Aotearoa

Birds, friends and scenery. Stewart Island and Ulva to start with. Read more

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Trip start
February 15, 2026
Aotearoa
City of Edinburgh
February 15 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C
Ready for the first long wait. Flight leaves for Dubai at about 9pm. Thanks to Elinor for a smooth drive through the rain to Edinburgh airport.
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South to the Otago Peninsular
February 18 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
We picked up the X-Trail rental vehicle in Christchurch and, in spite of initially insoluble satnav trouble made it easily to our first air B and B at Willowby, near Ashburton.
Not very pretty countryside but interesting for all that. Green fields with incredibly high stocking rates of dairy cattle and sheep, the animals presumably moved almost daily. Windbreak hedges of conifer species up to about 8m tall. Plenty of European birds - abundant House Sparrows and also Greenfinches and Goldfinches and Starlings. Swamp Harriers seen frequently along the road, and Masked Lapwings in some arable fields as well as a few pairs of Paradise Shelducks.

We were greeted at our B and B by a six-year old lad on his little bike, who was a dead ringer for Ke Huy Quan when he was in the Goonies. He very much made himself at home in our lodge, jumping on the bed, telling us the toilet roll was for “ wiping our butts” and showing us proudly how he could park his bike using a pedal as a stand. A nice boy but we had to get rid of him. We never saw him again, nor anyone else.

Awoke to loud birdsong including melodious Auzzie Magpies - introduced non-natives, like so many things here.

On Day 2 we continued to Dunedin via Katiki Point south of Oamaru where we waited hopefully for nesting Yellow-eyed Penguins to return from the ocean to feed their young. We waited in vain but had great fun with the colony of Fur Seals there and also met a Wrybill Bird Tour group led by Matt Jones, an acquaintance from Rick’s recent trip to PNG.

Air B and B in Broad Bay along the north shore of the Otago PeninsularRead more
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Dunedin to Invercargil
February 19 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 16 °C
Up early-ish for a quick breakfast and off to the Northern Royal Albatross colony at the end of the Otago Peninsular - or so we thought. The interpretation centre didn’t open until 10:15 and the rather expensive tours were booked up. Never mind though; we found ourselves in the car park, in a colony of Red-billed Gulls, which included many, many dead ones, though plenty alive still and loads of young.

A walk to a nearby vantage point and a setup of the scope revealed plenty of interest, especially a few areas of birds’ feeding frenzies where krill or small fishes were on the sea’s surface attracting 1000’s of seabirds. Most were two species of gull but there were White-fronted Terns, a few Sooty Shearwaters and about 6 Royal Albatrosses. Huge birds and wonderful in flight. Job done!

Then driving south to Curio Bay along the route through the Catlins, which were quite scenic with amazing undulating countryside and some areas of native forest but we have decided that much of the NZ we have seen so far is one huge stock farm, almost nothing but grass and fodder crops and more sheep and cattle than I’ve ever seen before. It must have been incredible though, and so different, when the first indigenous peoples arrived. Judging by the high number of roadkill Possums we saw, these non-natives must be abundant. We just missed running over a Stoat - another present from the later colonisers.

Curio Bay yielded views of the rounded dorsal fins and grey backs of about 10 Hector’s Dolphins. Quite a highlight. Then on to our third Air B&B, near Invercargill, within striking distance of our ferry to Stewart Island tomorrow.

Dark about 21:00hrs - like being at home in our summer! The television is on - it’s Jamie Oliver doing something with harissa. No escape, even here!Read more
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To Stewart Island, a friend and Kiwis.
February 21 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
We drove from our Invercargill B&B to Bluff for the ferry to Oban, on Stewart Island. In Bluff we passed old harbour -side “New Zealand Refrigeration Co.” and “New Zealand Shipping Co.” Buildings and I realised that these were almost certainly places that my dad’s grandfather had been familiar with in the days when he was involved with shipping frozen meat from here and the Pacific islands to the UK, last century.

The one-hour crossing of the Foveaux Strait in a catamaran was fantastically rough with much sickness aboard, but constantly watching the horizon kept us unaffected. A few Sooty Shearwaters and a couple of probable Salvin’s Mollymawks seen on the journey but the view was mostly utterly obscured by the sea spray.

After a very enjoyable meal with old Scottish friend and bird artist Derek Robertson, who happens to be travelling in NZ at the same time as us, he and I joined a night time Kiwi trip with the company “Beaks and Feathers”. We drove to the island’s aerodrome runway and walked in total darkness except for our guide’s infra-red torch.

Rain fell a bit but generally the skies cleared and the night sky was fantastic. The Milky Way visible and Orion upside down compared with our view from home.

