Wandering Albatross (New Zealand Trip Part 2)

March 2nd–7th, 2020: North Island, South Island, and open ocean

Day 5, March 2nd: Tongariro Crossing

Today was our first real hike day. We like to walk, but love to hike. Tongariro Crossing is probably the best known hike in New Zealand. I should note that the NZ government is really on top of things when it comes to hiking: great websites and great info all around. And in the case of Tongariro, it was easy to find one of many shuttles to take us to one side of the one-way hike back to our car.

We started the 22km hike mid-morning, wanting to take our time to appreciate the views. (If you’re a seasoned hiker in good shape, you’ll find you can almost halve the time estimates.)

Looking east as we begin the Tongariro Crossing hike with first looks at Ngauruhoe on the right
Looking east as we begin the Tongariro Crossing hike with first looks at Ngauruhoe on the right

We hiked from west to east (Mangatepopo to Ketetahi). This takes you first through beautiful tussock fields to Soda Springs, a verdant oasis amid the black igneous ejecta.

Then the South Crater (which really looked Martian to me), where you’re looking across at Mount Ngauruhoe (or Mount Doom, if you like Lord of the Rings).

After that is the Red Crater with a shockingly red lava tube and scree from the sharper crater lip.

Then the Emerald and Blue Lakes, dazzling in the sun and ringed by sulphuric yellows.

And finally, back down through more tussock to the carpark, with the winding path below vanishing into the clouds.

It was pretty stunning. Only a few steep bits that were kinda scrambly. Other than that, a pretty chill hike. And we had great weather!

Looking back across Central Crater, toward Red Crater, with Ngauruhoe in the background
Looking back across Central Crater, toward Red Crater, with Ngauruhoe in the background

Bird-wise there wasn’t much to watch for. I kept my eyes peeled for Australasian Pipit, since they nest in the tussock and this was my best chance to see one.

I had no luck with the pipits, but got very lucky when a New Zealand Falcon zipped by at eye level during our descent. And I mean zipped by! I saw it for less than a second. It was so heavily shadowed I almost thought Black Falcon (a rare vagrant from Australia). I sprinted around the next corner, but never got another look at the thing. I guess I’d forgotten just how fast falcons can move (eBird list).

Some New Zealand Falcon hunting grounds
Some New Zealand Falcon hunting grounds

With the crossing behind us, we made a stop for one of the rarest ducks by far: Blue Duck. They’re another endemic and they like the mountain streams around Tongariro National Park. We stopped at a few places in Turangi, just north of the park. But no luck. That was a big miss and a bird I was really excited to see. Still, you can never see them all.

See any Blue Ducks? I didn't. :/
See any Blue Ducks? I didn’t. :/

Day 6, March 3rd: Taupo to Napier

Today started with a short walk and some coffee in downtown Taupo. It’s a sweet little town on the north side of the huge Lake Taupo: the largest in New Zealand. It even has one of these…

One of the weirder MacDonald’s ideas

Along the lovely waterfront, I came across more of the usual freshwater birds. New Zealand Scaup, New Zealand Grebe, Little Pied Cormorant, Black Swan, and more of the ubiquitous Mallard X Pacific Black Duck hybrids (eBird list).

Looking south across Lake Taupo from the town
Looking south across Lake Taupo from the town
A pair of New Zealand Grebe
A pair of New Zealand Grebe

We hit the road to Napier, a few hours to the east. Our first stop was at Huka Falls. Not a long drop, but a LOT of water.

Huka Falls in action

We also stopped at a viewpoint for Waipunga Falls on a whim. And an Australasian Pipit was waiting at the carpark for us!

Australasian Pipit
Australasian Pipit

The falls were nice too…

And before we hit Napier, some Mute Swans (the only ones of the trip) kindly made themselves visible in a roadside pond.

Mute Swan in a roadside pond
Mute Swan in a roadside pond

Napier is a beautiful town straight out of the 30s. It’s more Art Deco than you’ve ever seen (assuming you’re under 90). And the town really embraces it.

