Testimonials

New Zealand has a special place in my heart, having experienced its outrageous wealth of seabirds, truly amazing endemics, and spectacular scenery. I have been ‘down under NZ’ several times and am champing at the bit to get back there, especially to soak up more of the pelagic birds – albatrosses gliding effortlessly overhead, pterodromas wheeling around the boat, shearwaters scrapping for chum, prions circling the slick, and storm-petrels deftly dancing with waves as they feed nearby. For those of you mulling it over, ‘shall we, shan’t we?, take a piece of advice from me – stop mulling and get booking. For the very best experience when you get to NZ, I recommend Wrybill Birding Tours, for their itineraries and quality guides. I have birded with Brent Stephenson several times and can with confidence tell you that Brent is passionate for his birds, skilled in his art, and a special person. Brent has a wide knowledge, communicates with birders of all capabilities, is very approachable, and I find him to be great fun. I hear first hand that the other guides, not surprisingly, are equally talented. I strongly recommend New Zealand and Wrybill Birding Tours.
Bob Flood

Author "Multimedia Guide to North Atlantic Seabirds: Storm-petrels & Bulwer's Petrel" and leader of seabird tours

What we can expect from kiwi seabirders like Brent Stephenson and Sav Saville...: just 10 years ago while doing my own observations on seabirds in New Zealand and its subantarctic islands I met the younger Brent for the first time, and when he asked me "what kind of camera I can recommend him to use and who and where he should do pelagic trips around New Zealand"; well, now I can regard him as no less than the seabird-master of New Zealand, which already achieved to be a co-finder of the 'extinct' New Zealand Storm Petrel (with Sav), a truly field ornithologist, conservationist and scientist in seabirds, and above all observer and leader with sharp eye with field experience in New Zealand seabirds that is impossible to match with - after witnessing how he operated pelagic trip few years back off the Northern Island! For me they are the best seabird operators in the region and one of the top in the world - I am highly recommend anyone to join their New Zealand trips..., which soon or later I will be on them too...

Hadoram Shiriahi

September 2011

New Zealand is widely regarded as “seabirding Mecca”, with its unrivaled variety of albatrosses plus a great assortment of petrels, shearwaters, and storm-petrels, including, of course, the iconic and eponymous New Zealand Storm-Petrel. Besides Kaikoura, on the South Island, which is a must even for the casual seabirder, there are a number of lesser-known pelagic hotspots on the North Island. Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ is the leading pelagic tour operator to these hotspots, and with good reason. They offer good value trips, use the best boats and skippers, and have experienced and passionate leaders who know what they are seeing. I had two great trips with Wrybill on my last visit to NZ, and am looking forward to more next time.

Steve N. G. Howell

Author and Senior Leader, WINGS Birdwatching Tours Worldwide

I arrived in Auckland on Feb 28th  and I was picked up by Brent Stephenson the next day for the 4 hour drive up to the North Cape for the annual Three Kings Pelagic Trip run by Brent and Sav Saville the owner/operators of Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ.

I want to thank Brent and Sav for their tremendous hospitality during the New Zealand portion of this venture. They went out of their way to be helpful and graciously facilitated key aspects of this adventure including pelagic day trips to the Mercury Islands and the Hauraki Gulf.

Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ has built a strong international reputation for their peerless knowledge of birding in New Zealand. This combined with flawless logistics, and a fun and enthusiastic approach make them the overwhelming first choice for birding tours in New Zealand. Their now extremely popular (and often sold out) “21 day tours” are undoubtedly the best way to see all the (possible) wonderful New Zealand endemics. This comprehensive tour includes a remarkable 4-5 pelagic trips  and they regularly find  25-30sp. of tubenoses.

If you want to do some fantastic seabirding get in touch with Brent or Sav. They will go out of their way to make your birding experience in New Zealand a success.

Kirk Zufelt - Pelagic Odyssey: A Quest to see all of the World's Seabirds

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

New Zealand is a great destination for birders.  It is easy to drive in the country, the language is English, the food is delicious, and one can drink the water! But nothing enhances a visit to New Zealand like local knowledge. Experienced birders know the value of local knowledge, and are well aware of the problems caused when trying to bird without it.  Many birders attempt to plan their trips themselves and visit New Zealand unassisted, generally to save money. I believe this is a mistake, because any savings will be quickly offset by wasted time, missed species, and the frustration of not knowing what to do in the event of a disruption of the plan. The cost of getting to New Zealand is not low, and so opportunities to see New Zealand’s endemic species can’t afford to be lost.  I heartily recommend Wrybill Tours NZ Ltd, operated by my friends Sav Saville and Brent Stephenson, as a local tour operator to assist with your visit to New Zealand. As you know, glitches on birding trips are almost inevitable, but Sav and Brent are masters at overcoming these with almost no inconvenience.  Even major weather-related problems, such as gale force winds on our 2011 tour that cost us a day, were overcome by Sav to the extent that we didn’t miss any species on Stewart Island.  I have run 9 birding trips to New Zealand, the last 3 with Wrybill, and the trips just get better and better.  If you use the services of Wrybill Tours, you will maximize your New Zealand birding experience.

