Itinerary:

Day 1: Pick-up

Pick up in Christchurch, drive south to Oamaru, visiting Lake Ellesmere en route. Or start in Picton if you have just done a New Zealand North Island tour with us. This will change the format of this tour slightly, but we will cover all of the places in the itinerary as below.

Lake Ellesmere holds large numbers of water-birds and shorebirds. During the late afternoon, watch for yellow-eyed penguins coming ashore at Bushy Beach, and then Little Penguin after dusk.

Target Species: New Zealand Scaup, Australasian Shoveler, Pacific Black Duck (grey), Black Swan, Paradise Shelduck, Purple Swamphen (Pukeko), Swamp (Australasian) Harrier, White-faced Heron, Red-billed Gull, Black-billed Gull, Black-backed Gull, Variable Oystercatcher, Masked Lapwing (spur-winged plover), Wrybill, Banded Dotterel (Double-banded Plover), Welcome Swallow, Sacred Kingfisher, Yellow-eyed Penguin, Little Penguin, Stewart Island Shag, Spotted Shag.

Day 2: McKenzie Basin, then on to Wanaka

Most of this day is spent in the spectacular McKenzie Basin, with unbelievably blue glacial lakes and the majestic Mt Cook rising to 12000' just to the west (New Zealand's highest peak). The birds are as grand as the scenery, with arguably the world's rarest shorebird - the black stilt - breeding here, along with Wrybill, banded dotterel and black-fronted tern.

Target Species: Black-billed Gull, Black-fronted Tern, New Zealand Falcon, Wrybill, Black Stilt, Black-winged Stilt (pied), Banded Dotterel (Double-banded Plover), South Island Oystercatcher, White-faced Heron, Welcome Swallow, New Zealand Pipit, Swamp (Australasian) Harrier, New Zealand Scaup, Paradise Shelduck, Great Crested Grebe, Common Coot, Chukor, Baillon's Crake (marsh), Grey Fantail, Silvereye.

Day 3: Wanaka to Te Anau and the Eglinton Valley

Continuing south towards Fiordland National Park and some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet, we will by-pass the tourist trap of Queenstown, but still get to experience the views of lake and mountain, which made the place famous. The majority of the birding will be in the latter part of the day in the Eglinton Valley, after spending most of the morning getting there.

Target Species: Long-tailed cuckoo, New Zealand Pigeon, New Zealand Falcon, New Zealand Scaup, Black-fronted Tern, Tui, Bellbird, Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Kea, New Zealand kaka (South Island subsp.), Rifleman (South Island subsp.), Rock Wren, Yellowhead, Grey Gerygone (warbler), Grey Fantail, Silvereye, Tomtit (South Island subsp.), New Zealand Robin (South Island subsp.).

Day 4: Milford Sound, Eglinton Valley, and back up to Wanaka

We will conduct further exploration of the Eglinton Valley, in particular to search for any species missed yesterday. Depending on interest and the time of year, we may do a boat trip on Milford Sound (ridiculously beautiful scenery - and a good chance of Fiordland crested penguin at certain times of the year). We will also look for blue duck on some of the most picturesque rivers you have ever seen.

Target Species: Fiordland Crested Penguin, Blue Duck, New Zealand Scaup, Long-tailed Cuckoo, New Zealand Falcon, New Zealand Pigeon, Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Kea, New Zealand Kaka (South Island subsp.), Rifleman (South Island subsp.), Rock Wren, Yellowhead, New Zealand Brown Creeper, Tui, Bellbird, Grey Gerygone (warbler), Grey Fantail, Silvereye, Tomtit (South Island subsp.), New Zealand Robin (South Island subsp.).

Day 5: Wanaka through to Haast Pass and Haast, then north to Franz Josef.

Through the Haast Pass to the western side of the Southern Alps with views of the spectacular glaciers, only a few miles from the rugged and windswept West Coast. The exact itinerary for this day will be determined by the weather, previous successes (or failures!) and your choice. We may spend more or less time at Haast Pass itself for yellowhead, the coast for Fiordland crested penguin, or the glaciers for scenery and keas. Whatever happens in the daytime, the evening will be spent trying to find Okarito brown kiwi, the rarest of the kiwi taxa with as few as 150 individuals estimated.

