NEW ZEALAND

Land of Forests and Birds

November 8 - 24, 2003
$4,295 plus airfare (17 Days )

2003 Tour Price is based on currency exchange rates as of 11/23/2002 and may be adjusted based on exchange rates in effect at time of tour.

Tuesday/Wednesday November 12th -13th You will depart on Tuesday for your flight to New Zealand, crossing the International Dateline where after losing a day you will arrive early Thursday morning.

Thursday Nov 14th Arriving in Auckland you will be met and taken to the hotel. After a brief respite we will travel to visit the Gannett Colony at Muriwai Beach, one of only two such colonies in New Zealand and a guided visit to the Natural History Hall and the Maori culture exhibit at the War Memorial Museum. An enjoyable welcoming dinner awaits at the hotel this evening as we start our New Zealand adventure. Night in Auckland - The Sebel Suites

Friday Nov 15th This morning our group will take a private charter launch to Tiritiri Matangi. Tiritiri is 543 acres of land managed by the Department of Conservation as an open sanctuary which people are encouraged to visit. Volunteers have planted over 300,000 trees and several bird species have been re-introduced to the island. Guided by the Island Rangers we will look for Saddleback, Whitehead, Red-fronted Parakeet, Brown Teal, Little Spotted Kiwi, North Island Robin, Kokako, and Takahe, all of which can be seen here. Lunch will be served on board the launch Manu Moana. We will take an afternoon flight from Auckland to Nelson where we will travel along the very scenic Queen Charlotte Drive, offering magnificent vantage points over the Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru Sounds, to our next destination in the beautiful area of Marlborough. Overnight in Picton - Beachcomber Hotel

Saturday Nov 16th We are off on a morning boat trip to Motuara Island Bird Sanctuary in Outer Queen Charlotte Sound. We will have a chance to see the King Shag, South Island Saddleback, Okarito Brown Kiwi, Little Blue Penguin, South Island Robin, bellbirds and pigeons. Later, as we are in New Zealand's largest wine growing area, we will have lunch at one of the county's leading winemakers - the Montana Winery at Blenheim. The afternoon will then see us driving south to the coastal community of Kaikoura where we will have dinner at the special Mussel Boys Seafood Restaurant. Night in Kaikoura - Lobster Inn Motor Lodge

Sunday Nov 17th Birds, whales, dolphins and fur seals highlight our day on an exciting chartered boat trip to explore New Zealand's incredibly rich marine environment. Peter Langlands, an authority on Kaikoura's seabirds, writes "Kaikoura has one of the largest number of different types of seabirds within a small area than anywhere along the New Zealand coastline." Five species of the great albatross can be seen off Kaikoura; Wandering Albatross, Antipodean Albatross, Gibson's Albatross, Northern Royal Albatross and Southern Royal Albatross. Smaller albatross are known as mollymawks in New Zealand and up to eight species of mollymawk can be seen in the waters off Kaikoura along with seven species of shearwater; Fleshfooted, Bullers, Sooty, Short-tailed, Fluttering, Hutton's and little shearwater. Fourteen species of petrels including Westland, Common, Diving, White chinned, Cape Pigeon, Antarctic Fulmar, Southern Giant, Northern Giant, Fairy Prion and Wilson's Storm Petrel and four species of shag including the Black, Pied, Little Shag and Spotted. Later in the afternoon we will visit to the Red-billed Gull colony on the Kaikoura peninsula. Night in Kaikoura - Lobster Inn Motor Lodge

Monday Nov 18th Driving across Canterbury Plains we will reach Arthur's Pass National Park, an accessible alpine area with beautiful fields of alpine flowers, native forests, and wild mountains. Keas are found in the park above the bush line, but equally in forested areas and down to Arthur's Pass Village where they are attracted by human activity. The forests also provide habitat for a wide diversity of birds. Tuis, kakas and New Zealand pigeons are more common in the western forests, but other species such as Yellow-crowned Parakeets, Yellowheads and Riflemen along with bellbirds, Grey Warblers, Silvereyes, Brown Creepers, Tomtits, and Moreporks. We will have lunch at the charming Chalet Restaurant in the alpine community of Arthur's Pass before descending to the coast. Night in Punakaiki - Punakaiki Rocks Hotel

