Trip Report: 30 day South Island roadtrip

[Brendan T]

What follows is a trip report of a 30 day roadtrip my wife (Emma-Lea) and I took around the South Island. It may prove useful to others planning similar trips, both from the perspective of knowing where to go to see various birds, and from the perspective of knowing what non-birding activities (only briefly mentioned) can be incorporated into such a trip. The trip was about 60% birding, 40% non-birding. I’ll also provide a breakdown of some of the costs at the end, particularly in relation to fuel, as that was something we struggled to know how much to budget for when planning out the trip. Feel free to ask any questions.

eBird trip report here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/425053?view=photos

Thursday 9th October:

Drove Auckland to Wellington in one day, lunching at Turangi in the hopes of Em being able to see her first Whio, but without success. Trip consumed almost exactly the entirety of our Aqua’s 36L tank.

Friday 10th October:

Weta Workshop in the morning - the trip couldn’t all be birding, after all. Birded briefly around the Botanical Gardens. We were pleased to note how many kaka were in such an urban spot compared to Auckland’s parks and gardens. No redpolls or dunnocks were seen, two birds that are rarer around Auckland that I was hoping to get nice photographs of before leaving the North Island.

Saturday 11th October:

Took Interislander to Picton. Three White-capped Mollymawks were observed, in addition to three Fairy Prions. All procellaria were Westlands. No King Shags were observed when in the sound, despite my best efforts, though I was pleased to see a pod of Dusky dolphins.

After making port, we headed to Blenheim WTP in the hopes of a Cirl Bunting. We found a beautifully coloured male, but he was behind many twigs where my autofocus couldn’t find him. So would begin a multi-day quest spanning weeks to get a nice Cirl Bunting shot.

Sunday 12th October:

Had been hoping to spend an entire day on Blumine, but E-Ko tours didn’t have enough bookings to justify an AM and PM trip, so I spent a restless morning reading, waiting for our tour. The boat ride out gave us great views of several Dusky pods, and closer fly-bys of Fluttering Shearwaters than I’m used to, but no King Shags were spotted. Almost missed the Orange-fronted Kakariki as they weren’t in their typical spot behind the toilets. Having distantly heard them 20 min before the boat was due back, I made a mad run up the muddy trail. Two birds treated me to fantastic views.

Back on the beach in time to get my ride back, Skipper Dan informed us he’d seen a King Shag in the water just round the point, so we cruised over in that direction, and it was still there! This was two lifers for me in the one day now.

While we continued to search all the possible roosting sites on the way back (shout-out to Skipper Dan for going above and beyond), the lone King Shag in the water ended up being the single sighting of the day. Back on land, Sisu Bar and Eatery provided a welcome meal where I treated myself to “lifer pie” in the form of some potatoey goodness.

Monday 13th October

An early start saw us arrive at Blenheim WTP on sunrise, hoping for another chance at some Cirl Bunting shots. I dipped, but we were treated to a kahu feeding right beside the road in the dawn light, and a European Hedgehog crossing the road, which stopped to pose for some lovely golden hour shots. We left just as the light started to get too harsh around 9AM, wanting to make good time to Nelson, and not wanting to dedicate too many of our limited hours to searching for a mere introduced species.

A stop at Cable Bay Adventure Park to ride the Skywire was a nice non-birding detour, and a Shining Cuckoo singing in the tree by the shuttle van had the staff curious about the unfamiliar sound, and so provided a nice opportunity for me to share the birding joy with some non-birders.

By the time we hit Nelson, it was bucketing down, but out I ventured anyway, to get some nice shots of the Australian Wood Ducks in the rain. These birds in particular were a nice reminder of home.

Tuesday 14th October

The first planned stop of the day was Lake Eltewater for Hoary-headed Grebe, but a report of Glossy Ibis at Grovetown Lagoon had us make a whole 2-minute detour to go see them. I was quite shocked to find 26 birds, just shy of the previous NZ high count of 27.

Next stop was Lake Eltewater, as planned, though it was bucketing down again by then, so I donned rain jacket and slid my camera into its protective sleeve and went a-searching, but after 15 minutes of fruitless scanning, I was beginning to get worried. Then I espied a Great Crested Grebe, which was an NZ first for me at least, but not the bird I was looking for. After about 30 minutes in the rain I finally found the HHG cruising around on my side of the lake, but south, in an inaccessible area - or so I thought. With a bit of bush-bashing and a brief unintentional swim, I was able to get close enough for a decent proof shot, though a “good shot” would have to wait for another day.

