After a 13-hour flight from San Francisco, we were happy to get some much-needed sleep—so tired we even missed two of the three meals and the free wine and beer! We landed in Auckland at 9 a.m. on a Monday, having crossed the international date line. Clay, a friend from Teakdecking, picked us up and, in a perfect start to our trip, offered to stop at Killarney Park for our first New Zealand birds. In just 15 minutes, we picked up six life birds, including Eurasian Coot, Black-billed Gull, Red-billed Gull, Kelp Gull, Eurasian Blackbird, and Song Thrush. Although the Black Swans weren’t new to us, they were stunning nonetheless.
Clay and Mike dropped me off at the house in Dairy Flat, where I was happy to nap. After an hour of sleep, my new friend Inez and I decided to walk the property. It’s an incredible place with dogs, goats, llamas, and great birds. Inez took photos while I used my binoculars, and we added four more life birds to my list: Spotted Dove, Grey Gerygone (also known as the Grey Warbler), New Zealand Fantail, and the adorable Silvereye, a small green bird with a prominent white eyering. Inez’s excitement over our finds was infectious, and she proudly announced to Mike and Alex when they returned, “I’m a birder now!”
From Sandbars to Seabirds
The next morning, we headed to Orams Marina in downtown Auckland. The sunrise over the Sky Tower was a stellar sight. Our business trip to Tauranga, a 3.5-hour drive away, offered a chance for a brief stop at the Miranda Birding Centre. Thousands of birds were on the sandbars, and we were lucky that scopes had been set up for visitors. We got good looks at the Royal Spoonbill and nine more life birds. We were most excited to see thousands of Bar-tailed Godwits staging for their annual migration—a non-stop flight of over 7,000 miles to Alaska, making it the longest undertaken by any bird. The ponds along the road also provided great sightings of Paradise Shelduck, White-faced Heron, Australasian Swamphen, and Pied Stilt.
A Rarity on the Tour
On Wednesday, Inez and I took a birding tour with Habitat Tours, a company we highly recommend. Our guide, Tristan Cullen, was fantastic. Our first bird at Tawharanui Regional Park was a spectacularly colored Eastern Rosella in the parking lot trees. Our 2.5-mile walk through a variety of habitats yielded 31 species.
The highlight of the day was the endemic South Island Takahe, an enormous, flightless rail with only about 300 individuals remaining in the world. The four individuals we found were unafraid, and Inez even captured this photo with her cell phone.
Other birds on the tour included Gray Teal, Brown Teal, Variable Oystercatcher, and the stunning New Zealand Kaka. My favorite photos of the trip, taken by Inez, were of the New Zealand Bellbird and the North Island Saddleback.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch provided by Habitat Tours, which might have been the best meal of our trip. We looked out at the stunning beach while enjoying meat pies and homemade salads.
Tristan later spotted a Buff-banded Rail—a bird rarely seen out in the open—at a waterfall on the Matakana River. Across from the pond, the meadow sheep, taking advantage of the day’s beautiful weathe,r showcased the amazing greenery. Our final stop was at Parry Karui Park to see the McKinney kauri tree, which is over 800 years old.
Our first three days in New Zealand were completely new and awe-inspiring, yielding 40 life birds. We celebrated Inez’s birthday that night, and the brilliant double rainbow that appeared seemed to celebrate our trip as well. Stay tuned for details about the rest of our time in New Zealand.
Trip Birds: 53
Life Birds: 40
Next up: New Zealand Part Two
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