Miranda and the Coromandel Peninsula....

Spot the Hudsonian Godwit.... we couldn't either!

A very cute Wrybill, only found in New Zealand!

The beautiful Catherdral Cove, recently closed for filming of the Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian!!! Ooooo can't wait for that film!

Lee's idea of a camper-car!

Road Trip!

Monday: Today marks a new chapter in our travels around New Zealand, today we were setting out on our own in our car to explore the North and South Island on our own!

After spending the morning getting a few essentials i.e. a stove! we set off to the north of Auckland to a place called Pakiri, here we had heard about a breeding pair of Fairy Terns, the rarest tern in New Zealand. Once on the beach we headed over to an area sealed off and sat for over an hour enjoying the sun, sand and Fairy Tern! We watched as the chick waddled around the beach occasionally flapping its wings and lifting itself a little off the beach, then the parent would come swooping in with food, which it presented to the chick and then sat on the beach for a while resting before flying off over the river or surf to fish again.

When finished we jumped back into the boiling hot car and drove back south again heading for the renowned birding site of Miranda, located on the Firth of Thames near the Coromandel Peninsula. It took quite a while to reach the area and when we did it was almost dark, we set up camp in a small place called Rays Rest and ate dinner for the first time under a sky filled with stars.

Tuesday: We awoke to a gloriously, still morning and once we had breakfast headed straight for the Miranda Shorebird Centre. From here we followed the trail to the shore and pools where thousands of waders come to roost at high tide.

We were stunned by the multitudes of birds covering the pools, thousands of Bar Tailed Godwits, Lesser Knots, Pied Oystercatchers and very groovey Wrybills. Amongst these were smaller numbers of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Pied Stilt and Red-necked Stints. It was a birdwatchers paradise.

After a couple of hours, tired, hot and hungry we made our way to the Miranda Holiday Park where we spent the afternoon relaxing before returning to the Miranda reserve after dinner, for an evening viewing.

This time the pools were empty and all the birds we feeding on the exposed mud flats. As the tide came in the birds started moving closer and congregating into larger numbers and amongst the regulars we spotted one rare vagrant, a Grey-tailed Tattler!

As the sun dropped lighting the horizon and clouds bright red huge flocks of birds started lifting up all at once, circling round our heads and over to the pools behind. The giant mass of birds seemed to move all as one, a swirling black mass against a greyish sky, an awesome spectacular sight.

Wednesday: Another morning at the reserve, the birds were coming onto the pools after an night of feeding. This time we sat a short distance from the edge of the pools watching the Wrybills, Lesser Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits return, thousands of birds would come in at once, swirling close to our heads before landing on the water before us.

As the sun broke through the layer of clouds we lay flat on our stomachs and inched our way towards the edge of the pool and the group of Wrybill that were roosting at its edge. My goodness we got close, they didn't seemed bothered at all even moving closer to us! We spent nearly 3/4 of an hour taking photos and even saw a Curlew Sandpiper wander through.

Once we'd finished we spent another short while just watching the birds, a few other birders had turned up and one pointed out a Large Sand Dotterel, another rare visitor to New Zealand.

We left Miranda and headed over towards the Coromandel Peninsula, through the Karangahake Gorge with its sheer cliffs and heavily forested slopes. We followed the twisting roads as we snaked our way up the east coast, the rugged coastline on one side and mountains and valleys covered with native bush on the other. Tonight's camp was deep in the Coromandel Forest Park in the Wentworth Valley close to Whangamata. A wonderful camp in the middle of the forest we felt miles from anywhere, the cacophony of cicadas was deafening and the occasional call of a Tui rang out.

As it got dark the chorus of Cicadas was joined by a round of Morepork, New Zealands Owl, calling through the darkness of the forest. Wandering through the trees we both tried out our best Morepork calls in an attempt to draw one close, soon it worked against the shadow of branches we spotted a shape fly and land on a tree in front of us. Shining our torches up the bright eyes and shadowy shape of a Morepork came into view. Satisfied we headed for our comfy tent.

Thursday: A clear morning as we took a walk through the forest to a nearby waterfall. The valley was filled with ferns palms, pines and other trees, all varying shades of green, as we followed the river strewn with boulders upwards once again the forest was alive with the sounds of cicadas but was noticeably quite on the bird front. Compared to Tiritir Matangi and how New Zealand used to be it felt like the forest was deserted, which saddened us both.

Still as we continued up, crossing the river a number of times (and yes Rachael did fall in once, only her shoe got wet though!) we did see some small birds, fantails, grey warblers and silvereye. It was hot and hard work climbing but the waterfall was worth it. An impressive cascade of water rushing over sheer drops with green ferns draping themselves across the falls.

Within an hour we were back at the car and leaving the Wentworth Valley for the coast and Hahei. Once more the road twisted and turned, up and down valleys and mountains cloaked in green forests. As we turned off and approached Hahei a beautiful deep blue ocean, clear greeny blue surf and wonderful golden sandy beach spread out before us. Overheating in the car we jumped into our swimming costumes and splashed into the cool water. The water was some of the clearest we have seen and swimming amongst the surf were shoals of silvery fish with yellow eyes.

Once cooled off we went in search of Catherdral Cove, again it was hot work, walking along the undulating, rugged coastline. But Catherdral Cove had to be one of the best beaches we have seen! Once more golden sand met clear greeny blue water which deepened to dark blue further offshore. Surrounding us were high cliff of white stone, topped with verdant green trees, standing in the surf were huge pillars of rock, smoothed and sculptured into intriguing shapes by wind and ocean. Most impressive was the huge hole through the cliff, creating a cavernous tunnel that gives the cove its name and linking into another small bay.