At least 7 Kiwis performed and possibly 12 sightings all told. Birds of different ages probing the soft mossy ground for food. One walked over my foot. A brilliant experience. This was an “extra” for me as Derek had acquired a spare ticket. Our own expedition is planned for two days’ time. I enjoyed watching the spectacle of these incredible birds doing their thing.Read more
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More friends
February 22 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
Sabine and Erica, whom we first met on our Galapagos trip a few tears ago and with whom Beverly went to India, arrived on the 11 o’clock ferry. Wonderful to see them again and after a coffee, excellent Portuguese custard tarts in a Swedish-owned cafe and a walk to their accommodation, we set off on a scenic walk around Horseshoe Point. It took much of the day and we got a taxi home at the end of it as we all suffered knee problems.

Good scenery and interesting vegetation but few birds, though many hundreds of “mutton birds” feeding offshore. These are Sooty Shearwaters - a much nicer name which does not hint at the over exploitation of these birds in the past. We learned in the museum yesterday that such exploitation was typical of the island’s history. The Māori finished off the giant flightless Moas, and later colonists over-fished and killed huge numbers of whales.

Other birds we saw were Tomtits, a Brown Creeper, a few Kakas and, best of all, Red-crowned Parakeets.

Evening meal together in the South Sea Hotel followed by a dusk watch for a few incoming Little Blue Penguins at the harbour. We saw about five in the poor light and the first heavy rain of the day.

Ulva tomorrow and some good birding…Read more
Michael and Helen Cook Not sure that is how the scope works
2/25/26Reply
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Ulva
February 22 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 14 °C
A day long looked forward to and which fully came up to expectation. An early water taxi over a turbulent sea to the predator-free island of Ulva, just 10 minutes from Stewart. There was a list of something like 10 endemic and other birds we really wanted to see, with Yellowhead perhaps top of the list. A walk of something over four miles through superb native rainforest produced everything available, including the three species of parrot, Brown Creeper, Weka and about six Riflemen. Superb views of all.

Back on Stewart by 14.30hrs and some wonderful red wine from Napier area brought by Erica and Sabine. Then wandered to our place for a cup of tea (where we are as I write this) and a sleep before dinner at 7pm and then our Kiwi trip at the airport. Looking good as the weather fine, if a bit blowy.Read more
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A night under the stars with Kiwis
February 23 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Our “Beaks and Feathers” outing between 21:45 and about 23:30 took place in calm and clear conditions with a fabulous night sky showing the Milky Way beautifully. The aurora was expected and it did not disappoint, though it did not last long and was not very extensive.

About 8 Stewart Island Kiwis (also called the Tokoeka) were watched in infra-red light. Most interesting was a chase of an adult female by two sub-adult males, which involved fast running back and forth with squeals and tripping and rapid changes of direction. There was also some prolonged calling by males from the adjacent woodland.
All in all a fantastic experience and one hard to convey in words and phone videos alone.Read more
Michael and Helen Cook Great
2/25/26Reply
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Stewart island to Bluff to Te Anau
February 23 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
We caught the 08:00hrs ferry back to Bluff on the mainland. A very benign journey compared to the severe gale-affected one on the outward journey. Wonderful to meet our old friend Ian (Sav) Saville who was leading a Wrybill birding tour and about to embark for Stewart, as we arrived. We shall be seeing more of him later in the trip.

On the road north to Te Anau we saw many road-killed Possums, several with attendant Swamp Harriers, which seem to be abundant here. Nice accommodation here in Te Anau, made even better by a friendly greeting from Dianne, the owner, who picked and cooked rhubarb for us and encouraged us to partake of some of her whiskey as she no longer drinks it.

We decided to have a quiet evening in the B&B so we lay on the bed to read at about 5pm. I woke at 9:15 and Beverly is still fast asleep as I write! The last few days have been quite exhausting.Read more
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Milford Sound
February 24 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
It rains for two days out of every three at Milford Sound but we had a day of hot sunshine and much blue sky. A day of scenery and not birds, though we did see a Weka run across the road. The lovely little South Island Wren (Rock Wren) was searched for by the Homer Tunnel, following Sav’s instructions but to no avail. And while I was doing this, Bev was having fun with a Kea where she parked waiting for me.

Milford Sound is clearly a honeypot for tourists and has lately been extra-busy with Chinese visitors as it is the Chinese New Year.

Like everybody else, we took a boat ride along the fiord to its mouth on the Tasman Sea and back. Absolutely stunning scenery with tall mountains, almost vertical, yet tree-clad flanks, much bare rock too and some snow at the top. Impressive waterfalls as well.