Ross Silcock - New Zealand Land and Pelagic Bird Tours

Tabor, IA, USA

Following a cruise around New Zealand, I had only one day available for birding in the Auckland area, with my top priorities being Fernbird, Tomtit, and North Island Brown Kiwi. Phil Hammond of Wrybill Birding Tours picked me up at the cruise terminal, took me to my hotel to drop my bags, and then devoted a long and memorable day to finding me those species. His knowledge is unmatched, and he took me to the precise spots where the Tomtit and Fernbird could be found on the outskirts of Auckland. We then headed to another location, where we picked up Whitehead and North Island Robin before night fell. Just at dusk, the mobbing behavior of a group of Tuis led us to spot a Morepork perched just above the ground in a low treefern, and we had fantastic views. In the full dark, we hiked with our red lights and in less than a half hour came upon a kiwi foraging near a small stream. Phil knew there was a bridge ahead, and we got in position as the kiwi moved along the stream. We were able to observe its undisturbed foraging directly below us for 20 minutes. Extraordinary! I can't imagine a better day of Auckland birding, or a better guide than Phil Hammond.

Pepper Trail, OR, USA

Day-tour, Auckland, Feb 2024

If you are going to go to New Zealand, and thereby step in to the whole story of avian evolution, then these are the people to go with. Lots of necessary travel and always a Plan B, or even a Plan C, when conditions change at the last minute. Not just for straight birding, but accommodation, boats, food and restaurants. Everything. The trip was a logistical masterclass.
It was like going on a trip with a mate, except a highly-competent mate with excellent birding knowledge and great interpersonal skills.
Oh, and the seabirds are the best in the world.........

Private tour participant comments

21-day birding tour, Oct-Nov 2023

If you want to bird New Zealand this is the company you want to use! Professional, experienced guides with local knowledge and super organisational skills. Highly recommended.

Cannot fault the tour in any way and would strongly recommend birders to choose Wrybill for a great experience.

Private tour participant comments

21-day birding tour, Oct-Nov 2023

New Zealand was lovely….wonderful birds and people!

Both Sav and Dave did a fine job taking care of us and getting us where we needed to be.

Thank you for putting together such a great tour.

Thanks for organising our NZ trip, it was absolutely fantastic.

So many great experiences packed into 2 weeks!

The Wrybill boys looked after us really well.

Private tour participant comments

14-day birding tour, Mar 2023

Thanks to everyone at Wrybill Birding Tours for making our trip to New Zealand such a wonderful experience! Our guide Fraser was very knowledgeable about the local birds as well as being kind, patient and helpful. He did a terrific job of getting us to the rights places at the right times to see some great target birds. We especially enjoyed visiting several different islands that were home to unique endemic species. The pelagic trips were also a real highlight as we saw an astonishing number and variety of albatross, petrels, gannets and shearwaters. Many floating right next to our boat! We came home with great memories and photographs of birds, landscape, food and our fellow birding companions. It is a trip that we will always fondly remember.

Kathy & Tim, NV, USA

21-day tour, Jan-Feb 2023

Our guide, Dave Howes, did a superb job throughout the entire tour. We were beset with unseasonably wet weather, yet Dave managed to get us our birds without us getting soaking wet. His flexibility and resourcefulness were very much appreciated. He was very attentive to clients' needs and discussed any needed itinerary changes with the group. While the weather did necessitate a few itinerary changes, it was handled seamlessly and we still saw most of our birds.
New Zealand is an incredibly scenic country. The birds were fantastic. The lodging was far better than I expected and the vehicle was very comfortable. None of the drives were unduly long and were broken up with birding stops. I will be returning to New Zealand, not because I missed a bunch of birds (we saw almost all targets), but because it is such a wonderful place to visit. I can highly recommend Wrybill Birding Tours.

Eric Shaw, FL, USA

21-day tour, Jan-Feb 2023

I booked this tour because in addition to seeing all the New Zealand birds, I wanted to see as much of the country as possible since I wasn't sure I would be able to return due to the long distance from US gulf coast. The tour definitely delivered on that front, as well as seeing the expected 150+ species of birds. The guide David Thomas was very good. In addition to extensive knowledge of the birds, he also told us a lot about the history and Maori culture of the areas we visited. He worked very hard each day making sure everyone was having a good time.
I was surprised at the quality of the accommodations. The room size and finishes compared favorably with what I would see in less expensive areas of the US.
In summary, the tour is an extremely good value, and definitely makes me want to visit New Zealand again.

Steve Fuller, AL, USA

21-day tour, Jan-Feb 2023

Our Guide, David Thomas, was enthusiastic and maintained a positive outlook for the entire three weeks. Right up to the last morning at Lake Ellesmere he was still pushing to find that last additional bird for the trip. I don't know how he did it, I know I was flagging and starting to think about travelling home for a rest. It was an excellent trip and I will recommend Wrybill to any birders I know that are thinking about New Zealand.

Robert Morrow, Australia

21-day tour, Jan-Feb 2023

The tour was everything I hoped it would be.
Our accommodation and food was superb, it was like a birding and gourmet tour of NZ.
Our guide, David Thomas, was excellent. His bird knowledge is outstanding and he was also full of information about other fauna and flora.
He was also patient, considerate, and did his best to ensure that everyone in the group saw the birds.
I've been on several overseas tours and this was as good as any.