Looking across a square in Taupo toward lots of Art Deco structures
Looking across a square in Taupo toward lots of Art Deco structures
Looking south along Taupo's beachfront
Looking south along Taupo’s beachfront

There’s lots of information about the February 3rd, 1931 earthquake that created the need to rebuild. There are also before/after overlays, and even classic cars to complete the image. If you’re interested in architecture, design, and history (like my wife), you’ve got to check out Napier. We stayed at the Art Deco Masonic Hotel.

Art Deco Masonic Hotel facade
Art Deco Masonic Hotel facade

For dinner, we headed out to Mission Estate Winery. Mission Estate was originally a Mission and was also New Zealand’s first winery. The grounds and wines were wonderful. And the food was truly incredible. While enjoying our tasting and relaxing outside, I even saw some birds (eBird list).

Mission Estate Winery's backyard
Mission Estate Winery’s backyard

Day 7, March 4th: Ahuriri Estuary

I knew I wouldn’t have a chance to do much shorebirding this trip, so I snuck off on my own this morning to check out Ahuriri Estuary.

Looking out across Ahuriri Estuary
Looking out across Ahuriri Estuary

It’s a pretty spot with relatively deep, snaking, tidal streams. The tide was pretty low when I arrived and there were lots of raised areas to stand and scope from. There’s also a trail around the outside.

Ahuriri Estuary from the loop trail
Ahuriri Estuary from the loop trail

There was more of what I saw at Pukorokoro here, but not in the same numbers of course. Still, I wasn’t in any rush, so it was nice to soak it all in. Bar-tailed Godwit were again most numerous, but there was quite a good mix of birds.

Another pair of Bar-tailed Godwit
Another pair of Bar-tailed Godwit

I enjoyed seeing more of the birds I’d seen a few times now. South Island Oystercatcher, Variable Oystercatcher, Pied Stilt, Pacific Golden-Plover, Royal Spoonbill, and Caspian Tern were all kicking around.

And after some careful scanning, I spotted some Red-breasted Dotterel in the distance. They’re a relatively common endemic, widespread across most of New Zealand. But they were new to me!

A distant, digiscoped Red-breasted Dotterel
A distant, digiscoped Red-breasted Dotterel

Then I had a nice walk on the outer trail.

Can you name the one native and two introduced bird species in this photo?
Can you name the one native and two introduced bird species in this photo?

I found plenty of passerines in the fields and trees, and had my best looks of the trip at the many Sacred Kingfisher at the estuary (eBird list).

Sacred Kingfisher (digiscoped)
Sacred Kingfisher (digiscoped)

I didn’t do any more birding after Ahuriri. Instead, we took the late morning and afternoon to check out Hawthorne Coffee Roastery and Elephant Hill Winery. The latter had great wine and exceptional food.

Vintage water pressure gauge at Hawthorne Coffee Roastery
The beautiful patio and moat(!) at Elephant Hill Winery
The beautiful patio and moat(!) at Elephant Hill Winery

Then we were off to Wellington, stopping only for an incredibly underwhelming visit to “Rivendell” (from Lord of the Rings) in Kaitoke Regional Park. The park was a nice place to stop for a picnic and a walk. Despite the large amount of work the park had clearly put into making Rivendell come to life, it did not. I just couldn’t get excited about how the third tree from the left could be seen in the background of Scene 17. (For the record, I love the books and movies.)

An elvish marker denotes the entry to a place where someone once pointed a camera
An elvish marker denotes the entry to a place where someone once pointed a camera at Liv Tyler

The actual background for the Rivendell sequences is Norway. I looked that up: Norway is literally the antipode for New Zealand. So, while trying to appreciate a tree or two, we could not have been further from Rivendell.

A replica elvish arch made to be precisely way smaller than the one used in the movie
A replica elvish arch made to be precisely way smaller than the one used in the movie

Day 8, March 5th: Wellington

What a nice city. Probably my favourite city on the trip. It has everything: mountains, coffee, botanical gardens, a big wind turbine, estuaries, good food, the Zealandia Ecosantuary, the Te Papa museum, a funicular, and a beautiful harbour. Naturally, we went to everything.

