New Zealand Wildlife tours

visiting the North, South, and Stewart Islands

New Zealand fur seal, Arctocephalus forsteri, pups are pretty damn cute! We see a lot of these on the South Island coastline, and there is nothing more fun than watching a bunch of these guys playing in rock pools along the shore!

Brief

This Wildlife tour itinerary is designed for people who have a general interest in all things Natural History – that is both flora and fauna – but also have an interest in seeing New Zealand’s spectacular scenery, and getting to see a little of its geological and cultural background.  If you feel this tour might lack the birding focus you want, and maximising the number of endemic and native bird species you will see, then ask us about our Birding Tour itinerary.  Likewise, if photography is a passion and you would like a tour with an emphasis on photographing New Zealand’s amazing birds and scenery, then ask us about our Photo Tour itinerary.

Where

Start in Auckland, travel through the North, South and Stewart Islands visiting some of the wildlife and scenic highlights New Zealand has to offer. Finish in Dunedin on day 21.

Number of participants

Limited to 8 people per trip, with a single guide (unless specifically requested).

Cost

Please email us for pricing on this trip.

Description

This guided tour, leaving from Auckland and ending in Dunedin has a slightly different focus compared with our other tours. The obvious distinction is that whilst your guide on this tour is a birder, the focus will not be so much on targeting every gettable endemic bird species, but will have an emphasis on seeking out and finding native and endemic bird species, whilst enjoying other potential wildlife and scenery Although visiting many of the same places that our other tours do, this tour visits several places they don’t – such as Rotorua for a look at both its geothermal attractions and Maori culture – Waitomo Caves for its incredible Glowworm caves – and an overnight on a boat in Doubtful Sound. We will still also visit some of New Zealand’s premier birding hotspots, such as Tiritiri Matangi, Miranda, Kaikoura, and Stewart Island.

Whist the primary focus is not to see every bird species in New Zealand, the tour does aim to see members of the six endemic New Zealand families – the kiwi (aiming at two species), the New Zealand parrots (Strigopoidea, aiming at both kaka subsp. and kea), the New Zealand wrens (aiming for one, possibly both of the two extant species), the New Zealand wattlebirds (aiming for all of the three extant species), the stitchbird in its own family, the Notiomystidae, and the New Zealand creepers, the Mohouidae (all three species).  As well as this we will aim to see dusky and Hector’s dolphins, Sperm whale (if you chose that option), New Zealand fur seal and Hooker’s (New Zealand) sealion, tuatara, and New Zealand long-tailed bat. And whilst there will be excellent opportunities for photography during the course of this tour, it will not be focussed on being in the right place, at the right time for making the most of photographic opportunities.

Trees, flowers, marine mammals, insects including butterflies, will all be of interest during this tour, and it has been timed for later in the summer season to maximise opportunities of some of this other wildlife.  This itinerary also still maximises your chances of seeing the incredible scenery that New Zealand has become famous for (the inclusion of the overnight on a boat in the beautiful Doubtful Sound being a great example).

Time of year?

To maximise chances of seeing as much wildlife as possible, we have targeted this tour for late January/February. This is mid-summer and gives us great chances for marine mammals, as well as things like butterflies and other animals that take advantage of the warmer weather. Our target bird species are also able to be seen during this time of the year, and one of the other benefits is that weather is often more settled (although it can be cool and wet at any time of the year in this island nation).  Currently, we do not have scheduled departures for this tour, but will run it on an as needed basis.  Get in touch by emailing us.

Itinerary

A detailed itinerary is available upon request, please email us to express your interest. Or perhaps you like the look of this tour but would like to change dates or make adjustments to the schedule, we are more than happy to make such changes, where possible, upon request.