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.

(Day 1) Sat Nov 14 (requires Thu Nov 12 departure Los Angeles). Meet New Zealand tour leader and our minibus early at Auckland International Airport. We'll make a quick stop at Puketutu Island for a few common birds, including Spotted Dove, and hopefully some interesting shorebirds. We continue to Cascades Park, the gannet colony at Muriwai Beach, and back to beautiful Orewa Beach. Overnight Orewa.

(Day 2) Sun Nov 15. We head north and west, with stops at Straka's Refuge near Waiwera, Wenderholm Regional Park, fairly reliable for Buff-banded Rail, Waipu Estuary for the critically endangered Fairy Tern and Ormiston Road near Waipu for Australasian Little Grebe. We arrive at Kauri Coast Holiday Park on the Kauri Coast in good time to bird the beautiful riverside grounds and see Shining Cuckoo, which is common there, as well as Morepork which often perches in the open at dusk. Later in the evening we go to Trounson Kauri Park to look for North Island Brown Kiwi. Overnight at Kauri Coast Holiday Park.

(Day 3) Mon Nov 16. We work our way back south towards Warkworth. A fairly leisurely day after what may have been a long night looking for kiwi. Later in the day we'll look for Kookaburra near Warkworth. Overnight at Warkworth.

(Day 4) Tue Nov 17. Today we take an all-day (10 hours or so) pelagic trip from Sandspit into the Hauraki Gulf out past Little Barrier and to the Mokohinau Is. This trip should yield the Gulf specialties: Cook’s and Black Petrels, and NZ Storm Petrel (rediscovered in 2003 after it was thought to be extinct!). Bryde's Whale is likely. We may stop on the way back at Kawau Island for the North Island subspecies of Weka. Overnight at Warkworth.

(Day 5) Wed Nov 18. We drive to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and Gulf Harbour Marina and head for 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 good possibility. We will stay overnight to see/hear Little Spotted Kiwi, staying out until we see one or everyone goes to bed! We will prepare our own evening meal (no guarantees on culinary expertise!); sleeping bags and pads will be provided for this, our only dorm-type overnight. Overnight on Tiri.

(Day 6) Thu Nov 19. We return to the mainland from Tiri and then to Miranda for shorebirds on the late day high tide. 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 Hot Springs Holiday Park.

(Day 7) Fri Nov 20. We drive early over to Whangamarino Swamp for bitterns and other waterbirds, and the east over the Coromandel ranges to Whitianga to meet our boat for an afternoon trip out past Red Mercury Island, home of about 1000 breeding pairs of Pycroft's Petrel and equal numbers of Little Shearwater. We will go out to deep water and stay out until the light fades, to observe the birds returning to the island. If tides are suitable, we will make another stop at Miranda en route to Whitianga. Overnight at Whitianga.

(Day 8) Sat Nov 21. Leaving Whitianga, we will stop if necessary for Banded Rail at Opoutere, a reliable spot on a falling tide, and continue on to the beautiful Bay of Plenty. We will stop at Maketu for shorebirds, then head for Rotorua with time to relax in this interesting city, a center of Maori culture. We will look at the interesting lakeshore birdlife, including breeding colonies of Red-billed and Black-billed Gulls. Overnight in Rotorua.

(Day 9) Sun Nov 22. We will start this long but exciting day early to visit the so-called "dinosaur forests" of Pureora. 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, NZ Falcon 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. Near dusk we will visit the only known NZ roost site of Rufous Night-Heron. Overnight at Wanganui.

(Day 10) Mon Nov 23. From Wanganui we travel to Wellington, making stops at a few special places in search of waterbirds and shorebirds. We pick up Mute Swan at Wanganui and look for Black-fronted Dotterel near Bulls on the Rangitikei River, 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.

