Birding in New Zealand October 28 ± November 14, 2012 with Dave Larson Travel with the Massachusetts Audubon Society 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 800-289-9504 TRIP SUMMARY New Zealand is a land of amazing mountains, coastlines, farms, and rich offshore waters. Join us as we visit all three main islands and nearby waters, looking for endemic birds and mammals, southern specialities, migrants and some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. DAY-TO-DAY-ITINERARY DAY 1 ± Sunday, October 28, 2012 AUCKLAND - KERIKERI After leaving the airport in Aukland, we will visit the nearby harbor shoreline where we will see a good selection of shorebirds. We then travel north of Auckland along the east coast with its many picturesque KDUERUVDQGEHDFKHV:H¶OOVWRSDWRQHRIWKHVHDQGhave an introduction to some of the more common birds of New Zealand, like the Red-billed Gull, White-fronted Tern, Pied Shag, Welcome Swallow, and the musically inclined Tui. We will also be looking out for the rare Fairy Tern; only about 30 individuals of the New Zealand subspecies remain. We will check into our lodgings in the township of Kerikeri, KRPHWR1HZ=HDODQG¶VROGHVWWLPEHU and stone buildings (1836). After dinner, we have an opportunity to look for the North Island Brown Kiwi. We stay at Kerikeri Park Motel set in 3 and half acres of park grounds. (Lunch, Dinner) DAY 2 ± Monday, October 29, 2012 KERIKERI Today, we will travel to one a northern harbor where we will board our charter vessel for a day on the ocean. While cruising, we will be on constant lookout for Bottle-nosed and Common dolphins, and whales. We should see an excellent selection of seabirds, including Fluttering, Buller¶s, and Flesh-footed shearwaters, Cook¶s Petrel, Black Petrel, Parasitic Jaeger (Arctic Skua), and White-faced Storm-Petrel. We may be lucky enough to find the recently-rediscovered New Zealand Storm-Petrel that has been seen in these waters. On our return to dry land, we will drive to the Kerikeri Park Motel. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) DAY 3 ± Tuesday, October 30, 2012 KERIKERI ± WHANGAPARAOA PENNINSULA This morning we will be returning south, stopping at various locations to bird on our way to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. On a secluded pond, ZH¶OOORRNIRUWKHHQGHPLF1HZ=HDODQG'DEFKLFNDQG native Australasian Little Grebe. Farther south, we will visit a beautiful harbor where ZH¶OOEHRQWKH lookout for Banded Rail among the mangroves and (Pacific) Reef Heron on the harbor fringes. A short side trip to the wild west coast finds us at the famous Australasian Gannet colony at Muriwai Beach. This is one of only three mainland gannet colonies in the world; it offers both great photographic opportunities of thousands of nesting birds perched on top of towering cliffs and a chance to blow away the cobwebs. At Mass Audubon 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 800-289-9504 [email protected] the end of the day, we will arrive at Whangaparaoa Peninsula on the Hibiscus Coast. Our motel is next to the beach: Whangaparaoa Lodge, in Little Manly, Whangaparaoa. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) DAY 4 ± Wednesday, October 31, 2012 TIRITIRI MATANGI ISLAND This entire day is devoted to one of the most biologically important small islands in New Zealand. After breakfast, we head down to the marina for a short cruise out to one of the Hauraki Gulf's magic islands. Tiritiri Matangi Island is a special place to all of New Zealand and we know it will be special for you, too. It is an open sanctuary, a conservation project that has been cleared of predators. Volunteers have replanted the island with over 260,000 native trees. It has some original coastal broadleaf forest with some large Pohutakawa or New Zealand Christmas tree. Several rare endemic birds have been reintroduced, are now thriving and practically tame. We should see the Wattled Saddleback here, along with the amazing Takahe, the world's largest rail, thought to be extinct for over 45 years. Hopefully, we will see the endangered Brown Teal and the rare Kokako. Other birds we hope to encounter are North Island Robin, New Zealand Fantail, Whitehead, and the very rare Stitchbird. Little Blue Penguins nest all over the island. 7KH,VODQG¶VUHSWLOHOLIHKDVDOVRPDGH a good recovery and the sight of a kingfisher with a freshly-caught skink is common. We return to our accommodations at Whangaparaoa Lodge. