>Hello! I am in the midst of planning an itinerary for a trip to New
>Zealand, 22 January - 6 February, 1995. I'm flying into Auckland and
>driving myself around, flying out of Christchurch again only 13 days later.
>Having been to the North Island once before, I'm somewhat familiar with
>driving on the left side of the road, etc. It will be mid-late summer and
>the height of the vacation season. Since my time is so limited I plan to
>spend most of it on the South Island, and would like to maximize my birding
>opportunities. The Sierra Club guide has been very helpful in this regard,
>but if there are any suggestions from fellow Tweeters who have been there
>or know of anyone else I should consult (e-mail addresses would be ideal,
>given the time crunch), I'd appreciate any help!
>
>ALSO, it turns out I'll have a 4 hr wait between planes in Sydney,
>Australia. Though I expect I'll have to go through Customs, is there
>anything I can do or see in the space of 1.5 - 2 hrs, somewhere outside the
>airport?! It'll be my only time in that country ...
>
>Thank you, and good birding!
>
>Janet Hardin
>Port Townsend, WA
>wings at olympus.net
>
>.=======================================.
>|From: wings at olympus.net (the dreamer) |
>.---------------------------------------.
>|"Nothing happens unless first a dream."|
>.---------------------------------------.
>| -- Carl Sandburg |
>.=======================================.

I've never been to New Zealand so can't help you there, but if you could
make it to the Sydney Botanical Garden you'd have some pretty great
birding. However, I don't think 2 hours would be enough time to make it
worthwhile. Maybe you could just go for a walk from the airport, looking
for the nearest green area. Birds are common in Australia. We saw our first
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos flying across the road just after we left the
airport!

Dennis Paulson phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416