Paul Johnstone, Australia

21-day tour, Jan-Feb 2023

My wife and I have birded on all continents except Antarctica, so we like flexibility of travelling on our own or with our children, who are not always as keen as us about non-stop birding. Nevertheless, we know the value of local knowledge and we book local guides whenever possible for exploring new places or where boats are involved. I contacted Wrybill Tours early while planning for our 22 day trip to New Zealand in January 2023. Sav and Matt subsequently provided many tips, and Sav helped us book pelagic and island trips. The result was truly fantastic – yielding all but two of our main targets, which I’m quite sure we would have found if we had more time available. Without Sav and Matt’s advice, we clearly would have missed some special experiences; I wish we had enlisted them more directly despite our schedule constraints. Wrybill Birding Tours is the premiere resource for serious birders/natural historians/photographers visiting New Zealand. The Wrybill team gave us great vibes from the start; they were generously interested in helping us build an amazing experience, and they were great people in general. I can’t recommend them enough.

Bob Howe & Amy Wolf, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Trip planning advice, Jan 2023

A wonderful three week tour across North, South and Stewart Islands. The tour met and exceeded our expectations on many levels, our tour leader Matt, the accommodation, comfortable transport, excellent pelagic trips and of course the wonderful birds and scenery.

John Couchman & Hinke Multhaupt, UK

21-day tour, Nov-Dec 2022

I would not hesitate to recommend Wrybill Tours. Their knowledge of the birding locations, and contacts with boat operators for pelagics , is excellent.

Malcolm Goodman, UK

21-day tour, Nov 2022

This tour exceeded my expectations. Far more birds than I thought I might get. David Thomas, our guide, worked very hard to get us birds and keep things running smoothly.

Carol Thompson, MC, USA

21-day tour, Nov 2022

If you are wanting to see the endemic, native, and other birds of New Zealand, the 21-day trip with Wrybill is a must. With it being a New Zealand-based company, the guides know where to find them. The itinerary they have developed maximizes the potential bird sightings, and it gives you an opportunity to see so much of the beautiful country. Our guide (David Thomas) was very knowledgeable about both the flora and fauna, which contributed even a lot more than just seeing the fabulous birds. The whole trip from start to finish was executed magnificently and met my high expectations.

Larene Wyss, UT, USA

21-day tour, Nov 2022

Wrybill exceeded all expectations in our tour through this beautiful country adorned with amazing birds.Our guide David Thomas was fun, courteous and very knowledgeable about all the birds, and his indepth knowledge of the ecology of New Zealand added immensely to the tour.

Letitia Lussier, UT, USA

21-day tour, Nov 2022

We’ve been home a couple of days now and we’ve been reflecting on our holiday with David Thomas. We’d just like to say we had a great time. David couldn’t do enough to help. His knowledge of all things New Zealand seemed limitless. His enthusiasm throughout was inspiring. You should be proud to have guides of his quality.
We were pleasantly surprised by how good the accommodation and the food were while on the tour.
We will certainly recommend Wrybill to our friends.

Nigel & Daryl Watson, UK

21-day tour, Nov 2022

We toured NZ in November – December 2022 and while we were not part of a Wrybill group, Sav was extremely helpful during the planning of our itinerary. He organised several pelagics for us and we joined the group which was being led by Matt Jones, an excellent guide and most welcoming. He was quick to get onto and point out the birds and answered our queries about up-to-date information – they see in 3 weeks what we struggled to find on our own in 4!

Liz & Dave, UK

Trip planning advice, Nov-Dec 2022

The "21-day tour" is an incredibly comprehensive tour of New Zealand. We saw a fantastic array of birds and habits in that 3 week period. This trip provided some of the best birding experiences I have ever had. The variety of birds, from the ocean to forests and mountains, was fantastic, with an amazing number of them being endemics. I would highly recommend this trip to all dedicated birders!

Asta Tobiassen, WA, USA

21-day tour, Nov-Dec 2022

My wife and I traveled with Brent for three weeks and had a fabulous time. I’m a birder, and she’s a photographer. We both loved the experiences of observing and photographing the birds, the temperate rain forests and other landscapes, and lots of other flora and fauna. Brent brought all of that about based on his deep knowledge, skills and experience with especially, but not only, the birds but also the rest, down to tiny, magnificent orchids he pointed out. We were generally up early or very early and days were never short, so the tour was extremely productive and thorough. This also reflects excellent planning and on-the-fly management.

Gary Ender & Jill Randell, MD, USA

21-day PHOTO tour, Nov 2022

I 100% say to anyone who is interested in taking a photography tour to New Zealand, and even to those living in New Zealand (myself), who love birds, and wish to see species that are normally difficult to photograph, to take this tour. And not only was it great value it was so much fun.

Premnath Bates, NZ & Australia

21-day PHOTO tour, Nov 2022

As a relatively amateur birder, using my camera as my scope, I was in awe of Brent's ability to see, hear, and point out more unique bird species on our 21 day trip than I could have imagined. His patience and commitment to all of the participants getting the best possible experience, regardless of our level of expertise, was superlative. We had a few opportunities to "go off itinerary" to view the king penguin and the black stilt; Brent's attention to events, while being fully engaged with us, allowed us to have some incredible extra bonuses.

Toni Robinson, USA

21-day PHOTO tour, Nov 2022

We thoroughly recommend Wrybill Birding/Photography Tours. As New Zealanders it gave us the opportunity to experience the birdlife the length of New Zealand. Brent's ability to find birds and get us close to photograph them impressed.