A very wet car-ride later saw us arrive at Kaikoura, where my wife went to visit the seal colony while I made another attempt at the Cirl Bunting, as she’d given up on the bird at this point. After traversing the entire clifftop, I was just about to give up when I spotted some Yellowhammers at South Bay, just before the metal catwalk. I scanned them and was umming and ahhing over a female of one species or the other, trying to see whether its rump was olive or rufous (an impossible task when you’re colour-blind, mind you), when I spotted a second bird with the all-important dark throat. A male!

We were tempted to look for Little Owls on dusk, but it’d been a big day, I was still wet from my accidental swim at Eltewater, and we were due to wake up at 4:30AM to get ready for our morning dolphin swim the next day, and so my wife made the executive decision to delay our Little Owl mission til the next day.

As a side-note, interestingly, I saw a very odd Pied Cormorant (at least, I thought it was very odd), but after some inquiries, I discovered that juvenile P.v. varius (the NZ subspecies of Pied Shag) can look very different to P.v. hypoleucos (the Aussie subspecies of Pied Cormorant). A very fascinating bit of subspecies variation!

Wednesday 15th October

After a magical morning swimming with dolphins, where I may have indulged in a bit of birding on the side, it was back up the coast to see the fur seals at Ohau Point colony at my wife’s request, and from there it was only a hop, skip, and a jump back to Eltewater since I’d only managed atrocious shots of the HHGs the day before. It proved to be a fantastic decision, as after positioning myself at water level amongst some tall grass, I had one HHG cruise straight past. After a harrier put everything up, two Great Crested Grebes also re-landed together and started nuzzling each other, so all in all, it was a very worthwhile return trip.

We checked for Cirl Bunting at South Beach after that, hoping to improve my shots even further, but they were not present. Then, it was time to relax until dusk, when we’d try for Little Owl.

After some searching, we found this crepuscular species at the end of Schoolhouse Road, at the entrance to Kowhai Bush, in a macrocarpa. I was pretty impressed with myself, as I’d accidentally left my binos at the B&B, and my arms were too dead to hold the camera up for long periods of time, so I’d just been scanning with my eyes. The naked eye, at twilight, over long distances, will normally fail me. But not tonight!

Thursday 16th October

Albatross Encounter was my wife’s first pelagic, and she wasn’t disappointed! She was shooting on my Nikon D500 with a Tamron 18-400mm lens, which gave a lot of versatility for close-ups and wides. She’s not normally a photographer, but was getting really into taking some epic shots that will certainly give me a run for my money. No unusual species were encountered, aside from a single Fluttering among the Hutton’s, but the birds were all very photogenic. After the Encounter, it was to Hanmer Springs for some soaking in the hot pools.

Friday 17th October

We started the morning the right way by listening to a Shining Cuckoo calling above our heads while we lay in bed. As I’d been up past midnight going through our pelagic shots, it was a late start, and when we finally stumbled, zombie-like, out of our cabin, a falcon flew overhead, giving Em her first lifer of the day (there would be many for her today!)

Then, it was onto Chirstchurch, where we stopped at Ashley Estuary to look for Black-fronted Terns, but they all did distant flybys. A family of Paradise Shelducks with seven tiny ducklings kept Em well entertained while I went looking for more terns, but I could not find any birds at rest. The terns were a lifer for us both. Wrybill and Banded Dotterel were lifers for Em.

Pegasus Wetlands was next on the agenda, where after some searching, we found a lone Mute Swan, also a lifer for us both, followed by a good 30 minute photo op session with some very obliging Great Crested Grebes. Em enjoys a bit of birding, but not too much all in one go, so I cut my photo session with the grebes short and we headed for a (very) late lunch, before ducking into Travis Wetlands for Cape Barren Geese, where Em again found some Paradise Shelducks (one of her favourites) to photograph while I trekked miles and miles looking for the Geese (in the end, they were only visible from the top of the observation tower, in a distant paddock - thanks to Ben Ackerley for that tip-off). This also marked the first time Em took an eye-level photograph of a bird - and was quite disgusted by the fact that she got grass-clippings all over herself, and so decided to leave all future eyelevel shots to me.

Saturday 18th October

I am blessed with a very patient wife, and although as mentioned, she enjoys a bit of birding, it was time to indulge her with a bit of retail therapy followed by an escape room, another activity we both enjoy, so the only birdwatching I did was a spot of evening birding at Roto Kohatu, where I finally got an improved Redpoll shot, but still nothing staggering.

