds with their abundant Blue Penguins to the Tasman Sea in the vicinity of Cape Jackson where we see numbers of seabirds, especially Flesh-footed and Fluttering Shearwaters, Fairy Prions, and Common Diving-Petrels. Also in the Sounds are Spotted and Pied Shags as well as forest birds at beautiful Cook's Cove, where Captain James Cook landed on each of his 3 visits to New Zealand. The focus of the day's boat trip, however, is the endangered NZ King Shag, of which fewer than 400 exist; we will visit the colony at White Rocks at the outer reaches of Queen Charlotte Sound. After returning to Picton, we depart for Kaikoura, one of the most picturesque places in New Zealand. On the way we will look in at Lake Elterwater and check Blind Loop Road (!) near Seddon for Cirl Bunting an introduced species that is not common anywhere, even in its native Europe. Overnight in Kaikoura. 100 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 11) Wed Nov 12. This morning is devoted to a unique adventure: we will view not just a variety of pelagic birds such as Wandering Albatross, Westland Petrel, and Hutton's Shearwater over the rich upwelling of the close inshore Kaikoura Canyon, but possibly Sperm Whale, Dusky, Common, and the endangered Hector's Dolphin, and NZ Fur Seals are usually seen. The endemic Hutton's Shearwater, which is common just offshore, breeds 3500 feet above sea level on the nearby Seaward Kaikoura Ranges. In the afternoon we can relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings or explore the Kaikoura Peninsula and look for Cirl Bunting. As an option, a whalewatch trip can be taken in the afternoon. Overnight in Kaikoura. B,L,D.

(Day 12) Thu Nov 13. In the morning we travel from the coast to the mountains, the stunning Southern Alps. We skirt the northern edge of the Canterbury Plains, and cross Lewis Pass, with a stop at a small lake near the pass. We emerge onto the rugged West Coast at Greymouth and continue south to Hokitika where we visit a greenstone (New Zealand Jade) factory for quality NZ souvenirs, and stop briefly at beautiful Lake Mahinapua. We return to Lake Brunner, where in the evening we will search for Great Spotted Kiwi. Falcons nest in the vicinity. Overnight Lake Brunner. 270 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 13) Fri Nov 14. Today we cross the mountains again via awe-inspring Arthur's Pass. Around Arthur's Pass village we should find Kea and Rifleman. We look for Great Crested Grebes at Lake Pearson then continue on the long drive to Twizel. En route to Twizel we may see Chukar in the dry hills around Lake Tekapo. Twizel is a town built to house workers during construction of the massive Benmore hydro-electric project. The attraction for us is the Black Stilt, perhaps the world's rarest shorebird, with a total population of about 75 birds in the wild, many of which are scattered along waterways not far from Twizel. We will look for Marsh Crake in the vicinity of the Ohau Delta. Overnight Twizel. 230 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 14) Sat Nov 15. From Twizel we travel south with a side trip to the beautiful beech forest of Haast Pass, one of the few remaining accessible locations for Yellowhead, a rapidly-declining South Island endemic. We continue on to Queenstown, staying close enough to enjoy the ambience but out of reach of the multitude of tourists! Overnight Queenstown. 220 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 15) Sun Nov 16. Today (if we missed Yellowhead at Haast Pass) we drive alongside beautiful Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy and Sylvan Lake, at the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park. Sylvan Lake is another place where Yellowheads are hanging on. We return to Queenstown and travel south and westward to Te Anau Downs, nestled on the shore of beautiful Lake Te Anau. Te Anau is the gateway to Fiordland National Park, New Zealand's most spectacular. The mountain landscapes are unrivalled in New Zealand and possibly the world, and the rich beech forests of northern Fiordland are home to an excellent array of forest birds. Yellowhead had one of its last strongholds in the Eglinton Valley, but has declined seriously in recent years. We will keep a lookout for NZ Falcon. Overnight at Te Anau Downs. 240 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 16) Mon Nov 17. Today we drive through the spectacular Upper Hollyford Valley on the famed Milford Road, an area of superb herbfields and boulderfields. This area is a good location for Blue Duck; Monkey Creek often provides some of the best views of this usually difficult-to-access species. The high cirque basins here are home to the belligerent Kea and tiny and elusive Rock Wren. After passing through the Homer Tunnel we descend to Milford Sound, where we take a cruise to the Tasman Sea at the mouth of the Sound and view the awe-inspiring mile-high rock walls and waterfalls of the Sound, as well as seaward rocks that are on a different tectonic plate from the one we are on! Fiordland Crested Penguins are usually seen here. Overnight at Te Anau Downs. 110 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 17) Tue Nov 18. Our journey around New Zealand goes offshore to Stewart Island, a beautiful and peaceful place. We drive from Te Anau Downs to Invercargill, where we look for Little Owls en route near Otahu or in the macrocarpa trees beside the Queen's Park Museum in Invercargill. If we still need Yellowhead, we will search near L Monowai. Later in the afternoon we fly across Foveaux Strait to the only town on Stewart Island, Oban, located on Half-Moon Bay. In the evening we have an unforgettable experience: we take a boat to an isolated beach where Tokoeka (Stewart Island Brown Kiwi) feed along the high tide line on sandhoppers. We may see Blue Penguins coming ashore and possibly Hooker's Sea Lions on the beach. When we return to the boat, prions are sometimes attracted to the boat's running lights and may even land on the deck. Overnight in Oban. 120 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 18) Wed Nov 19. The day will be spent on a pelagic trip to see a variety of seabirds, including the aggressive Brown Skua, which nests here, and as many as 5 species of albatross. Later in the afternoon we may land on Ulva Island, a forested haven for many of New Zealand's endemic birds. On Ulva we will get close views of Weka and see Red-crowned and Yellow-crowned Parakeets, Pipipi, and Kaka. Tonight is a reserve night for the kiwi trip in case weather cancelled it the previous night. Overnight in Oban. B,L,D.