On the way home we picked up a female hitch-hiker from Austin Texas who had been travelling in NZ for three months. Interesting company, and we took her back to near her homestay in Te Anau. Her name was Andra. I think she was in favour of Trump.Read more
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A break at Queenstown
February 25 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Half way to our destination for today. Queenstown - not my kind of place but Beverly made a purchase and I’m hoping for a good flat white. Some very smart Black-billed Gulls at the lake shore - a much more inland species than the commoner Red-billed.
Sooo many dead possums on the road! Plus one or two Hedgehogs.Read more
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To Makarora Township
February 25 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
We arrived at our next Air B&B at Makarora having taken the scenic route from Queenstown over the Crown Range Road and the picturesque gold mining and ski resort of Cardrona. Then through Wanaka, past the glacier-blue Lake Hawea and on, to the top of Lake Wanaka.

The accommodation is the best yet; spacious, well equipped and clearly owned and lived in by ski-ing, mountaineering and Antarctic aficionados. We can learn all about Antarctic currents and the land-mass below the ice while sitting on the loo. Good books too, about the doings of Dougal Haston, Don Whillans, Chris Bonington and the like.

We ended the evening as the half moon waxed (back to front compared to our view in the northern hemisphere) while somewhat incongruously listening to The Archers omnibus.Read more
Michael and Helen Cook Lovely pic
2/25/26Reply
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Rain
February 26 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
A four hour drive north to Whataroa via the Haast Pass, through constant rain, often very, very heavy. We had hoped to pay our respects to the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers but the rain and poor visibility made this pointless.

A brief coffee break in Franz Josef township before continuing to our rather nice air B&B where sleep, reading, wine and a bit of telly may be the order of the rest of the day.Read more
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East via Arthur’s Pass
February 27 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
A lovely sunny day today, which would have been great for the glaciers but too late as we needed to travel from Whataroa to Templeton, near Christchurch, via Arthur’s Pass.

Probably the most diverse and interesting landscapes and scenery so far, with moraines, eskers, fantastic screes, braided rivers and also limestone features, to none of which a photo does justice.

The settlement of Arthur’s Pass provided coffee, a date scone and endless fun with Keas - desperate for everyone’s bakery products. They succeeded in stealing a sandwich and a muffin, each carried off in its paper bag, from other visitors.

Our last Air B&B is the cheapest, possibly the nicest, and extremely pleasant and a breakfast is provided. California Quail, Silvereyes and Fantails in the garden are an added bonus.

Best of all, a wonderful evening with old friend Lorna Saville, Sav’s ex-wife, not seen for 25 years. Lovely to catch up, and share heartfelt words after so long. A rather good Indian meal within walking distance of her lovely home too.Read more
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Christchurch to Napier
February 28 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Time for bed at the end of the day with a Morepork calling outside. We had met up with Sav at Christchurch Airport and taken an Air New Zealand flight to Napier where his partner Jody collected us all and drove to their home 20 minutes away at Havelock North.

A very civilised evening with fine company food and wine.Read more
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A day of pleasures
March 1 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Three good things this morning: a farmers’s market at Toombs showground, the purchase and preparation of fresh green-lipped mussels for eating later, and a drive to Haumoana on the coast to look for Spotless Crake.

The weekly market seemed to be a major community event with numerous stalls selling grapes, figs, honey, flowers, all sorts of meat, bakery products and fruit and vegetables. There was live music too, all around a large green space with impressive, but non-native trees, including a magnificent Plane Tree.

Figs of five varieties, honey on the comb and macarons were bought for later consumption. Then to a small fresh fish shop for mussels, and the fish on ice looking impressive.

This was followed by a short drive to a river mouth with three species of cormorant, Caspian Tern, many stilts and other wetland birds. Best of all though, a Spotless Crake (widespread but elusive) was tempted out of a sedgy area to run back and forth a few times across an inlet of mud. Red eyes and legs and blue-black plumage.

A brief afternoon trip to Tamara Peak in nearby limestone country with a fantastic view and one or two New Zealand Pipits running about on the rocks and grass. An endemic species.Read more
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Craggy Range Winery
March 2 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 10 °C
A day of rest and chat but with a superb meal at the nearest winery to Sav and Jody’s home. One of the World’s top 10 restuarants. What a treat!
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More Kiwis
March 3 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
The long drive north for a few days’ birding with Sav to Warkworth and a visit to the nearby Tawharanui Regional Park - a headland reserve fenced securely from rats and stoats etc. The endemic and rare Brown Teal was new for me and we saw more endemics including Whiteheads, Kakas and Northern Saddlebacks. The real goal though was Northern Brown Kiwi, which needed a return visit at dusk after we’d eaten.

On site again a long-ish walk through dry sloping woodland produced two very brief sightings in the red beam of Sav’s torch and then a prolonged view of an adult Kiwi feeding, located by another group of birders. A much darker bird than the Stewart species and with a shorter bill and more obvious ear. We also heard calls from quite a few other Kiwis. I never imagined I’d see a Kiwi, let alone two species.Read more
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The Hen and Chickens and beyond
March 4 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Sav and I continued north first thing, visiting the sandy/stony shore at Waipo. The tide was exceptionally high as the moon was at full and waders were roosting in good view. Banded and New New Zealand Dotterels, tame birds, gave wonderful views and amongst them were three Fairy Terns. Rare and unexpected, and somewhat like our Little Terns.