A little of downtown Wellington
A little of downtown Wellington
Looking down from the top of the funicular (tracks on left)
Looking down from the top of the funicular (tracks on left)

There’d been a recent report of a Shore Plover (very rare endemic) at Hutt River estuary the day before. Naturally, I got up early to head there first. It was a nice spot, but no Shore Plover. I was happy to “settle” for a bunch stunning birds that I’d seen before (eBird list).

Royal Spoonbill quartet
Royal Spoonbill quartet

So I met back up with my wife and off we went to Zealandia. I was really excited about Zealandia. The ecosanctuary is a relatively recent effort (1999), but it was still the world’s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary. The fencing, however, is not like at a zoo: it’s designed to keep things out, not in. While it certainly does keep in the relocated flightless birds (Little Spotted Kiwi and South Island Takahe, for example), it mostly keeps out their invasive predators: rats, feral cats, stoats, and possums.

Looking across the lake at the base of Zealandia's valley
Looking across the lake at the base of Zealandia’s valley

Their truly dizzying goal was to first build a fence around the square-mile ecosanctuary, replant native plants and eliminative invasives, and then to allow the “real” New Zealand to return over the next 500 years! A noble goal, to be sure.

Looking out on the lush green of Zealandia from the dam
Looking out on the lush green of Zealandia from the dam

Anyway, boy was it packed with life! The birds might love it even more than I did. I walked as many of the trails and habitats as I could in the couple of hours we had there. Lakefront, riparian, forest, marshland. Everything I could visit. And I saw some great birds!

One of many trails through native flora at Zealandia
One of many trails through native flora at Zealandia

There were the native and endemic birds I’d seen before: Brown Teal (the only other ones I saw the whole trip), New Zealand Scaup, New Zealand Pigeon, Little Pied Cormorant, Pied Cormorant, Tui, New Zealand Bellbird, Gray Gerygone, Whitehead, New Zealand Fantail, North Island Saddleback, Stitchbird, North Island Robin, and Silvereye.

A pair of Brown Teal
A pair of Brown Teal
New Zealand Pigeon
New Zealand Pigeon
Tui
Tui

But there were also New Zealand Kaka! And lots of them.

Several young and adult New Zealand Kaka

There are actually feeders out for these parrots at Zealandia. Not because they need the food exactly, but because it encourages them to breed and nest within Zealandia. Doing so gives their young a way better chance at life because of the lack of nest predation within.

New Zealand Kaka at a Zealandia feeder designed for their weight

And wow are they loud (you can hear one at the end of the video above). There were plenty of young birds around too, begging and screaming for food.

Young New Zealand Kaka
Young New Zealand Kaka

It was amazing to hear them calling from the canopy and flying high overhead. Then to see them 5 feet away as they grabbed a nut or two. It was impossible to choose just one good photo…

Zealandia also had the first cormorant roost I’d seen up close. It was almost all Pied Cormorants with their young. But there was the odd Little Pied Cormorant hanging around.

Seeing them together sure makes it easy to separate Pied from the Little Pied Cormorants. And look at how small the bill is on the Little Pied at the top!
Seeing them together sure makes it easy to separate Pied from Little Pied Cormorants. And look at how small the bill is on the Little Pied at the top!
Pied Cormorant with young
Pied Cormorant with young
Pied Cormorant with begging young

I was also happy to see more of the captive-bred South Island Takahe.

South Island Takahe, grazing

And I even managed to catch a Tui singing part of its incredible song!

Singing Tui

Perhaps the coolest creature of all was the Tuatara. These reptiles are from the Triassic period. Yup. That’s around 240 million years ago. To put that in perspective: their lineage is about 150 million years more ancient than any of the “famous” dinosaurs you’ve heard of.

Female Tuatara at Zealandia
Female Tuatara at Zealandia

Like the South Island Takahe, the Tuatara were saved from the brink. In this case, they remained only on outlying islands and hadn’t been seen on the mainland for many years. They have been quite successful in captive breeding programs around New Zealand. This is important because they don’t mature sexually for 10–20 years and their average lifespan is around 60 years. The eldest Tuatara is “Henry.” He’s still sexually active at 111 years old! Keep up the good work little guy.

Whether you’re a birder or not, Zealandia is a must-visit! My wife will attest to that (eBird list).