Jessie & Lloyd Blakie, NZ

21-day Photo tour, Nov 2022

Just a note to say I thoroughly enjoyed the pelagics with Sav and Matt; professional, well run, non pretentious outfit laced with good humour.

Jon Holmes, UK

Pelagics, Dec 2022

NZ is a wonderful and birdy place to visit, and we highly recommend going with Wrybill Bird Tours. Their guides are so capable, dedicated, and professional, and the many unique birds made our trip a spectacular experience not to be missed.
Matt was an all round terrific guide, treating clients equally and with patience when we forgot bird characteristics etc. His love of everything NZ, including the birds, was obvious and appreciated. We had a good group and a great tour.

Joy & Dave Peters, DE, USA

21-day tour, Oct-Nov 2022

I have done over 30 tours with several birding tour companies, most of them international tours --- and it is no exaggeration to say that Wrybill's service (and office staff - which I think is, basically, Brent), itinerary and planning, and guides are as good as any, better than most -- and absolutely THE BEST way to see New Zealand's birds. Matt Jones is one of the best guides I have ever birded with - he knows where to find, and obviously loves New Zealand's birds --which is the best part -- but he also ran a very smooth tour, proved to be an excellent cook when the occasion required it, and was endlessly energetic, cheerful and a lot of fun!

Kathy Brown, MN, USA

21-day tour, Oct-Nov 2022

I thought I’d quickly email you my GREAT thanks for the 21-day tour with Matt. It was way way way beyond my expectations. Matt was superb. You don’t need feedback because I’m certain you know how good Matt is, but in any case, Matt was fantastic on all levels, bird spotting, hearing, bird knowledge, natural history, etc… but also driving, daily planning and execution (always ahead of the curve), interaction and engagement with us. The tour was demanding but totally rewarding. Matt kept us unerringly, unhurriedly, on schedule, never herded. I consider myself very lucky and fortunate to have had a guide such as Matt.

Ross Brown, Australia

21-day tour, Oct-Nov 2022

Cheming and I want to thank Matt once again for all his hard work, expertise and conscientious attention to detail on our very first birding tour. He took care of blisters, got me special food when needed and never lost patience with us newbies.
We don’t know whether we will ever have the time, health or funds to do anything like this again, but we will be talking about this experience for the rest of our lives, smiling the whole while.
Keep up the good fight for the black stilts, shore plovers and preservation of places like Ulva. I hope my birder granddaughter can see it all one day.
Marion & Cheming Chang, Canada

21-day tour, Oct-Nov 2022

We had a superb tour with Neil and David.  So impressed with their knowledge and especially the calm, organised approach by Neil.  They worked their socks off for us!  Words can’t relay just how much we enjoyed the tour, it went beyond our expectations both in the number of birds seen and the beauty of New Zealand.

Gill & Martin Schofield, UK

21-day tour, Feb 2020

I wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our birding experience with Andrew.  Andrew is clearly very knowledgeable of the flora and fauna in New Zealand. Having worked so closely with the governing bodies in New Zealand, he is also able to provide an interesting insight into the travails of habitat preservation. It was a very informative and fun trip. Andrew is a good companion as well as guide. He worked very hard to get us to key South Island species and even when we didn't find the bird, the chase was fun.

The South Island territory we traveled was exceptionally beautiful. There are few times I have seen as many stars as we did on a moonless night in the Mackinzie Basin.  I'm sure we will visit New Zealand again and with more time to spend doing it.

Thanks for putting together a memorable experience for us.

Dave and Lynn, USA

Custom tour, Feb 2020

Thank you for a terrific holiday , I cannot fault it at all . The Stewart Island Pelagic was my favourite day and all your special birds exceeded my expectations. The scenery was fantastic, specially those ancient forests. 

Steve Curtis, UK

21-day tour, Jan-Feb 2020

My wife and I together with another couple, have just returned from an amazing 4-week birding trip to New Zealand.

We self-guided and drove ourselves, but Sav from Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ, booked: 2 Kiwi tours, a boat trip into the Marlborough Sounds and the ferry to Tiritiri Matangi for us in advance. Sav also provided a lot of site information and advice on how to get the most out of our trip, as well as up to date info whilst we were on the tour itself.

 I would certainly recommend using Sav and Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ, with help in planning a trip to New Zealand.

Mark & Linda Sutton, UK

Pre-trip planning, Dec 2019

Can't imagine a better birder to lead a trip than Sav, and with the best connections, at the best sites across the country. And if you have an 'interesting' trip like ours, you want to go with Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ, because like a good pilot, he always has, or will find, a solution....whether it is flooded roads, highways blocked by landslides, or the chaos caused by all major highways being closed due to flooding. In the latter case, he knew the main airports would be jammed, so he found us seats on a private charter service to get us to our connecting flights to get back to the States.

And as an aside - always good food, good lodging, and great conversations throughout. Oh, yeah....we found some birds too!! I'd recommend Sav and Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ to anyone that wants a great tour.

Thanks so much!

Wayne Mollhoff, USA

21-day tour, Nov-Dec 2019

Together with my brother and a friend I made an extensive 4-week birding trip to New Zealand. I can only say that without the assistance and organisation of Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ and especially Sav Saville this trip would certainly not have been so successful.

They organised 4 pelagic trips, the boat trip into the Marlborough sound, the trip to Ulva Island from Stewart Island , the Kiwi tour on Stewart Island and booked our stay at Tiritiri Matangi. Further they provided us with plenty of practical, logistical info and the latest info about birding sites.