Target Species: Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Kea, New Zealand Kaka (South Island subsp.), Yellowhead, New Zealand Brown Creeper, Tomtit (South Island subsp.), Tui, Bellbird, Grey Gerygone (warbler), Rifleman (South Island subsp.), Long-tailed Cuckoo, Fiordland Crested Penguin, Great Egret (White Heron), Okarito Brown Kiwi, Fernbird (South Island subsp.), morepork.

Day 6: Franz Josef northwards to Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks)

Today will be spent hugging the West Coast as we travel northwards, after perhaps spending sometime visiting the glaciers if time did not allow on the previous day. Start time may be slightly later than normal after last night's kiwi hunting and with more to come tonight as we try to find great spotted kiwi. Various stops will be made to see forest birds, and the famous Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. We will be out and about in the evening, and at the right time of year we may see Westland petrels coming onto their nest site at dusk, followed by a search for great spotted kiwi.

Target Species: Weka, New Zealand Pipit, Tomtit (South Island subsp.), New Zealand Pigeon, Tui, Bellbird, New Zealand Brown Creeper, White-fronted Tern, Red-billed Gull, Black-billed Gull, Westland petrel, Great-spotted Kiwi, Morepork.

Day 7: Punakaiki north to Westport, then northeast through the Nelson Lakes to Picton and the Marlborough Sounds

We will visit a New Zealand fur seal colony with attendant weka at the car park and then head quickly through the scenic Buller Gorge to the Nelson lakes area. Continuing northeast we will arrive in Picton and take a boat trip into the Marlborough Sounds to Motuara Island. On this trip we will have the opportunity to see the King Shag breeding colony at White Rocks, as well as stepping ashore on Motuara Island. There is a very good chance that we will also see Hector's and Dusky dolphins on this trip.

Target Species: King Shag, Spotted Shag, Pied Cormorant, Fluttering Shearwater, Australasian Gannet, Red-billed Gull, Black-fronted Tern, White-fronted Tern, Saddleback (South Island subspecies), Tui, Bellbird, Grey Gerygone (warbler), New Zealand Robin (South Island subsp.), New Zealand Pigeon, Variable Oystercatcher, Little Penguin, Reef Heron.

Day 8: Picton south to Kaikoura to do an Oceanwings Pelagic

Southbound out of Picton we will take a look at Lake Grassmere for shorebirds and Mt Fyffe for any remaining bush birds needed, but the highlight of this day is the world famous Oceanwings pelagic trip. Only 3 hours in duration and not going more than a few miles offshore this is a truly unique experience in world birding. The species list varies throughout the year, but at any time one can expect to have at least 3 species of albatross around the boat, normally as close as 6 to 10 feet away, as well as several species of shearwater and petrel. The endemic Hutton's shearwater breeds here and is almost always present. A nocturnal visit to several local areas may find little owl.

Target Species: Ruddy Turnstone, Black-winged Stilt (pied), Spotted Shag, New Zealand Pigeon, Tui, New Zealand Brown Creeper, Reef Heron, Banded Dotterel (Double-banded Plover), Black-fronted Dotterel, South Island Oystercatcher, Variable Oystercatcher, Masked Lapwing (Spur-winged Plover), White-fronted Tern, Black-fronted Tern, Red-billed Gull, Black-billed Gull, Black-backed Gull, Swamp (Australasian) Harrier, Welcome Swallow, Hutton's Shearwater, Cape Petrel, Northern Giant Petrel, Arctic Jaeger, up to seven albatross taxa, various other pelagic species, Cirl Bunting, Little Owl.

Day 9: Kaikoura, to Christchurch

Depending on flight times out of Christchurch this day may involve another Oceanwings pelagic, or a whale watching trip (sperm whales almost always present off Kaikoura), or just the drive down to the airport - approx 2.5 hours.