Chatters and Tweeters,
Recently returned from a 3 month sojourn to Oz and NZ. This report will
mostly cover focus on practical traveling information and to a lesser
degree on some of the highlights. My itinerary took me through Victoria,
Southern Australia, New South Wales (November, and late January),
Tasmania (10 days late November-early December) and North, South and
Stewart Islands in New Zealand (December-January). Travel in both
countries is relatively easy. I rented a car for all parts of the travel
and would say I don't know how you would do without renting, or buying
one if your traveling as long as I did. If buying, factor in the time to
buy, sell and license the vehicle (at least a week on both ends) and the
break even point which I was told to be about 2 months to make it
worthwhile. For me that wasn't going to work, so renting a small car was
the choice. Car rentals were about 28 Aus Dollars a day during November.
Cost went up to 47 NZ dollars during Dec and Jan during their high
season. Mostly no problems with the rental companies I chose. I have to
warn against Ace rental out of Picton as I found an extra $50 cleaning
charge added after I was told all was good when I left. The owners
rationale was that he couldn't check the car because it was too busy in
his office when I was ready to catch the ferry. Let the buyer beware.
I stayed mostly in caravan parks (15-50 a night, lesser for tenting,
more for a small basic cabin), with some tenting in the bush, some
backpacker hotels, some mid range hotels and the best of the lot was
staying with some birding contacts I made before starting my trip.
Thanks to Richard in Melbourne, Rodger in Hobart, and Robert in Portland
for the hospitality. Great folks always add so much to a trip.
I had been warned that in New Zealand accomodation could be difficult to
arrange if I didn't do so far in advance. I had no problem with finding
accomodation, but again I had a tent and sleeping bag with me.
The caravan parks ran the gamut with some being exceptional values, some
being too overrun and poorly managed. I found the ones away from the
maddening crowds overall to be just dandy. Same can be said for the
Backpacker places. Some were excellent values and were uncrowded. Ones
in the bigger cities can be party central. A bad choice for birders who
will want their sleep. The mid-range hotels checking in at 75-95 Aus or
NZ) dollars a night were quite sufficient for me. They usually had a
teapot with instant coffee, tea bags and hot chocolate, a small fridge
and were clean and quiet. They are usually located on the outskirts of
town and are a great deal in comparison to being in the centre of towns.
Given that many of the places I were staying at were smaller
towns/cities, being slightly out of the centre was just fine. I also
found many to be willing to meet a reasonable offer if they could.
Almost all treated this as an industry that should cater to travelers
and they tried to make peoples vacations special. It seemed a testiment
to the overall way people treat each other in both countries. Both seem
to be places where people overall expect good from each other.
Roads were for the most part excellent and easy to drive. Some will find
the roads in New Zealand to be extremely slow, especially if you are
used to driving like you're on the Autobahn. The back roads are
extremely curvy and will take at least 3 times the amount of time you
might allow for a similar distance elsewhere. There are quite a few
sections of road where you'll be reduced to 25-35 kms per hour. I was
previously warned by quite a few Chatters and Tweeters to watch my speed
as both countries are known for giving tickets for being even slightly
over the limit. I took their advice seriously and escaped unscathed. I
saw quite a few policeman patrolling the roads in New Zealand
Food was very expensive in comparison to America (as we are mostly
called in both countries). It was hard to get fresh vegetable and fruit
at a reasonable price. Gasoline was also a lot more per gallon than here
in the states. Costs were over $6 in Australia and over 7 in New
Zealand. Given that you will probably be driving a lot, it's easy to run
up a high tab.
Some important advice I can give is that when you enter New Zealand,
it's probably best not to offer that you are a birder. I did and was
held up for an hour and a half as they were suspicious that I was there
to take birds out of the country and trade them. I have Renaud's
syndrome (my hands get cold really easily) and so had prepackaged hand
warmers. Who knows?They might have thought I was going to use them to
keep illegally taken birds warm. Eventually they realized how seriously
wrong that idea was, but it was not a pleasant way to start in a new
country.
For books for New Zealand there are 2 versions of Robertson, Barrie, and
Onley. I took the abridged version "The Handguide to the Birds of New
Zealand". Much lighter and had the plates of the species. A little
slight as far as information goes, but was certainly was enough for me.
Would all depend on your familiarity with many of the species which are
common in other parts of the world. The native birds are pretty much
straightforward as to identification from the plates in the abridged
version. I bought it over in New Zealand as it was difficult to get here
in the states, and much more expensive. I would also recommend :Where to
Watch Birds in New Zealand" by Ombler. Valuable as far as some of the
sites are concerned. The hard to find Blue Duck was right where I had
been directed at the Ruatiti Domain. Trip reports were the other
reference material I used. I didn't meet very many birdwatchers during
my time in New Zealand. Was somewhat surprised by that.
For Australia I had an older aversion of Simpson and Day and it worked
fine. There are at least 3 other choices so I'd check to see what people
are using at the time of your trip. Birding-aus is a great resource to
let you know what's being seen around the country. Birding pals
(birdingpal.com) were also a great resource. Ran into more birdwatchers
than in New Zealand.
Overall I was impressed with knowledge of local species in both
countries. People seemed to care more about knowing what was in their
environs. When I asked people about it, they said they learned from a
parent, uncle, or a grandparent.