Sunday 19th October

I met up with Ben and Judah to be shown around Lake Ellesmere, which proved very valuable, as the place is vast - access, and knowing which bays to check, would have been tricky otherwise. I spent a considerable amount of time focusing on getting nice Pec Sand shots. Other highlights included a Whimbrel and Aus Tern, two rare Canterbury birds. The afternoon was spent dipping on Baillon’s Crake at Harts Creek, though the shade by the creek made for a relaxing if futile wait.

Monday 20th October

We did another escape room, then went to some yarn stores for Em, before heading out to Godley Head to try for Buntings there, as I’d heard the photographic opportunities were better. Yes, I had become obsessed with buntings. I managed to improve my shots, then we revisited Ashley Estuary to try get shots of the Black-fronted Terns at rest (I had only got flying shots). This mission failed, though I was able to get some nice Little Egret shots there. Then, we stopped in at the Kaiapoi Oxidation Ponds and swamp, hoping again for Baillon’s/Marsh Crake shots. There, a pale-breasted Shoveller some 400m away gave me pause, but it proved in the end to just be a trick of the light/an unusually pale bird. Checking the forecast that night, I saw the entire south island was due for 10+ days of heavy rain. Not good. I mentally prepared myself for searching for Chukar and Black Stilt in the driving rain, consoling myself that at least my shots would have that unique factor, but really, all I could do was pray for the squalls to pass quickly and the weatherperson to be proved wrong.

Tuesday 21st October

We stopped at Ashburton on the way out of Chirstchurch so Em could visit Ashford, a craft shop that specialises in looms and spinning wheels. While she browsed, I checked the river (just in town) for Black-fronted Dotterels. If I’d had more time, the rivermouth probably would have been the go, but the water levels were very high anyway.

At Tekapo, 130+ km/hr northwesterlies made me question if I’d have any luck with the Chukar, as they’re most often reported on that western slope. I’d heard that going on dawn or dusk was best, as the less people out and about, the more likely the birds would be to emerge. But as the road up was closed due to the strong winds, I opted to hike up as early 3:30, from the hiking trail at the southern end, knowing there’d be few people around. It was an actual hellscape in those winds, and I spent the next 4 hrs shivering despite many layers of thermals and jumpers and windbreakers, with no sign of the birds, despite walking all the trails, the roads, and even going off-track to search the leeward side of the mountain. I was disadvantaged in that my tripod had broken, so my scope was useless, and the wind was far too strong to attempt much scanning with the binos - both because they couldn’t be held still, and because having my hands out of my pockets for more than 10 seconds would induce agony. Gloves certainly would have been a smart move, and my lack thereof probably contributed significantly to my coldness despite my many warm layers. My patience paid off eventually, though! Around 7:40, just 10 minutes before sunset, I spotted two birds huddling under a bush, sharing the space with a beleaguered rabbit. It made for quite a comical scene. I photographed them for the next 10 minutes, but 10 minutes of hands out of pockets meant that by the time Em picked me up from the northern entrance, I had blue lips and was slurring my words a little. All worth it, though! And with that, the Chukar was officially the most difficult bird of the trip so far - both due to the conditions I had to endure, and because it was the closest I’d come to dipping on a species.

Wednesday 22nd October

Did a sunrise shoot at the Church of the Good Shepherd with a wide angle lens, then made our way leisurely over to Glentanner, stopping in at Twizel for a good feed first. Along the way, we stopped at a viewing area with a lot of Black-fronted Tern activity, so I took the opportunity to photograph them. There was a bit of intraspecies aggression, which made for some great shots. And a few tourists were getting a bit close, which also made for some great shots, though I had to kindly suggest to them that perhaps the birds needed a bit more space. Wind was still very gusty, particularly at Glentanner itself, where at times it was difficult to make any forward progress if walking into the wind. Took a while to locate the Black Stilts, but found them eventually nor-east of the airstrip, huddling behind some embankments where the braided rivers had cut some deeper channels. Photography was very challenging in such conditions, since the wind was a nor-westerly, so I had to shoot directly into the sun, with almost zero subject separation. It took a lot of patience, maneuvering, and trial and error, but eventually I was able to figure out a solution that worked for me, the birds, the sun, and the wind. While the wind made photographing the stilts a challenge, it was so much more rewarding when I was able to pull off the shot I wanted, and in the end the wind actually enhanced the shot. The wind also made Black-fronted Tern action shots a treat, and the normally skittish Redpolls came so close as to give me frame-filling shots, obviously reluctant to expend extra energy given the amount of calories flight was costing them in such gales. Overall, easily the best day of the trip so far. The landscape out at Glentanner is stunning, but the Black Stilts are truly heart-capturing. You always get a high when you see a new species, but the Black Stilts gave me a bigger rush than any other bird I’ve seen or photographed. Just an incredible, incredible species.