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) DAY 5 ± Thursday, November 1, 2012 WHANGAPARAOA - ROTORUA Leaving our lodge in the morning, we will travel through Auckland and on to the small village Miranda. At Miranda, there are 8500 hectares of rich mudflats that attract many thousands of arctic-nesting shorebirds during the Arctic winter. The sight of thousands of Bar-tailed Godwits and Lesser Knots rising from their roosting site is truly spectacular. The coastline features a number of different habitats including estuarine salt marsh, mangroves, coastal scrub, and grassland. Miranda has an international reputation as the finest example in the world of an active gravel and shell barrier beach or chenier plain. Also attracted to this area are some of 1HZ=HDODQG¶Vmigrants, including South Island Pied Oystercatcher, Banded and New Zealand dotterels, Pied Stilt, and Wrybill. The Wrybill is a unique New Zealand plover, the only bird in the world with a right-curved bill. Other species we are likely to encounter are Black Swan, Spur-winged Plover, Grey Teal, and Black Shag. Towards the end of the day, we will move on to the Rotorua region, the centre of New Zealand's Maori culture. Tonight we will stay at the secluded Okataina Lodge, situated on the shores of Lake Okataina in the loveliest reserve in the region. After dinner we may hear a Morepork, a native owl, calling in the forest and, LIZHKDYHQ¶WPDQDJHGWRVHHRQHVRIDU, we will make another effort to locate the bird. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Mass Audubon 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 800-289-9504 [email protected] DAY 6 ± Friday, November 2, 2012 ROTORUA 5RWRUXDQLFNQDPHG³6XOSKXU&LW\´, has the most energetic thermal activity in the country and we will take time out today to explore this thermal wonderland of geysers, mud pools, and hot springs. We will visit one of the more remote thermal areas, Orakei Korako, which is one of the finest in New Zealand and famous for its large, colorful silica terraces. We will also visit the spectacular Huka Falls on the Waikato River. Above the falls the river plunges dramatically through a narrow cleft in the rock. The Waikato 5LYHULVWKHFRXQWU\¶VORQJHVWULYHUDQGWKHVHULHVRIGDPVDORQJLWVOHQJWKSURGXFHDVLJnificant proportion RIWKHFRXQWU\¶VHOHFWULFLW\ Rotorua has a host of other attractions that we may visit depending on time. One of these is Sulphur Point where Red-billed and Black-billed gulls take advantage of thermally-heated ground to incubate their eggs. We will spend another night at Okataina Lodge. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) DAY 7 ± Satur day, November 3, 2012 ROTORUA - TONGARIRO Today we will have an early start as we head for the ancient and beautiful Pureora Forest where Tui, New Zealand Bellbird, and Grey Warbler make the native bush come alive. This remnant of our once widespread podocarp forests has some fine examples of giant Rimu, Matai, Totara, and Kahikatea trees, 600-1000 years old. Fossil pollen indicates that these trees have little changed from 60 million years ago. These forests are home to New Zealand's second species of endemic wattlebird, the Kokako. The endangered birds are known for their beautiful organ-like song and it is a moving experience to hear one. We should also find other forest species including our lowland parrot, the Kaka, New Zealand Falcon, and the Shining and Long-tDLOHGFXFNRRV:H¶OOFOLPEXSDWRZHUWRJHWDGLIIHUHQWSHUVSHFWLYHRIWKHIRUHVW with giant tree ferns appearing like starfish below. On the roadsides, we may be able to find some orchids. Though neither large nor spectacularly colored, they are still worth looking for. The area also has large tracts of introduced trees, such as Radiata or Monterey pine and Douglas fir (Oregon), important for the timber industry. Toward the end of the day, we will head further south, passing Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake and a remnant of a massive volcanic eruption. Our accommodation for the QH[WWZRQLJKWVLVRQHRI1HZ=HDODQG¶VEHVW-known hotels, The Grand Chateau, nestled on the slopes of Mt. Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner). DAY 8 ± Sunday, November 4, 2012 TONGARIRO Today we will explore Tongariro National Park, New Zealand's first national park and a World Heritage area (one of only 19 worldwide). With its collection of mighty, and still active, volcanoes, Tongariro is one of the country's most spectacular parks. Although a day isn't enough to do the park justice, we will have time to explore the rich variety of habitats here, from alpine scrub and Mass Audubon 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 800-289-9504 [email protected] tussock to lush podocarp forest. The clear mountain streams that flow from the park are home to the Blue Duck, a rare and rather elusive duck we hope to make our prize for the day. A walk on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, takes us through a patch of low beech forest emerging into alpine scrublands with panoramic views. The beech forest is home to New Zealand's smallest bird, the Rifleman. Higher up the mountain is more desert-like terrain and the dramatic volcanic landscape where only hardy lichens survive. We return to our hotel, The Grand Chateau for another night. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) DAY 9 ± Monday, November 5, 2012 TONGARIRO - PICTON Leaving the central plateau this morning, we get a final view of the spectacular volcanic peaks as we drive through arid landscape.