Then on to Marsden Bay to meet up with a Wrybill Birding tour for a pelagic trip, particularly to search for the New Zealand Storm-petrel, fairly recently rediscovered by Wrybill after being thought extinct for more than 150 years.

Two hours in a fast fishing vessel took us through large congregations of Fluttering and Buller’s Shearwaters to our furthest point, Mokohinau Island, the rocky home of a few roosting Grey Ternlets - a kind of Noddy.

This was followed by three stops on the return trip for ‘chumming’ with minced salmon to bring in petrels. It turned out that what we saw was an unusually poor list of birds, lacking even the most likely - White-faced Storm-petrel. However, three New Zealand Storm-petrels appeared and the wonderful Cook’s Petrel passed a dozen times.

A fantastic trip with added common and bottlenose dolphins and some excitingly rough seas.Read more
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Napier
March 4 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
While Sav and Rick enjoyed seabirds in the north, Beverly and Jody spent a day in Napier, famously rebuilt after a 1931 earthquake in the Art Deco style of the times. The photos show a few of the fine buildings.Read more
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Fernbird and Australasian Bittern
March 6 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Drive back to Havelock via the west side of Lake Taupo to search for the elusive and skulking Fernbird in reed-mace wetlands. We heard a couple call but never saw one. However, the equally hard to find Australasian Bittern was flushed from the side of a track, making the detour well worthwhile.Read more
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Gisborne
March 7 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
A three and a half hour drive north to Okitū, near Gisborne to stay at the home of Jody’s sister Cushla and brother-in-law Mike Murphy. A fabulous dwelling with a fine view. An evening of chat and fine food made a good end to the day.

Mike insisted on conditioning my Amish-made leather belt, which he considered very high quality owing to the thickness of the leather but he was less impressed with the use of poppers (which he called domes) rather than his preferred screw fixings.

The following day Cushla and Mike left for a three-week holiday to Wānaka and we were left to our own devices. Most of the day was spent relaxing, watching the view and reading, after which we drove north a little way to join an organised event paddling at Tatapouri with Eagle and Short-tailed Rays. A pretty magical experience.Read more
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Having a muffin for friends
March 8 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Friends of ours at home, familiar with “Gizzy”, said when they heard that we were here, “Have a muffin for us”. So we did, with excellent coffee, at ‘Zephyr’.

We followed this with a relaxing walk to Waikanae Beach and the area close to Captain Cook’s landing place where his statue and interesting words are located. What an amazing place it must have been in those days! And what an intrepid voyage to undertake in the 1700’s.

For a long time we watched the world go by - swimmers, dogs, children, fishers, boats, a Caspian Tern and the extensive view of Poverty Bay.Read more
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Back to Havelock via hot springs
March 9 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
After a wonderful relaxing time at Cushla and Mike’s, we drove back to Sav and Jody’s, stopping briefly at Morere hot springs where upwelling hot water was piped to pools for swimming. We walked a circuit in mostly native forest with a stream running through but didn’t really see hot springs. A very interesting phenomenon though, explained in one of the photographs.

Nearing Napier, we could not resist Real Fruit Ice Creams - a bit of a “thing” here.Read more
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Auckland and homewards
March 10 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We said final goodbyes to Jody, Sav and their garden full of citrus and other fruits, boarding an Air New Zealand flight for Auckland - the first leg of the homeward-bound journey to Edinburgh via Fiji, Los Angeles and Dublin. The original plan was to return the way we came but events in Dubai put paid to these.

The night spent in the Jetpark Hotel, in readiness for a three hour flight to Nadi, then two 10 hour flights and a one hour flight from Dublin, with prolonged waits in between.Read more
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Thoughts on leaving New Zealand
March 11 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
A fabulous country with dramatic and fantastical scenery, interesting land uses and wonderful seabirds and seascapes. Extremely hospitable and friendly people and most roads so free of traffic that the UK will seem desperately busy and overcrowded when we return there.

Also a place of exciting weather and natural phenomena, though not without jeopardy, even peril - cyclones, landslips, seismic events such as earthquakes, tsunami and volcanoes.

All this with a backdrop of sad misuse of the place, which is partly being recognised by more people. Very intensive land use, whether for meat and dairy production, huge areas of one-species forestry (all Monterey Pine), very little native forest remaining and many deliberately introduced non-native predators.

Humans, from the earliest settlers about 800 years ago, have been responsible for most bird extinctions, but rats, cats, stoats, weasels and ferrets have played a huge and on-going part too.

What an incredible place it must once have been!Read more
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