Thursday 23rd October

Torrential rain and gale-force winds meant I opted to stay in and edit my shots/fight off the cold I’d started to feel in my throat from crawling through the glacial waters the day prior. I did rescue a House Sparrow that had become trapped in the communal kitchen, but otherwise did no birding. The road between Glentanner and Twizel was closed due to flooding from about 11am onwards, and still hadn’t opened by the time we went to bed. We would need it to clear if we wanted to be able to leave the next morning as planned.

Friday 24th October

The road reopened so we left as planned, stopping in at Duntroon to see a fossil museum and then at Oamarua to head over to Sumpter Wharf to photograph the Otago Shags. The wharf is truly spectacular due to the sheer amount of birds there, though the breakwater is better to get close shots, as you can’t venture out onto the wharf. Oamaru was not what I expected - I would have loved some extra time to explore the historic town and all the arty shops. We did visit a Steampunk Museum, which was very good. Then, it was to Katiki Point Lighthouse to see Yellow-eyed Penguins, briefly stopping in at the Moeraki Boulders. All in all, a very touristy day, but a good little bit of birding was still had. Both the Otago Shag and Yellow-eyed Penguin were lifers for Em.

Saturday 25th October

Today was a day of many lifers for Em, with Brown Creeper, South Island Robin, South Island Saddleback, and Rifleman all seen at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. No lifers for me, as I’d managed to see all these species on a work trip the year before. The sanctuary itself was hillier and more quiet than we’d expected, taking us quite a bit of time to get onto the Saddleback in particular (Fernbird Track), while almost all the other activity was along the Kiwi Track and Tui Track (with the exception of Kaka, which were everywhere). The enclosures for the Jewelled Geckos and Otago Skinks were also a highlight, though these fell squarely into ‘captive’ rather than simply ‘translocated’, so there were no reptile lifers for either of us.

Sunday 26th October

We’d been going absolutely gang-busters the past few weeks and needed a well-deserved break, so it was a couples’ Thai massage in the morning followed by a leisurely stroll around Larnach Castle in the arvo.

Monday 27th October

We stopped in at Sinclair Wetlands, hoping for Marsh Crake and Fernbird. Success on the latter, which was a lifer for Em. Then it was onto Queenstown, where we stopped in at a wetland off Sandford Terrace, also looking for Marsh Crake. It was pouring, so Em stayed in the car, but I finally had success. I’d seen them plenty in Aus, and managed some nice shots, but in NZ I’d only heard them and had the most fleeting of glimpses, but hadn’t photographed one. Sadly, the photographs from Sandford Terrace were pretty poor, but I could finally add this elusive crake species to my “seen and photographed” NZ list. The forecast was due to be better tomorrow, so then it was early to bed, ready to try again at dawn. And that was when the snow began to fall.

Tuesday 28th October

We thought we’d be trapped for days when it started snowing the night before, especially when we woke up to it still snowing. We made the most of it by making a snowman, then tried to decide whether we needed to wait for Haast Pass to reopen, or if it would be better to shoot around the long way and drop in through Arthur’s Pass (everything was pre-booked, non-refundable). Cromwell was where our options diverged, so we drove there, checking every harrier along the way as a supposed Black Kite had been reported in the area, then explored the historic town centre, and enjoyed watching a family of Paradise Shelducks with 7 chicks. When the 11am update showed the pass was still closed, we knew we needed to make a call. We opted to drive to Wanaka and hope for the 5pm update to bring good news, and if not, spend the night there. While waiting for that 5pm update, a mallard duckling walked up to within a metre of Em. The starlings around Wanaka also had no fear and were significantly more approachable than anywhere else I’ve ever seen. It would have been a great spot to get some headshots if I’d been so inclined, but I was too preoccupied keeping tabs on the updates for Haast Pass. We also did the giant maze at Wanaka since we had time to kill, and I tend to try to do every giant maze I see. And then, at 4:30, the update came through early - the pass was open! We’d bought snow chains and chocks as a precaution back in Queenstown, so we took the pass, but super carefully, neither of us having driven in snow before. But the workers had done a great job clearing all the snow, fallen trees, and slips, so we didn’t need to drive over any snow, nor did we encounter any black ice, though I think we were the slowest car through the pass, often pulling over to let other cars pass. It pays to be cautious when you’re driving in completely new conditions. Finally, we arrived at Haast, our itinerary only slightly thrown off.