Tuesday Nov 19th The Punakaiki Rocks Hotel takes full advantage of its dramatic West Coast shoreline position offering unparalleled views along the beach, over the Tasman Sea and inland as far as Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain. The nearby Pancake Rocks and Blowholes are remarkable pieces of natural sculpture. Layers limestone, resembling stacks of pancakes, present a fantastic scene - embellished with shooting geysers of sea spray through the many blowholes. We will take a mid-day jet boat down to the Okarito Lagoon for visit to the White Heron nesting site. The lagoon is the largest on the West Coast and is surrounded by ancient Kahikatea, New Zealand's tallest tree. The nesting colony of the Kotuku provides a wonderful sight and symbolizes all that is beautiful, rare and worthy of protection. We will walk to the terminal face of Fox Glacier and look for the Kea, the mountain parrot of New Zealand. There are over 60 glaciers in the Westland National Park. Night in Moeraki - Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki

Wednesday Nov 20th This morning we will go on a walk with a nature guide from the Wilderness Lodge down to Munro Beach, an ideal breeding ground for the Fiordland crested penguin and Elephant seal. Here in this dramatic and wild stretch of coastline there will be time for you to explore on your own as well. Radiating from the Lodge is a network of rainforest trails and Tasman seacoast walks and we will look for some of the local bird specialties here. There is also fleet of canoes for you to use to explore Lake Moeraki and the Moeraki river. After dinner we will take a night walk to see glow-worms, hear Morepork Owls and enjoy the southern night sky. Night in Moeraki - Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki

Thursday Nov 21st We will make our leisurely way through to Queenstown with visit to the Haast World Heritage Visitor Centre and a bush walk at Haast Pass. The forest here is mainly silver beech, but there are also patches of kahikatea, rimu, miro and matai. We will briefly explore this area for birds that may be found here including Kaka, Kuku, Tui, and many smaller bush birds. We will also visit enchanting Lake Wanaka. Night in Queenstown - Gardens Parkroyal Hotel (set beside the 100-year old Queenstown Gardens with its wonderful rose display!) A free evening for you in Queenstown - dinner is not included tonight.

Friday Nov 22nd Today we will travel from Queenstown to Doubtful Sound via Manapouri. After lunch we will take a launch across Lake Manapouri , then a coach over remote Wilmot Pass. Doubtful Sound is 35 kilometres in length and the only sound apart from Milford Sound which is reachable by road. The deepest of all the fiords, Doubtful Sound is one of New Zealand's most memorable highlights. This haven of nature, with its ancient rain forest and abundant wildlife, is quite simply and unquestionably breathtaking. Captain James Cook sighted the entrance to Doubtful Sound on his first voyage to New Zealand in 1770. The marine environment of this Fiordland region is unique in that the freshwater sits on top of the saltwater creating an environment which suppresses usual seaweed growth thus allowing fragile black corals and other deepwater species to thrive at depths about one tenth of that elsewhere in the world. With luck we will see Blue Penguin and pods of Bottlenose Dolphins! We will overnight onboard the MV Navigator on Doubtful Sound.

Saturday Nov 23rd We will disembark MV Navigator after breakfast and make our return trip over Wilmont Pass and across Lake Manapouri to the coach. After lunch at Te Anau we will return to Queenstown with the rest of afternoon free for optional activities on your own. Take advantage of skydiving or bungy jumping, two of Queenstown more popular activities! More leisurely activities can also be found in this very cosmopolitan city. Night in Queenstown - Gardens Parkroyal Hotel. Another free evening for you to enjoy Queenstown on your own - dinner is not included tonight.