Some of the Australian highlights:
Had an awesome day with Richard Nowatny and a British couple he had set
up a day with at Werribee. Before we got to the farm we had a Painted
Snipe fly from a shallow pond that had 2 Emu's bathing. Great group of
birds at Werribee as well. Especially crake corner where Baillon's and
Spotted Crakes, Lewin's and Buff-Banded Rails were seen.
Was able to see all expected birds along the Great Ocean Road.
Saw all the endemics with my Tasmanian brother, Rodger Willows. Saw a
very brief view of a Tasmanian Devil at Cradle Mt in the central part of
the island. Can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this part of the
trip.
Learned a ton from Rob Farnes about all that deals with birds and
birding.
Other notable sites: Gluepot, The Capertee Valley, Hattah/Kulkyne
National Park, Billiat, Chiltern (Green Hill Road Dam), Bruny Island,
Barren Grounds, Binya State Forest, Otway Ranges, Waikerie, Wyperfield,
Grampians, and Terrick Terrick.
Other birds of note were: Malleefowl seen at a nest southwest of
Wyperfield, Freckled Duck - Drysdale (near Geelong), Australasian
Bittern - Portland (Vic), White-winged Black Tern - Port McDonnell
(S.A), White Morph Grey Goshawk - Port Campbell, Grey Falcon - south of
Loxton (S.A.), Turquoise Parrot - Warby Quarry walk north of Glenrowan
(Vic), Scarlet-chested Parrot - Gluepot, Powerful Owl north of Portland,
Striated Grasswren - Gluepot, 40 Spotted Pardalote at close range at
Peter Murrell - Hobart, Eastern Bristlebird - Barren Grounds,
Chestnut-rumped Heathwren in the Grampians, Speckled Warbler - Chiltern,
Black-eared Miner - Gluepot, Olive Whistler - Portland, Ground
Cuckoo-shrike - Gluepot, Plum-headed Finch north of Glen Alice in the
Capertee, Beautiful Firetail - Portland, Diamond Firetail - Winton (Vic)
Getting to hold a baby Wallaby that the owner of the gas station at
Capertee had rescued when it's mom had got hit by a car. What an amazing
animal. And a reminder to be careful out there.