I can highly recommend Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ to any serious birder planning to bird this country.

Henk Hendriks, The Netherlands

Pre-trip planning and pelagics, Nov-Dec 2019

I cannot describe how helpful this approach was, and more specifically how helpful Sav was. Brilliant. Thanks again Sav!

Brian Minshull, Edinburgh

Pre-trip planning, Dec 2019

Barb and I want to let you (Brent) know what a great time we had on the recent 21 Day New Zealand Bird Tour we took with you.  It was everything we expected and more.  While the tour schedule was busy it was well worth the sacrifice.  New Zealand is a unique and wonderful country and we could not think of a better way to experience it.  Our trip included 162 bird species!  There is no way we could have done this ourselves.  Your experience, knowledge and passion for New Zealand and its wildlife made this possible.  Thank you very much!

We got home yesterday to more than a foot of snow and cold temperatures.  Perhaps we should have stayed in New Zealand a bit longer.....

Glen & Barb Thomas, NY, USA

21-day tour, Nov-Dec 2019

What a great, well-made tour of your lovely country, with incredible birds, plants, mountains, seas, rivers, valleys, all of it.  First-class all the way through, and solid driving by our indefatigable man Matt, as well as of course the superb bird-guiding provided as well as so many other things done, both evident and surely some not as evident to us, the group.  Especially enjoyed some of the tougher birds, walks, and days of rougher bouts of weather.  It is when the going gets tough, real character shows.  New Zealand in general as a nation, but in the particular, Wrybill as a company and as an idea, came off as simply, a quote I saw - on the inside of one local dairy’s ‘topper' to some of their product:
 
“Real cream, & NO BULL.”   If only all bird-tour companies tried to do what they do on that basis, and achieve it.  You guys did.
Thomas Fiore, NY, USA

21-day tour, Nov 2019

We were greatly impressed by Phil´s knowledge, not only about the birds, but also about all sites visited which he seemed to know as his own pocket.  He was also very good with people, and also made sure that logistics, lodgings, meals etc went very smooth throughout the tour. Despite being out travelling for three weeks he never lost his enthusiasm for finding new target species, always in a good mood despite some long days and drives. I can surely recommend friends that will go to NZ in search of birds, to use Phil´s and Wrybill´s services.
Jonas Starck, Sweden

21-day tour, Nov-Dec 2018

If you're contemplating a birding trip to New Zealand, go with the experts: Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ.  Sav, our guide, was excellent, not only at finding the birds, but ensuring an enjoyable trip.

Babs York & Mike Smith, UK

21-day tour, Nov-Dec 2018

Sav Saville has this 21-day birding tour of New Zealand down to a science. Accommodations and meals were excellent, birding and scenery exceeded all expectations.

Bert & Heike Charest, FL USA

21-day tour, Nov-Dec 2018

Sav Saville of Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ, helped us plan our very successful birding trip to New Zealand in November/December 2018. He gave us detailed information on our optimum itinerary and recommendations on accommodation throughout. All this together with extremely helpful information on where to find the special birds we were after. We also joined the excellent Wrybill pelagic trip in the Hauraki Gulf (the Whitianga pelagic we had also booked was sadly cancelled due to bad weather – next time ! ).

Sav and Matt Jones also provided us with valuable real time birding information while we were in New Zealand on a couple of key species.

We would not hesitate to recommend Wrybill very strongly to anyone thinking of planning a DIY birding trip to New Zealand. Their pelagics are also highly recommended. Wrybill’s wealth of experience and first rate knowledge of their territory is all made available at a very reasonable price.

Simon de Albuquerque & Marcel Ashby, London UK

Pre-trip planning and Hauraki Gulf pelagic, Nov-Dec 2018

As you predicted, the 21-Day Bird Tour I took recently was terrific.  The tour itself, my travel companions and, especially, our guide Neil, exceeded my expectations.  We saw all I'd hoped to see and more.  Neil worked very hard to make sure we all got good looks at all the birds, so that each sighting was a quality experience.

Kathy Munthe, UT USA

21-day tour, Feb 2018

We used Wrybill Tours Birding Tours, NZ for planning our highly succesful birding trip to New Zealand. They were extremely helpful and replied to eMails always very soon. We also participated on Wrybill pelagic trips at Whitianga and Stewart Island.

Sav provided us with itinerary for the whole tour and directions to birding sites. We were also in contact during our trip and got up-to-date information on a few species. He was also extremely helpful in providing quickly a plan B when there were some mostly weather-related problems during the trip and saved valuable birding time.

I can warmly recommend Sav and Wrybill Birding Tours when planning a trip to New Zealand. Also the pelagic trips by Wrybill tours - they are awesome and undoubtly worth the money!

Jyrki Normaja, former Rarities Committee Chairman, Finland

Pre-trip planning, Jan-Feb 2018

It was our first time in New Zealand and we wanted to plan a birding and hiking adventure. Sav Saville helped us draft an itinerary that met our needs. He provided lodging recommendations, information about hiking, and great information on where to see birds (particularly endemics) in the places we were going. Even while we were in New Zealand traveling he helped us out. It was an amazing service and made planning our vacation and the vacation itself so easy and fun. Plus we saw lots of birds! Thanks Wrybill!