A little more Zealandia
Zealandia: you’ve got to go!

We headed next to the botanical gardens. They’re a beautiful intermingling of exotic and native flora from all over.

I particularly enjoyed the cactus area
I particularly enjoyed the cactus area
I love a good cactus fractal
I love a good cactus fractal

Wonderfully planned with easygoing, wheelchair-accessible paths in some areas, and more rugged paths around the outside. And it’s all in the heart of the city. Definitely worth a visit.

Monarch Butterfly at Wellington Botanical Gardens
Monarch Butterfly at Wellington Botanical Gardens
White Butterfly (or Cabbage White) at Wellington Botanical Gardens
White Butterfly (or Cabbage White) at Wellington Botanical Gardens
New Zealand Pigeon having a drink
New Zealand Pigeon having a drink

We headed to the Te Papa museum after the gardens. I could write about the museum for ages. Suffice it to say: it was an incredibly well-curated, fascinating, engaging, and free experience. It’s really the national museum and it’s relatively new. There aren’t any live birds to see, but the taxidermy and natural history are excellent!

Wonderful curated natural history at Te Papa museum in Wellington
Wonderful curated natural history at Te Papa museum in Wellington
How many can you ID?
At risk of being controversial, I thought I'd post this interactive setup from Te Papa
At risk of being controversial, I thought I’d post this interactive setup from Te Papa. I thought it was interesting how people responded. How would you respond?

After a funicular ride, coffee (The Hangar was great and even gave us free beans!), and a bit of food later, it was sundown and I had one more thing to do today. I had to find a Little Spotted Kiwi and Morepork. (I hadn’t had any pork today; that’s the name of an owl.) It’s rather difficult to find any of the 5 species of kiwi without doing an expensive tour (or just seeing them in an enclosure). Fortunately, Russ came through again and recommended that I walk the outer fence line of Zealandia.

I heard the Little Spotted Kiwi (top middle) and saw the South Island Brown Kiwi (bottom left) on this trip
I heard the Little Spotted Kiwi (top middle) and saw the South Island Brown Kiwi (bottom left) on this trip

So I headed up into the mountains, parked the car, and headed out for a long walk in the dark. In case looking down on Wellington all lit up at night wasn’t enough, I heard 2 Little Spotted Kiwi and 3 Morepork calling within 15 minutes! That was easy. I had a very brief look into the trees for the owls with headlamp, but no luck. I was never expecting to see these birds. Hearing them was more than enough.

Little Spotted Kiwi (female) calling. Sadly, the wind carried away the Morepork calls I thought I’d recorded.

Day 9, March 6th: A tale of two islands…

It was the best of times. I stood on the top of the Interislander Ferry, birding for about 3 hours straight as we left the North Island behind.

Our sister ship
Our sister ship

I’ve always loved ferries. You get to do some seabirding, and in this case, some proper pelagic birding on open ocean, and you don’t have to get seasick for it.

Looking back toward Wellington, with the harbour out of sight around the point on the right
Looking back toward Wellington, with the harbour out of sight around the point on the right

Heading out of Wellington Harbour was stunning on its own.

Looking north across the southwest tip of the North Island
I feel like maybe we should go over there...?
I feel like maybe we should go over there…?

The first Spotted Shag I ever saw also decided to accompany us out of the harbour.

A Spotted Shag flies past the ferry
A Spotted Shag flies past the ferry

As we left the hilly suburbs and harbour behind, the pelagic wildlife really kicked up a notch. I started seeing lots of Short-beaked Common Dolphin in particular.

A small pod of Short-beaked Common Dolphin: note the two little ones up front
A small pod of Short-beaked Common Dolphin: note the two little ones up front

There weren’t a ton of birds, but they were good ones. I saw a couple of Parasitic Jaeger early on. Then White-capped Albatross started showing up, and there were plenty of shearwater: lots of Fluttering, a few Sooty and Buller’s, and one Flesh-footed.