(Day 11) Tue Nov 24. The best way to see the beautiful Marlborough Sounds is by boat. We travel through the Sounds with their abundant Blue Penguins, Fluttering Shearwaters, Spotted and Pied Shags, and possibly Weka, The focus of the day's boat trip, however, is the endangered NZ King Shag, of which fewer than 600 exist; we will visit the colony at White Rocks at the outer reaches of Queen Charlotte Sound, or, if possible, roost sites closer in. Another jewel is Motuara Islaand, in outer Queen Charlotte Sound, where we stop for South Island Saddleback and the very tame robins. After returning to Picton, we depart for Kaikoura, one of the most picturesque places in New Zealand. On the way we will look for the long-staying Black Kite near Renwick and check Lake Grassmere for shorebirds and possibly Cirl Bunting,an introduced species that is not common anywhere, even in its native Europe. Overnight in Kaikoura.

(Day 12) Wed Nov 25. 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.

(Day 13) Thu Nov 26. In the morning we travel from the coast to the mountains, the stunning Southern Alps. We travel south towards Christchurch with stops at the Hurunui River for Black-fronted Tern, St Anne’s Lagoon for waterfowl, and the Ashley River mouth for shorebirds, then head into the mountains for Arthur’s Pass. We look for falcons at Cave Stream, Great Crested Grebes at Lake Pearson, and around Arthur's Pass Village we should find Kea and Rifleman. Crossing over the divide we descend to the West Coaast via the spectacular Otira Gorge viaduct. We turn north along the coast towards Punakaiki, where Great Spotted Kiwi live in the limestone country in the Porarari River area. We will look in the evening for Great Spotted Kiwi. Overnight Punakaiki.

(Day 14) Fri Nov 27. Travelling south down the rugged and beautiful West Coast we head for Franz Josef Glacier, a small town oddly-named for the famous glacier of the same name. We will drive to the glacier to see it close up. In the evening we go out to look for the newly-recognized Okarito Brown Kiwi, now known to be genetically distinct from the other brown kiwi species. Overnight Franz Josef Glacier.

(Day 15) Sat Nov 28. Today we drive from Franz Josef south along the coast with its breathtaking views and then inland to cross the Southern Alps again. En route we stop at Haast Pass to look for the sadly-declining endangered Yellowhead or Mohua. Also here are Brown Creeper and Yellow-crowned Parakeet. We head for Wanaka, located on the southern edge of the lake of the same name. Overnight Wanaka.

(Day 16) Sun Nov 29. From Wanaka we head south past the famous tourist town Queenstown, located on scenic Lake Wakatipu. Then on to the lovely village of Te Anau, nestled on the shore of the beautiful lake of the same name. 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. Overnight at Te Anau.

(Day 17) Mon Nov 30. Today we drive through the spectacular Upper Hollyford Valley on the famed Milford Road, an area of superb herbfields and boulderfields. This area may yield Blue Duck, although they have been less conspicuous here in recent years. 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.

(Day 18) Tue Dec 1. Our journey around New Zealand goes offshore to Stewart Island, a beautiful and peaceful place. We drive from Te Anau to Bluff, where we catch the speedy and often exciting ferry across Foveaux Strait to the only town on Stewart Island, Oban, located on Half-Moon Bay. We will be looking for a few interesting seabirds on the way. 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.

(Day 19) Wed Dec 2. The day will be spent on a pelagic trip to Big Reef to see a variety of seabirds. On the way out we check for the aggressive Brown Skua, which nests here, and as many as 5 species of albatross and 3 of penguins. Later in the afternoon we visit 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. Yellowhead are thriving here as well, after being introduced a few years ago. Tonight is a reserve night for the kiwi trip in case weather cancelled it the previous night. Overnight in Oban.

(Day 20) Thu Dec 3. Today we drive north into the interior and the famous MacKenzie Country, named for James MacKenzie, reputed to have rustled sheep across the various passes into his high-country haven in the late 1800s. The attraction for us here is the Black Stilt, perhaps the world's rarest shorebird, with a total population of about 100 birds in the wild, many of which are scattered along waterways not far from Omarama. We will look for Marsh Crake in the vicinity of the Ohau Delta. Overnight Omarama.