Debbie Hahn, VA USA

Pre-trip planning, Jan 2018

If you are thinking about Birding in New Zealand you must use Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ.  Sav Saville with Wrybill put together an absolutely great trip that fit our desires and expectations. It was the whole package and it was delivered at a great price!
Please get with Sav and compare with any other Birding companies. The guides were excellent. The hotels were perfect. Of course NZ is awesome.
Pat and Mel McAnany, KS USA

Pre-trip planning and day guiding, Jan 2018

Marty and I thank you, Phil, for a truly amazing 3 days. What a great way to cap our big trip! Your knowledge, flexibility, and overall good humor made it very special. Sav and Brent, Wrybill is fortunate indeed to have Phil on your team---but I'm sure you already knew that.
Paula and Marty, WA USA

Custom tour, Feb 2017

I didn’t want more time to go by before telling you what a delightful time we had with Phil Hammond.  Prior to arrival, he was quick to respond to all of my emails (which is so appreciated when trying to plan such a trip) and the logistics he suggested worked out perfectly.  Not only is he an expert on your NZ birds, but a pleasure to be around.  The whole Tiritiri Matangi experience was great but, then, after our return to the mainland he generously followed us all the way back to our hotel near the airport and took us to see Wrybills!  We had missed these special birds and we are so appreciate his extra efforts.

Bobbie and Jim Tilmant, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Single day tour, Mar 2017

I spent three weeks birding in NZ. I belonged to a Wrybill group guided by Sav Saville. The tour was extremely well organized and guided. Thanks to this we found almost all possible important species. What I believe was exceptional is  that we all now know almost all the species which we saw. For an amateur birder like me this has not been normal on my other birding tours. For this we can thank Sav who was able to teach us the differences between different species.

Besides birding we had a chance to know and learn about an amazingly beautiful country and it's delicious food. in total the tour was a great experience to me.

Thank you for one of the best tours which I have had.

Markku Vesterinen, Finland

21-day tour, Feb 2017

The experience met and exceeded all my expectations. Phil Hammond was professional, friendly, helpful, patient and a truly excellent birder - always enthusiastic and diligent in ensuring we saw all the endemics and specials. I will always remember the Fiordland crested penguin as a particular highlight - but one of many.

Margaret Moxon, Australia

21-day tour, Nov 2015

We wanted to pass along how much we enjoyed the entire 21 days.  Given that the leader you select is an ambassador for Wrybill, we want to commend you on selecting Matt Jones.  As you know, leading a group of strangers for 21 days can be quite a challenge.  Matt rose to this challenge and made the trip most enjoyable.  Not only is his Kiwi birding knowledge unsurpassed, he never showed signs of fatigue, etc. (Most of us had time to recharge by sleeping in the van, but Matt just motored on!)  Matt also demonstrated his skills at the BBQ, with a superbly catered dinner on Tiritiri!!!  We all agreed that this was the best meal on tour.
...
Overall, the tour surpassed our expectations, and most of that was due to Matt.  Keep him on staff, as he is a great asset!
Therese & Dave Best, MI, USA

21-day tour, Jan 2015

My wife and I just returned from an amazing 6 week birding trip to the North (including Tiritiri Matangi Island), South, and Stewart Islands (including Ulva Island) of New Zealand. We initially were going to try to piece together an itinerary ourselves but luckily came across Wrybill's website and found out they provided that service.
I contacted Sav Saville at Wrybill and he proposed an itinerary that would not only provide us with a chance to see all mainland endemics (excluding Kakapo of course) but would also allow us to join up with Wrybill for an Hauraki Gulf pelagic for NZ Storm-Petrel, a Queen Charlotte Sound Rough-faced (King) Shag boat trip, a Kaikoura Albatross Encounter pelagic, and a trip to Ulva Island off Stewart Island and a Stewart Island pelagic. I cannot fathom a birding trip to New Zealand without going on at least two pelagics.
The itinerary, in our opinion, was perfect. We saw all of New Zealand's endemics other than Great Spotted Kiwi and also a host of amazing pelagic species including NZ Storm-Petrel, incidentally rediscovered by Sav and Brent in 2003. We ran across a few birders traveling on their own who were obviously not equipped with the precise birding information that Wrybill provided us with.
We had the pleasure of spending time with both Sav Saville and Matt Jones of Wrybill and met Brent Stephenson, also of Wrybill. All three were highly skilled, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and most importantly, fun to be with!
I would highly recommend that anyone planning a birding trip to New Zealand should contact the New Zealand birding experts at Wrybill Tours. Whether you decide to have Wrybill help plan your itinerary or partake in one of their 21 day set departure trips (or custom trips), you won't be disappointed!
Thanks Wrybill!  Definitely could not have been so successful without your help!
Brian & Jacquie Penney, Canada

Pre-trip planning advice and pelagics, 2014

Thanks to Wrybill Birding Tours, our trip to New Zealand in October 2013 was a great success and great fun. Sav Saville created a mostly self-guided itinerary that allowed us to make the most of the visit, both in terms of seeing the country’s specialty birds and spectacular scenery. From pre-trip planning to up-to-date site advice and several days of guided birding by members of the Wrybill team along the way, we were deeply impressed by the expertise, professionalism and friendly support throughout. Thanks to everyone involved! 