Buller's Shearwater: note the diagnostic bold "M" pattern across the wings and back
Buller’s Shearwater: note the diagnostic bold “M” pattern across the wings and back

Then there were the views coming into Queen Charlotte sound. They were extraordinary! In truth, it wasn’t “better” than the BC ferries to Vancouver Island or up to the Sunshine Coast. But it was a different and at least as stunning.

Now we were in Marlborough. And when you hear “Marlborough,” you’ve got to think of wine…and maybe cigarettes and red. In any case, we availed ourselves of the local specialties. Sauvingnon Blanc is best here and happens to be my favourite white variety. I was also driving though (on the left side of the road for several more hours), so two tastings and some food were about all I could do.

We went to Rock Ferry first: a little winery that had been recommended to us when we were on the North Island. Then we visited Fromm. Both were great. And that’s all I’ll say because this is a bird blog. =P

Inside Fromm Winery
Inside Fromm Winery

Having indulged in some quasi-elitist palette treats, we headed to the Blenheim wastewater treatment ponds. Now we’re talking!

The beautiful path between sewage lagoons
The beautiful path between sewage lagoons

In fact, there are quite a lot of trails around some beautiful marshland. We didn’t really have time to explore these and it was hot and exposed anyway. I managed to find a vantage to scope the raised ponds and turned up some new birds for the trip: Canada Goose (yup, that was new), Eurasian Coot, and Australian Shoveler. The Blenheim WTP area is well worth a stop for a walk, and not at all smelly (eBird list).

Our last stop of the day was just off the highway at Lake Elterwater. This is a shallow lake, surrounded by grazing land, and some marsh. I was hoping to see the Australian Grebe that had been reported here, but didn’t have any luck.

Lake Elterwater
Lake Elterwater

There were tons of ducks though, including some more Gray Teal. Plus, an exciting new shorebird: Black-fronted Dotterel. They’re most easily seen in the northeast part of the South Island (Marlborough). And as it turned out, I wouldn’t see them again this trip (eBird list).

Two Black-fronted Dotterel. Can you see both?
A truly terrible digiscope of Two Black-fronted Dotterel. Can you see them?

Day 10, March 7th: Kaikoura pelagic trip

I love pelagic trips. I hate pelagic trips. My feelings about them seem to go on the same journey my stomach does each and every time. The trick, I’ve discovered, is never to go on two of them too close together. That way, you only remember the lasting images of the albatrosses gliding by, and you forget about feeling truly horrible the whole time.

I was totally psyched though. Pelagics are always memorable. And I was sure today would be no different. Not only were there 5+ birds out there that I’d never seen before, there were another dozen I’d only glimpsed before (or seen off the Cape of Good Hope). We’d also always be within sight of land because the shelf drops off so close to shore. In other words, I wouldn’t have to feel sick for 8 hours: it would just be 3 and the birds would be just as good!

Northern Giant-Petrel glide above the waves off the South Island's east coast
Northern Giant-Petrel glide above the waves off the South Island’s east coast

We got lucky too. Almost as soon as we left the shelter of the Kaikoura peninsula, we came across a small fishing boat. It was surrounded by birds, and with a little chum over the back of our boat, they decided we were just as good.

Northern Giant-Petrel and Wandering Albatross interested in some fish
Northern Giant-Petrel and Wandering Albatross interested in some seafood scraps

There were close to 20 Northern Giant-Petrel, but the kings of the castle were the massive Wandering Albatross. They were so close I could have reached out and touched them. And they dwarf even the Giant-Petrels.

This Wandering Albatross got his pick of the scraps
This Wandering Albatross got his pick of the scraps

One was particularly nasty. And there were a few of them jockeying for position nearest the chum.

A brief contest over superiority at the chum
A brief contest for superiority at the chum

I counted 11 Wandering Albatross in all: a very high number for this area.

A pelagic feeding frenzy: Wandering Albatross and Northern Giant-Petrel in the foreground; Westland Petrel and White-fronted Tern in the background

Wandering Albatross are insanely cool. First of all, they’re albatrosses. If that isn’t enough on its own, they’re the largest albatross in the world (with the Royal Albatross averaging only slightly smaller). This also makes their wingspan the largest in the world: an average of 3 meters (or around 10 feet), with larger individuals approaching 12 feet! WHAT!? Statistically, that’s about two of you. Watching them take off and land is like watching a Hercules with folding wings and floppy feet.

