To add to this useful store of travel information for New Zealand - they are
very wary of introduced species there, and if you take any hiking boots
(which you will) or other similar gear you need to have it cleaned and
disinfected first, and preferably still in the bag so that they can smell
the disinfectant. Otherwise they may take your stuff away and disinfect it
while you cool your heels at the airport (can be an hour or so). A word to
the wise from our tour guide that saved some of us some time. - Teresa

-----Original Message-----
From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of barry
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2012 3:03 PM
To: birdchat message
Cc: tweeters message
Subject: [Tweeters] Trip Report Australia and New Zealand 2011-12

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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