Wednesday 29th October

We woke pre-dawn as I’d assumed Fiordland Crested Penguins entered and exited the sea at dawn and dusk, heading to Monro Beach, but there were none to be seen. We weren’t too worried though, as this was exactly why we’d booked with Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge - the tawaki wasn’t a bird we wanted to risk dipping on. This proved to be an incredible decision, as the guides knew all the best spots, and were able to take us places the general public can’t access, and although staying at the lodge was a fair bit pricier than anything else we’d booked for our somewhat budget roadtrip, the tawaki were pretty much at the top of both of our lists, so it was definitely worth it, especially since our afternoon tour ended up tied for the seasonal high count of 18 confirmed birds, though it was very likely we actually had 22 (a bird must cross the high tide mark to be officially counted in the 90-minute survey, otherwise you risk double-counting tentative birds that chicken out). Included in the stay was a 5-star dinner, which was probably the fanciest meal either of us have ever had. All the staff were very knowledgeable and welcoming, too, and the money spent went to a good cause, as the owner, Gerry, was instrumental in getting extra protections in place for these special birds around the Lake Moeraki area.

Thursday 30th October

We were going to revisit the tawaki but it was pouring so we started the drive to Franz Josef instead, but sadly the glacier is no longer visible from the closer viewing platform. That night saw an unsuccessful search for rowi (Okarito Kiwi). It was still pouring down so we didn’t expect success, nevertheless we kept at it until 2am, but never even heard one call.

Friday 31st October

We drove to Punakaiki, then used the arvo to sleep off our kiwi search from the night before, before embarking on yet another kiwi search, this time for the Great Spotted Kiwi at Bullock Creek Road. We heard several calling, in particular a female that sounded like she was only 20-30 metres away but in thick scrub, so we weren’t able to get eyes on her. This was on the Cave Creek walk that branches off from Bullock Creek Road, in the meadow with the seat. We didn’t have enough oomph to keep searching beyond midnight after our big push the day before at Okarito. And I’d been starting to plan a Heaphey Track trip with my mum for 2026 anyway, so I wasn’t too down and out about only hearing the kiwi.

Saturday 1st November

We drove to Arthur’s Pass where we went up the Otira Valley in search of Rock Wren. There weren’t any just past the bridge, and a guy told us he’d seen some but much further up the valley than is typical. He’d had 5 or so at his feet, too close for his camera to focus, which gave us hope. It was quite the rock scramble, and a bit hairy at times to be honest, but we got up there… only to see a single bird. It was a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, this was my most anticipated bird of the trip. On the other hand, we’d only missed having 5 at our feet by about an hour, and the single bird we did see was quite distant, and made itself scarce before I could get off a good snap, or before we could even really stop to appreciate it. Then, on the way back, Em rolled an ankle, and for a while we were worried if she was going to be able to walk out or not. Hobbling, she made it. Then, while grabbing a feed at the Alpine Parrot up at Arthur’s Pass, we saw some kea - another lifer for Em, and a bird I had last seen some 15 years ago, when I was a kid, before I was into birding, so it felt like a lifer for me too.

Sunday 2nd November

Determined to get better Rock Wren shots, I went up the Otira again. With Em’s ankle still sore and a little swollen, she stayed behind. I was a little nervous about scrambling over all that rough terrain by myself, so we took extra precautions - I packed enough food, water, and warm clothes that I’d be fine for a night if anything untoward happened, and agreed on a time that I should be back before Em needed to be concerned. Being a more experienced hiker than my wife, I made it past the bridge and to the Rock Garden in 1 hr, where it had taken us 1 hr 45 min together the previous day. And it turned out I would need that extra time, as the Rock Wren were again making themselves scarce. I sat and waited at hte typical spot in the Rock Garden - nothing. I scrambled up the valley side to some good-looking habitat where the guy from the previous day had had them - nothing. I waited at each spot for about an hour, hoping the birds would come in. It was beginning to look like I’d dip on my second attempt and not be able to improve my shots. Then, remembering that the most distant pins on eBird were just across the river, I made the crossing and went about 50m further up the valley. Finally, I heard the distinctive three-note high-pitched call! Such a beautiful sound! The birds were quite wary, yet comfortable enough to allow some nice shots, at least. I’d been hoping to try get one with a snow-capped mountain in the background, but they weren’t that cooperative. Still, I walked away very happy.