(Day 21) Fri Dec 4. For our last full day as a group, we travel to Christchurch, with a few stops on the way. First we look for Chukar at Mt John, site of a University of Canterbury observatory. We head out of the high country through the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch, where we look for shorebirds at the Ashley-Heathcote Estuary and close with a visit to Halswell Quarry Park if we still need a good look at Cirl Bunting. Those going on to the Chatham Islands will fly this evening to Wellington to overnight, and the rest of the group will overnight in Christchurch.

(Day 22) Sat Dec 5. Those returning home will fly to Auckland and on to their final destinations, while those going to the Chatham Islands begin an exciting adventure into another time zone! We fly to the isolated Chatham Islands, some 500 miles east of Christchurch. After arrival in mid-afternoon, we will take a cliff-top walk to a Chatham Shag colony and find Pitt Island Shag also in the same area. While on the Chathams we stay at the beach-front Hotel Chathams, where we often see Chatham Oystercatcher from the restaurant windows! Overnight Waitangi.

(Days 22-26) Sat Dec 5-Wed Dec 9. The pelagic possibilities at the Chatham Islands here are amazing, and we will look for the special endemic birds of the Chathams. Of course the weather determines everything on the Chathams, and our activities may be limited, but in our 4 trips so far we have done very well. The schedule for the 4 full days in the Chathams will depend on weather, but a full day will be spent on a boat trip around the islands. We travel about 30 miles from Owenga via Star Keys, Rangatira/South East Island, Pyramid, Mangere Island, Pitt Island and return. Pyramid is the breeding site of the rare Chatham Island Shy Albatross, and Rangatira hosts Shore Plover, one of the world's rarest birds with about 200 in existence. We hope to spot Shore Plovers and Forbes’s Parakeets (on Mangere Island) from the boat, as landing on their islands is not permitted. We will land on Pitt Island and visit a predator-free bush containing Chatham Warbler (Gerygone), Chatham Red-crowned Parakeet, Chatham Tomtit, Chatham Tui, and an establishing group of Chatham Petrel. Seeing the Chatham Petrel may not be possible, however, although we may see Chatham Snipe, as some have been re-introduced here. Black Robins have bred here, but the small population may have faileed to establish. Our second scheduled boat trip will be to look for Taiko (Magenta Petrel). We will make a late afternoon trip to the Cape L'Eveque area (off The Horns) where Taiko (Magenta Petrels) return at dusk to nesting sites in the Tuku Valley. We are keeeping the possibility open for a third half-day boat trip, destination to be determined. The remainder of our time will be spent on main Chatham I, where we will look for land endemics, including a visit to the Awatotara Valley for Chatham Pigeon (Parea).

(Day 26) Wed Dec 9. We leave Waitangi and fly to Wellington, where the Chathams Extension ends. Most will fly on to Auckland, leaving in the evening for Los Angeles, arriving there around mid-day still on Dec 9.


PRICING: Here are likely 2009 prices based on double occupancy; single supplement is $US 750 additional:

OPTION 1: (Auckland-Auckland) Mainland NZ and Stewart Island (Days 1-22); NZ driver/guide, tour leader, all meals, all accommodation twinshare with private facilities in quality hotels and motor lodges, admission fees where applicable, interisland ferry, boat charters. $US4950.

OPTION 2: Mainland NZ and Stewart Island PLUS Chatham Islands (Days 1-26); as above, including air fares to and from the Chatham Islands, and on Chatham Islands two boat charters, local guides and transportation on Chatham Island and Pitt Island. $US6800.

OPTION 3: Chatham Islands Supplement only; Chathams as above (Days 22-26), including air Wellington-Chathams-Wellington, $US1850 ($1975 if 3 boat trips).