Olaf Soltau, New York City

Pre-trip planning, Oct 2013

Just a note to say thanks for organising our recent trip to NZ. Object of the exercise was to see as many endems as possible & we certainly managed this with Wrybill's help. All of Sav's logistics worked well & the accommodation was just where we needed to be for our next target species. Really enjoyed our Stewart Island Pelagic with Brent, one of our many trip highlights. No hesitation in recommending Wrybill to anybody else contemplating a similar trip.

Rob & Sharon Thatcher, UK

Pre-trip planning, 2012

First of all I want to thank our Audubon Society for meeting, interviewing and travelling with Brent and then writing to tell us readers about his discovery.

Right from the start Brent was professional, informative, instructive, patient and even funny. What more can one ask for - his ability to locate birds - amazing. Overall the best birding experience of my life.  Brent went above and beyond to make this possible.  I wish 'Wrybill' the very best with all their future endeavours.

Robert & Lily Collier, FL, USA

Custom 6-day tour, 2011

I had a chance to go on a birding trip to New Zealand in November 2011.  If anyone wants to see New Zealand endemic species and/or southern hemisphere seabirds, I highly recommend you use Wrybill Birding Tours.  Sav Saville of Wrybill Birding Tours was our leader and is an extremely accomplished bird finder, identifier, and organizer overall.  Our accommodations were all clean, generally spacious and in ideal scenic locations.  The places arranged for us to eat all served excellent food and included a variety of ethnic cuisine.  All of the pelagic trips were successful in getting close up views of at least 8 albatross species, excellent looks at storm petrels, shearwaters, prions, skuas and penguins.  We had good looks at four of the five kiwi species, rock wren, brown creeper, stitchbird, both saddleback species and the rare New Zealand dotterel and shore plover to name a few.   The best experience I have had with a birding tour company.

Clem Klaphake

Bellevue, NE, USA

We used the Wrybill itinerary planning service for our recent trip to New Zealand, preferring to ‘go it alone’ for the majority of the birding. Sav was very helpful in providing suggestions and amendments to our draft plans, and he also helped enormously in pre-booking pelagics and other excursions, as well as accommodation. It certainly helped to ease our passage through New Zealand, allowing us to concentrate on the birding! A highly recommended service, especially for those who have not visited New Zealand before.
Clive Watson, UK

Pre-trip planning, 2009

Following your recommendation to do an independent camper car birding tour with organizational help of Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ was a perfect decision and a lot of value for very little money. We enjoyed visiting all the great birding places all over New Zealand. Without the help of you we might have been able to find several of the good sites, but we never would have been that successful in finding all the birds within the three weeks (e.g. we would have failed on Buff-banded Rail, Australasian Grebe, Black Stilt and several others). Highlights were clearly the Kiwi tours and especially the pelagics. Without the incredible experience and persistence of Brent most likely we would be still running around Tiritiri Matangi and searching for the Little spotted Kiwi. Doing the pelagics with Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ was clearly the very best decision we could make. Not only the organization of the 5 boat trips was very efficient and saved a lot of time but having Brent as a world class seabirding expert on board and therefore being able to see much more birds and learn to distinguish tricky species was an impressive experience. Last but not least Frauke and I enjoyed it during the full three weeks to meet Brent (again and again on the tour 🙂 ) with his special sense of humor.

Frauke and Jochen Baurmeister

Germany

My husband and I spent three weeks birding New Zealand with Sav Saville as our guide.  He knew where every species was to be found and although some required more effort than others we saw all the endemic species and many more.  The pelagic tours are unrivaled elsewhere.  The boat operators knew where to go and the petrels, shearwaters, albatross and more were there.  The sheer number of albatross seen around the boat at one time on the Stewart Island tour was amazing.  Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ and Sav Saville can't be beat.

Jan Johnson

Wakefield, NE, USA

Great food, great wine.
Nice pacing.
We got rewarding views of difficult endemics because of Sav's expertise and patience.
Fun country, fun trip.

John and Beverly Hargrove

UK

Our New Zealand birding tour was booked with Wrybill after an internet search on NZ birding. In addition to birding we wanted to see the country and experience some of the culture. We found the tour exceeded our expectations. Sav Saville is an expert birder, especially on seabirds, and is also very knowledgeable on New Zealand and the life there. We sense that his tours can be adapted to any level of birding. The tour accommodations, travel, lodging and dining were very comfortable and a good value. The tour was one of the best we have encountered and we highly recommend Wrybill Tours.

Bernard & Louise Martell

Portland, Oregon, USA

An excellent birding trip to NZ was had with Wrybill Tours led by Sav Saville. All of the available endemics (including 4 species of Kiwi's) were seen well in a thoroughly professional yet relaxed manner. Unbelieveable views of seabirds including 10 NZ storm petrels. - Highly recommended.

Mel & Heather Billington

Norfolk, UK

With "Wrybill" birders are birding often on the brink of extinction with so many endemics and endangered birds on offer. We were able to see all the available endemics on this trip plus fantastic pelagics seeing at close quarters NZ Stormy, 4 species of Kiwi with a 5th heard, and great food, drink and accommodation. Wrybill offer birding to suit most budgets and itineraries either for 3 weeks or just a few days. We would recommend Wrybill to any birders, they are clearly the best NZ Birding Tour operators!