Some of the New Zealand highlights:
Recorded 4 of the 5 Kiwi species. Found 3 either by myself, or with
birders I had met up with. The 4th was seen during Ian Cooper's almost
nightly tours out of Okarito on the South Island.
Had great pelagic experiences in New Zealand. Out of Hauraki Gulf with
Brent Stephenson (not cheap at $250 NZ), the ferries to the South Island
and Stewart Island yielded some good birds, Kaikoura was good for
albatross and a couple of birds were seen while heading over to Tiritiri
Matangi.
King Shag, seen off of the ferry in Marlborough Sound.
Fiordland Crested Penguin seen at Jackson Bay December 24th. I had been
told at the ranger station in Haast that after November you can't see
them because they are out to sea. Two others had told me they saw one
that day in the water, so I guess you can see them. Head into town go to
the end of the road. Climb the hill to the right to the beach and wait.
I got there at 8 and at 8:30 one penguin appeared out of nowhere walked
right in front of me on his/her way to its roosting spot in the rocks.
Took some amazing hikes (tramps) Routeburn, Avalanche Peak at Arthur's
Pass, Tongariro Crossing and many other shorter wonderful walks as well.
Found the Abel Tasmen to be far too overrun with people and would
recommend trying it some other time of the year. Still in all, the
nature was so spectacular.
Had a great encounter at one side of Curio Bay with 6 Hector's Dolphins
swimming right at me while riding a wave. Then splitting apart about a
foot and a half before they would have hit me and going right past my
waist on both sides. What a thrill. The other side of the bay had
Yellow-eyed Penguins waddling through the remnants of an old petrified
forest at 3 in the afternoon. What a day!
If I were to advise someone on the itinerary, I would say start at
Tiritiri Matangi and work on the endemics. Given how small the island
is, you enhance your chances of seeing these birds plus the Little
Spotted Kiwi given the access to the trails. Spotless Crakes were being
seen at the small pond by the dock. I missed them, but a couple I ran
into said around 6 each evening they would sit quietly by the pond and
they saw the crake 2 straight nights around 6:30. Brown Teal were seen
at the same pond as the crakes and also at the pond down the hill from
the gift shop. I took the Sunday to Wednesday option and enjoyed my time
there immensely. You can go just for the day but you could easily miss
some of the birds and you don't give yourself the option of looking for
the kiwi. You need to set this up at least a few months in advance if
you want to stay there.
>From there I'd take the Hauraki Gulf pelagic. After that you can set up
the rest of the schedule to find what you've missed. For me one of the
toughest species aside from the kiwis were the Long-tailed Cuckoo. Heard
often enough in the early part of December but then they quieted down.
Was lucky to finally see one near Te Anau. But, that was it. And most
difficult was the Blue Duck. I put in about 10 hours looking in known
places. Finally had a farmer give me permission to walk his paddock in
Ruatiti Domain and as soon as I got to the water there was a duck right
there. Best to head in on the main road then take the left fork near the
schoolhouse. Try any spot that you have a view of the water. Best to ask
permission from the farmers, so you can get down to the river.
The ferries can be full if you try to buy your ticket the same day. I
had to take a different ferry than my original choice to the South
Island, though it left at almost the same time. From Stewart Island I
had to take an earlier ferry than planned, though as the time approached
they had more openings on the later ferry that day. As for Stewart
Island, it's an expensive journey. It's really a nice place, but I
wouldn't necessarily recommend it if you have budget constraints. That
being said, it's probably your best shot at South Island Brown Kiwis. I
took a small passenger boat into the center of the island and walked 12
miles to Mason Bay. Luckily it had been a dry 4-5 weeks in a row and the
track was easily walked. Normally the mud can be ankle or above deep and
can really be tough going. The kiwis were seen both day and night near
the hut and also along the trail. If you go to Stewart, I'd recommend
going to Ulva Island as well. It's a good chance for Saddlebacks. Some
have seen kiwis there in the day.