(Day 19) Thu Nov 20. We fly back to Invercargill and depart for Dunedin on the east coast. In the afternoon we take a boat cruise down the Otago Harbor to the Taiaroa Heads, site of the only mainland breeding colony of Royal Albatross. We will get good views of these giant seabirds, both in flight and on nests. Other seabirds may be seen here as they follow fishing boats into the Harbor. Nearby is a large colony of Stewart Island Shags, and the area is home to several other species of shag also, as well as Blue Penguins and NZ Fur Seals. After the cruise we visit a nearby breeding site of the endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin. Overnight in Dunedin. 160 miles. B,L,D.

For those not taking the Chatham Islands supplement Nov 21-26, we will provide transportation to Christchurch and a flight to Auckland on Sat Nov 21.


Chatham Islands supplement

(Day 20) Fri Nov 21. Today we begin an exciting adventure into another time zone! We drive from Dunedin to Christchurch and fly to the isolated Chatham Islands, some 500 miles east of Christchurch. The pelagic possibilities here are amazing, and we will look for the special endemic birds of the Chathams. Overnight at Waitangi. 220 miles. B,L,D.

(Day 21) Sat Nov 22. The schedule for the 4 days in the Chathams will depend on weather, but we plan to spend a full day on a boat trip to Pitt Island and return. Another day will be spent on main Chatham I, where we will look for endemics, including a visit to the Awatotara Valley. Overnight Waitangi. B,L,D.

(Day 22) Sun Nov 23. On the boat, we travel about 30 miles from Owenga via Star Keys, Rangatira, and The Pyramid to Pitt Island and return. Pyramid Rock is the breeding site of the rare Chatham Island Shy Albatross, and Rangatira (South East Island) hosts Shore Plover, one of the world's rarest birds with about 100 in existence. We hope to spot Shore Plovers from the boat, as landing is not permitted. We will try to locate a trawler and its attendant flock of petrels and albatrosses. Overnight Waitangi. B,L,D.

(Day 23) Mon Nov 24. Possibilities are trips to Western Reef, where Shore Plovers occur, and a late-day trip to the Cape L'Eveque area where Taiko (Magenta Petrels) return to nesting sites in the Tuku Valley. Overnight in Waitangi. B,L,D.

(Day 24) Tue Nov 25. Weather day- hopefully a free day!

(Day 25) Wed Nov 26. We leave Waitangi and fly to Wellington, and from there to Auckland.

PRICING: Here are 2003 prices:

OPTION 1: Mainland NZ and Stewart Island (Days 1-20); NZ driver/guide, tour leader, all meals as specified, all accommodation twinshare with private facilities in quality hotels and motor lodges, admission fees where applicable, information folio including background ecological information and species lists, interisland ferry, 8 boat charters. $US4200.

OPTION 2: Mainland NZ and Stewart Island PLUS Chatham Islands (Days 1-25); as above, including on Chatham Islands two boat charters, local guides and transportation on Chatham Island and Pitt Island. $US6100.

OPTION 3: Chatham Islands Supplement only (may be able to catch Stewart Island pelagic also; check with Ross Silcock); Chathams as above (Days 20-25), including air Christchurch-Chathams-Auckland, $US1900.