Then, on the way down, despite testing each step before I took it, I managed to step onto a sort of seesaw rock that catapulted me forward. I was alert enough to break my fall into two stages, redirecting most of my inertia so that I fell, staggered, then semi caught myself, then fell again, managing to alter my trajectory as I did so, so that I landed in some grass. There was one rock among the grass though, and I struck my knee quite hard, though not as hard as I might have, had I not broken the fall into two stages. I could walk out fine, but a week later, it’s still very sore. I felt a bit stupid, as I’d managed to keep my feet on all the scree slopes the entire way there and back on both days, but was defeated by one random rock on a relatively low-risk part of the trail.

It was then up to the Village to check out Devil’s Punchbowl. Em’s ankle and my knee were both a little too tender to chain the Punchbowl into Bridal Veil Falls, which had been the plan, so we decided to break them up and return for Bridal Veil the next day.

Monday 3rd November

We ambled along the Devil’s Punchbowl and Bridal Veil Falls tracks in the morning, spending most of my time successfully photographing Rifleman, and a smaller amount of time unsuccessfully trying to get nice shots of Brown Creepers (at least, not up to my usual standard). Then, we spent the middle of the day resting up, ready to go kiwi spotting in the evening. But it was too windy for the birds to come out - we didn’t even hear any.

Tuesday 4th November

We walked the Hawdon Valley up to just past the DOC hut in search of Yellowhead and the two parakeets, but the wind from the previous night persisted, and so most birds were tucked away - we were unable to sight any of our targets. I’d already seen them all elsewhere, but Em needed all three as lifers, so that was a shame.

Wednesday 5th November

Today was mostly a travel day, stopping in at Castle Hill for some touristy sightseeing, then Grovetown Lagoon to see if any Glossy Ibis were about, which there weren’t, but we instead found six black-fronted dotterels, an NZ tick for both of us.

Thursday 6th November

Took the ferry from Picton back to Wellington, with a steady but sparse stream of fairy prions going past for the first leg of open ocean, perhaps 80+ birds. Other observations included a White-capped and Salvin’s Albatross, and a bunch of Westlands, including one bird that didn’t appear to have toe projection, but upon closer examination, was just a Westland at a funny angle. The highlight was a Grey-faced Petrel - I believe somewhat unusual in the Cook?

Friday 7th November

Stayed at Foxton to get a headstart on the drive back to Auckland, stopping in at Turangi where my wife saw her first Whio, and then at Pureora, where I attempted to get photos of Long-tailed Cuckoo, but the only one we heard calling was just too deep in the scrub. Yellow-fronted Parakeet was a lifer for Em, though. Then, it was a race home to get the Common Sandpiper at Otara Weir, which I ended up dipping on right on dusk, but did manage to locate the next day. A nice “welcome back” present, you might say.

AND NOW FOR SOME STATS…

DAYS TRAVELLED: 30
MONEY SPENT ON FUEL: $607.94
KMS DRIVEN: 5,480

BRENDAN NUMBER OF LIFERS: 9
BRENDAN NUMBER OF NZ TICKS:17

EMMA-LEA NUMBER OF LIFERS: 37
EMMA-LEA NUMBER OF NZ TICKS: 41

BRENDAN BIRDING HIGHLIGHT: Rock Wren, Black Stilt, Tawaki
EMMA-LEA BIRDING HIGHLIGHT: Albatross Encounter, Kea, Tawaki

[RichardLitt]

Sounds like a beautiful trip. Good work.

[Brendan T]

Thanks, Richard.

Forgot to mention, a big thank you to everyone who gave advice back in Feb, here: viewtopic.php?t=14212. Fraser, Byrd, Oscar, Jim, Nick, David, and others. You all really helped to make the trip a big success for us both.

[Jim_j]

Great report - thanks for posting

Cheers
Jim

[Oscar Thomas]

Sounds like an incredible and memorable trip despite the weather!

[benackerley]

Was fun to bird with you again Brendan, even if we didn't find all the targets. Good to see you got most of your targets in the end - will have to come back down for the kiwi!

[Brendan T]

Definitely, Oscar! We ended up threading the needle almost perfectly with the weather, which was pretty amazing considering how much rain, wind, snow, road closures, power outages, and more that were occurring all around the South Island. We were very fortunate in that regard.

Great to bird with you again, too, Ben. And yep, those kiwi will be a thorn in my side now, as the last mainland endemics I'm yet to see!