Some musings on the North Island area: Like Windy Welly (Wellington)
quite a bit. Didn't have the too large big city feel which Auckland
definitely seems to have.
Really enjoyed the Miranda/Thames area. Took part of a day to look for
Kauri resin (called amber by the locals) and that was fun.
The Rotorua area has interesting historical significance and puts you
most in touch with the Maori culture. The park in town is well worth
wandering around in to see the volcanic activity. The museum seemed
overpriced for what you get. Te Papa, for free, in Wellington is a much
better world class option.
The Coromandel Peninsula was nice, but pretty overcrowded in some
places. Seemed to be too over-hyped. The road up to the north-west
corner was a little scary. If you don't like one lane dirt tracks,
hugging a curvy coastline, with hidden corners, I would pass on the
experience.
The Bay of Islands is another beautiful area.
The caves at Waitomo are well worth seeing. The boat trip to see the
glow worms is memorable.That whole road down to the beach has some great
stops that are worth the time invested. If you get to the beach I've
heard there are still places where you can find oyster fossils about the
size of dinner plates.
Found the beaches about an hour to the northwest of Wellington to be
uncrowded and pleasant towns to stay in. Most of the reports I read had
people staying about 1/3 of the time on the North Island and about 2/3
of the time on the South Island.

Some musings on the South Island: I passed up Christchurch due to a lot
of earthquake activity. Sounds like most of the special buildings that
give the town its charm have unfortunately been destroyed.
Dunnedin, nice town, mostly good for proximity to Otago Peninsula, which
is a beautiful part of the world where you can see an albatross colony
and 2 species of penguins. If time allows drive the high road for
spectacular scenery.
Nelson, nice town.
Milford Sound, I'd say pretty over-rated. Long drive in and very
commercial. You only have 2 possible places to stay, both expensive. If
you've seen fiords in other parts of the world, you won't see anything
here that you haven't already seen. If you haven't been to a fiord then
you might find it worthwhile. Otherwise look for the Rock Wrens at the
Homer tunnel before heading into Milford. To find the birds park at the
northwest parking lot before the tunnel (as you approach from the east).
Some folks have seen the birds right there amongst the rocks. I didn't,
so I climbed the trail and beared to the left heading up to the top (the
road theoretically is now going right underneath you) Found one about
1/2 way up. They are great birds to watch.
Frans Josef Glacier nice to see, but the town has a very touristed feel
to it. Rather liked the Fox Glacier (south of Frans Josef) much better.
You can't climb either unfortunately. Many folks I met stayed at Wanaka
instead of Queenstown. I liked both, though Queenstown could easily be a
very expensive tourist trap. Good place to see the beautiful location,
get the supplies you need and head out. I ended up not staying in
either.
Liked Kaikoura a lot. Very friendly place with many good options for
places to stay. Try driving the road south along the beach to find less
expensive places. The pelagic will get you very close looks at
albatross. The Whale trip does not look for birds, you'd be on your own
and they move too quickly through the water. Pretty quick trip (2
hours), expensive, though you will see the whales. They go into the area
with the whales, the pelagic cannot go there.
Invercargill, not the most picturesque place. Though there is an amazing
store downtown where the owner has collected an incredible collection of
antique like items from all over the South Island. Museum-like in its
breadth. The coastline to the west of Invercargill is well worth
exploring if time allows. I spent part of a day at Gemstone Beach
looking for semiprecious stones. There are also some caves about an hour
to the west of Invercargill that are really unique.
Mt. Cook and Arthur's Pass both beautiful areas. Some wonderful hikes
there.

Much thanks to all who got in touch with me with suggestions. Especially
Steve Clarke in Hamilton, Roly lloyd and Eddy Smith, Dave Torr, Allan
Richardson, John Tongue, Jeremy O'wheel, Narena Oliver, David Riddell,
David Kowalick, friends Gail Mckiernon and Barry Cooper , Helga Kieskamp
and anyone else I forgot to mention.
Let me know if I can be of more help.




--
barry levine
Seattle, Washington, US
levineb at fastmail.fm


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