Wandering Albatross
Wandering Albatross

Like all albatrosses, Wandering Albatross mate for life. They also breed every two years (starting between age 11 and 15) because fetching food for their single nestling is so intense, they have to take a year to replenish their bodies after the fledgling is off on its own. In fact, they need to gather enough food to get their nestling to 16kg or 35lbs! Then the young bird takes off into the wind and plummets down to the ocean, hopefully stopping just short of the water (or it will likely die) and gliding out to sea. Think: every action film involving a plane diving off a precipice and swooping up at the last minute.

Wandering Albatross
Wandering Albatross

Once they’ve taken off, albatrosses spend most of their life at sea. But Wandering Albatross are particularly known for just that. They sometimes circumnavigate the entire Southern Ocean in a single year. That’s 120000km (or 75000mi). So yeah, they’re pretty impressive.

A Wandering Albatross banks in front of the New Zealand coast
A Wandering Albatross banks in front of the New Zealand coast

We motored out a little deeper and hit another pocket of birds, including several Cape Petrel (named for the place I last saw them: South Africa).

A Cape Petrel flies alongside us
A Cape Petrel flies alongside us

We saw more variety here. Now there were 4 more albatross species: Salvin’s Albatross, Black-browed Albatross, Royal Albatross, White-capped Albatross.

White-capped Albatross
Salvin’s Albatross

There were more of the other pelagic bird families too: Short-tailed Shearwater, Buller’s Shearwater, White-chinned Petrel, and Westland Petrel. The latter is an endemic, relatively easily separated form the similar White-chinned Petrel, which is missing the black tip on the bill.

Westland Petrel: note the dark tip of the bill
Westland Petrel: note the dark tip of the bill
Short-tailed Shearwater (very similar to Sooty Shearwater)
Short-tailed Shearwater (very similar to Sooty Shearwater)

After a lot of pitching and tossing. Pitching and tossing. We headed around to a cormorant roost, packed with Spotted Shag.

Spotted Shag and Silver Gull roost
Spotted Shag and Silver Gull roost

Around the other side were some adorable Australasian Fur Seal pups.

Very young Australasian Fur Seal pups
Very young Australasian Fur Seal pups
Older Australasian Fur Seal
Older Australasian Fur Seal

Then we were treated to some Hector’s Dolphin feeding right next to us in a sheltered bay they like. These are the world’s smallest dolphins and I have no pictures because I’m certain I would have lost my breakfast. (But I was very pleased to be able to locate the bay again from land so my wife could see the dolphins through the scope.) We didn’t see any other cetaceans on the trip, but I was more than satisfied with these amazing dolphins!

Little Pied Cormorant
Little Pied Cormorant

Kaikoura Albatross Encounter was a really great pelagic that I happily recommend (there are lots of options in New Zealand). Our skipper was very knowledgeable and, even though several people on our small boat weren’t birders, they clearly had an incredible time (eBird list).

Lonely Little Penguin
Lonely Little Penguin

I spent the rest of the day driving and not quite throwing up as we made our way down the coast to Christchurch. Our only stop was a quick and unsuccessful one to look for Cape Barren Goose at St. Anns Lagoon (eBird list).

Wow. You made it to the end! Stay tuned for Part 3

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. melissa hafting

    wow just amazing Jim. It is such a beautiful and lush country. The 3 hour pelagic trip you did is worth the whole trip in my books. The photos are incredible and to get that close to a wandering albatross is just mind blowing. Plus you saw 4 other species of albatross (Salvin’s Albatross, Black-browed Albatross, Royal Albatross, White-capped Albatross) none less beautiful than the next! Plus the cute little penguin! I would love to see it just wow.

    Thanks for sharing and glad you had such a wonderful trip in this beautiful country with amazing doves boy it makes ours look really drab!

    1. Jim Palmer

      Yeah, the pelagic was something else! And the albatross down there are weirdly easy to separate, for the most part. Spoiler alert: I saw one more albatross species on the trip (and maybe my most hoped for): Buller’s. It’ll be in the Part 4/Recap post…

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