Roger Broadbent

UK

Recommended for the seasoned veteran as well as the budding rookie birder. I'm definitely a member of the latter group. I'll go out birding with my wife and others, but I often have trouble viewing the birds as well as others and can rarely identify anything. Sav's trip was much better than I'd expected. He's a master at finding the different bird species and makes sure that everyone in the group gets a good look at the birds he's found. And the trip wasn't "birds, birds, birds" 24 hours a day. Every place we went there was a chance to enjoy New Zealand's magnificent scenery and to learn something about the history of this amazing island country. I came away from the trip with an enhanced appreciation for birding as well as a deep respect for those who have taken up this activity. If you get a chance, don't miss this tour -- you'll never regret it.

Randy Falzgraf

Bellevue, Nebraska, USA

I had the great pleasure of spending a month birding New Zealand in November and December, 2007. I felt privileged to have Sav Saville as a guide. His knowledge of New Zealand’s birds is unmatched. And his ability to show them utilizing his “ten foot rule” is amazing. This is to say, you’ll see most birds within a range of ten feet!
As wonderful as these skills are, I was also very impressed by Sav’s logistical skills. Our trip was well-planned and thought out. But never rigid, Sav was able to deviate from our schedule when a good bird showed up.
Acting as our driver also, our group was constantly entertained by endless tales recounted by a master entertainer.
Sav worked hard to show our group the birds of New Zealand. In fact, our group set a trip list record of 158. This simply wouldn’t have happened without his effort.
I am personally grateful to Sav for his work with our group and would strongly recommend him to anyone seeking a premiere experience in New Zealand.

Dr. Ken Lowder

Iowa City, IA, USA

We just finished three of the best weeks that I have ever spent, birding all of New Zealand with Sav. Every aspect of the trip was organized to the fullest, so all of our time could be spent birding. As a result, we set a new record of 158 species seen in a three week period. Sav is extremely knowledgeable about all of New Zealand and the birds there, especially the pelagic birds. Were I to take another trip to NZ, I'd go with Sav. "Nuff" said!!!

Al Reyer

Bellevue, NE, USA

Several years ago, I made it my goal to find every bird family. Because I was getting very close, it was with particular care and diligent research that I chose Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ to help me with my quest. New Zealand was to bring me down to three bird families to go. There could not have been a better decision. Brent and Sav are professional, dedicated, excellent birders. They know every nook and cranny of New Zealand and just never gave up. We spent 21 days seeing everything we could have hoped to see and more. I especially appreciated the amount of time that both Brent and Sav spent teaching us about the birds, especially on the pelagic trips we took. I learned so much! It is my firm belief that our group was so very fortunate to have birded with the two best birders, and had so much fun along the way. I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Wrybill and hope to be back again.

Janet M. Castle

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

We not only saw the birds we had hoped to, we saw them very well.

Gordon and Maxine McLean

Ottawa, Canada

Thank you Sav for one of the best holidays I have had - great birds and scenery and as for the weather!

Rosemary Davidson

Melbourne, Australia

The best birding trip I've ever had - the birds, the scenery and amazing value for money. Sav's in-depth knowledge of where to find the birds was superb. A totally unforgettable experience.

Tania Ireton

Melbourne, Australia

We just spent 18 days with WBT and saw nearly every possible species in NZ. Brent and Sav were great leaders - so knowledgeable and so much fun to be with. Choosing Wrybill was the right decision and we will recommend them to all our friends. Thanks so much.

Jean Martin & Karen McBride

Texas & Arizona, USA

We enjoyed our week with Brent very much. He is a superior birder.

Barry Miller and Michelle Stewart

Maryland, USA

Excellent experience with a professional birder and photographer. Brent is also concerned about the welfare of the birds and environment. Definitely will recommend to others.

Dr Chong Cher Cheong (Wilson)

Singapore

My husband and I are amateur and inexperienced birders. Brent was able to give us a fun and educational tour that made us want to learn more. I recommend his services for anyone from beginner to enthusiast, to scholar.

Irene Silber and Steven Ruce

Minnesota, USA

Highly recommended. Brent showed us around most of the North & South Islands over a two-week period. He is very professional, very knowledgeable about NZ natural history as well as a terrific birder. Consequently, we saw most every bird there is to see. Best of all he is a great guy and we had lots of fun.

Don and Lawna Robart

Alberta, Canada

My experience with Wrybill Tours was nothing but positive. The two days of guided birding were a huge success, and your itinerary reflected your up-to-the-minute knowledge of the nation's birding scene. Thank you for devising the perfect trip for my particular birding style.

Nick Bonomo

USA

Well done, guys! Our tour was professionally run and the bird finding and knowledge of the birds was excellent. Brent was a joy to bird with and loads of fun to boot!

Ron Hoff and Dollyann Myers

Tennessee, USA

Due to limitations on birding time during my vacation in NZ, I contacted Wrybill Birding Tours to assist me on a dedicated days birding in the Napier area of the North Island. Brent accompanied me on the day and took me to places I wouldn't have even considered. Our day was from estuary to inland forest where his valued identification experience and local knowledge contributed to a most successful and exciting day which included 20 endemic species.

Peter Twist

Cheshire, UK

We were very pleased and impressed with your level of expertise and also liked that we could take our time.'

'You located lots of birds, brought many of them right to us for easy viewing, are extremely knowledgeable about local places to find them, were resourceful about finding them, you were fun and interesting and easy to be with'

'Starting the trip out with your guidance gave us a strong base and the confidence to go out and bird on our own, which was very helpful.

Michael Rogers and Wendy Yellen

Ribera, NM and Nagano, Japan