Sunday Nov 24th A leisurely morning for you to continue Queenstown explorations on your own before we leave for lunch at the Gibbston Valley Winery, situated in the very scenic Kawarau Gorge, an historic gold-mining region. This afternoon we drive through to Invercargill and catch our flight to Stewart Island over Foveaux Strait. The singular charm of Stewart Island lies in it's combination of the natural and the spectacular. It is still almost completely clothed in indigenous vegetation with dense podocarp forest extending right down to the waters edge. The climate can be cloudy, windy and wet and there are only about 450 permanent residents whose livelihood depends on fishing or visitors to the island. The island is now in the process of being given National Park status. We will take an evening cruise around to Mason's Beach for "kiwi spotting." Night on Stewart Island - Stewart Island Lodge

Monday Nov 25th Stewart Island is one of the few places where the dawn chorus of bird song of early New Zealand can still be heard. This morning we will take a launch across to Ulva Island, an area of 250 hectares situated in Paterson Inlet. It is very accessible and is managed as an open sanctuary by the Department of Conservation. Its restored forest and lack of predators make it a safe environment for many rare bird and plant . Native Birds, which have largely disappeared from many mainland regions, include the inquisitive Weka which will readily approach visitors, the South Island Kaka (parrot), Parakeets, Woodpigeon, Bellbird, Brown Creeper, Tomtit, Fantail and Tui. Kiwi are also present but in low numbers. Recent releases to the Island are the South Island Saddleback, Stewart Island Robin, and the Yellowhead. We will return to the main island with time for further birding or exploring on your own. After dinner we have reserved the evening for "kiwi spotting." Night on Stewart Island - Stewart Island Lodge

Tuesday Nov 26th This exciting day starts with a catamaran trip across Foveaux Strait to Bluff. The crossing from the mainland can be choppy at best and T-shirts are sold to commemorate a survival!! If the weather is unsuitable on this day we will fly back to Invercargill instead. However, from the catamaran we may see Shy and Bullers Albatross follow the fishing vessels into port and Fjordland Crested, Yellow-eyed and Little Blue Penguins all breed nearby and may be sighted. We will rejoin our coach here and travel via the Catlins coastline to Dunedin enjoying a picnic lunch enroute. Nugget Point is the only place in New Zealand where the Elephant seal, Fur seal and Hooker's sea lion co-exist. It also has the largest breeding colony of the Hoiho (Yellow eyed penguin) and is feeding ground to every species of sea bird found on the Otago coast. At Curio Bay an ancient fossil forest dating from the Jurassic period can be reached at low tide. On arrival on the Otago Peninsula we will proceed directly to the Yellow Eyed Penguin Conservation Area for a guided tour and viewing of the penguins (from specially constructed hides) as they come in for the evening. Night in Dunedin - Larnach Castle

Wednesday Nov 27th Dunedin relishes it's "wildlife city of the south" reputation. Your time spent on the peninsula will be a true highlight. A pre-dawn start today for journey onto Otago Peninsula for a dawn walk onto a deserted beach to see the Yellow eyed penguin come out of their nests and begin their day crossing the beach and going out for their "breakfast." We will then return to Larnach Castle for our well deserved breakfast! We will visit the Albatross Centre on Taiaroa Head for guided tour of the centre and the breeding colony and have lunch at the Cafe at Albatross Centre. Returning to the castle, your afternoon will be free to enjoy a self-guided tour of the castle and its 35 acres of gardens and grounds. The garden's features include a 30 metre long Pergola planted with golden Labernum. Rhododendrons which peak during and for several weeks after the Dunedin Rhododendron Festival in spring, Azaleas, a rock garden with alpine plants from around the world, a rain forest garden and perennial and herbaceous flowers for summer. New Zealand and other Southern Hemisphere temperate plants enhance the ambiance of the South Seas. Night in Dunedin - Larnach Castle

Thursday Nov 28th After breakfast we will go on a city tour of Dunedin and a finale lunch at the famous Speights Brewery before making our way through to Dunedin Airport. We will fly from Dunedin to Christchurch to connect onward to Auckland and your flight home to the U.S.

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