Climbing back up to the trail we made our way back towards the car park, but veered off at one of the other bays along this coast, Gemstone Bay. This one also had steep high cliffs on either side but was a rocky shore, creating perfect habitats for all manner of creatures and wonderful snorkeling opportunities.

It was a little tricky getting into the water over rocks covered with seaweed but once in it was magical to explore the underwater world. We took it in turns with Lee's snorkel and saw all kinds of wonderful, colourful fish. Best had to be the two Eagle Rays resting on the sandy bottom!

As we got cold we made our way out, dried off in the sun and then checked into the Hahei Holiday Park.

Friday: Once more we headed for Gemstone Bay this time armed with two sets of snorkels and fins. It was a gloriously beautiful, sunny day but somehow the water felt colder than yesterday. Despite this we swam for almost an hour, exploring the nooks and crevasses under the water. A whole variety of fish, all shapes, colours and sizes, glided over the sandy areas or darted amongst kelp and rocks covered with sea urchins, and anemones. Under a ledge we found a huge crayfish! But the best moment was swimming just behind a large Eagle Ray, watching it glide effortlessly through the water.

After warming up in the sun and having some lunch we returned to the clear waters of Hahei beach for another swim =)

In the evening we went to check out Hot Water Beach just up the coast from Hahei. Here hot water bubbles close to the sand and at low tide you can dig your very own hot pool in the sand. Many people were doing this when we arrived, we tested out one of the pools towards the top of the beach, testing it with our toes....the water was boiling hot! As the cool ocean was coming in, steam was rising off the lower pools and made the water bearable to sit in. We then returned to Hahei to camp.

Saturday: Diving Day! This morning we both went for a dive with Catherdral Cove Dive Centre off Mahurangi Island just off Hahei Beach. Rachael was admittedly a little nervous but once in the clear waters of Seal Bay all the excitement she had felt when diving in Teneriefe came flooding back! Lee was diving with Rachael and her instructor Hamish.

Down we went into a wonderful, serene, calm world where various varieties of fish darted around us, crayfish hid under kelp covered overhangs. Sea urchins, nudibranchs and sponges clung to rocks in splashes of vibrant colour. Anemones covered the rocks like meadows of flowers, petals waving in a summer breeze, except down here the petals were cream coloured tentacles waving in the tide.
It was brilliant to watch them without the constant need to return to the surface for air, thus disturbing them. It was an awesome dive and spurred Rachael on to try and complete her PADI Open Water training while in New Zealand.

Back on the boat we waited while Hamish took another couple down, as we waited Lee borrowed a snorkel and went for another swim around the bay. Then just as the divers were making their way back over to the boat Lee let out a yelp! An absolutely massive Stingray had just swam infront and underneath him! At least 6ft wide with a 4ft long tail it was bigger than him! When he returned to the boat he was grinning from ear to ear, it had been an amazing morning what with the dive and the stingray!

That afternoon we drove up the coast towards Whitianga, then turned off to camp near Opito. A beautiful, wild camp with a compost toilet whose smell left a lot to be desired, it was perfect! It was quiet and peaceful - we loved it....

Tiritiri Matangi - a very special place.

This lighthouse was built to guide ships into Aukland harbour. The lighthouse keepers house is now the head rangers.


Lee and the target male Stitchbird. Don't get confused with the Peru T-shirt, this is New Zealand.

A rare Kokako flies down to take a quick drink. He is called 'TKW' and has 2 chicks hidden away in the bush.


Lee with a North Island Saddleback but unfortunately due to predation by introduced mammals they don't exist on the mainland.

Takahe were thought to be extinct until a very small population was found and then a conservation effort to save the species was set up. They're doing really well here on Tiri.

The weather was great on our stay and the sunsets were excellent too.

Rachaels photo of a very rare Tuatara shows just how prehistoric it looks.

Fitting this Gecko with a nifty rucksack helps the researchers find and monitor this island species.

Tiri is famous for its Little Spotted Kiwi population and this is one of the best places in the world to see one. We saw a total of 8 on our stay.

Coming back to Aukland we were lucky enough to see the Queen Mary 2. She is as long as 41 double-decker London buses (31½ ft. each) and if you have a dog on board you can put him in the kennels and the kennel master will look after him and take him for walks for you.

Tiri Tiri Matangi
Sunday - Well the day had finally arrived, we were catching the 9am ferry to Tiri Tiri Matangi, an island sanctuary for some of New Zealands rare endemic birds. We had planned to do this before leaving home all the way back in October 2006 and were both really excited.

The boat trip over was a little roley, the wind whipping up spray over the grey waters. However as usual we kept an eye out for any birds that might fly by. It paid off before arriving on the island itself we had spotted some Fluttering Shearwaters and a White-faced Petrel dancing over the tips of the waves that were now silvery blue as the sun started breaking through the cloud layer.

Finally we arrived onto the island that would be our home for the next week, we were greeted by a cacophony of bird song that rivalled our days in the jungle. Replanted with native trees and plants the island was a blaze with greens of various shades glinting in the brightening sunshine.

As we listened to Jen, one of the rangers on the island, talking to the members of the public we were surprised to see a Takahe - one of New Zealands rarest birds - wander through the crowd!
As we made our way up the road to the lighthouse complex we were astounded by the abundance of native birds around us, North Island Robins, Saddlebacks, Bellbirds.... to name a few. After a short time exploring the lighthouse and bunkhouse we met up with Jen who showed us our first duty for each day we would be here, this was to fill the water troughs. The island is very dry as it gets little rain and this extra water is needed for the birds to survive.

The rest of the afternoon we carried on exploring the island in the sunshine, marvelling at the beauty around us. In total we saw 10 new species of birds today, 8 on the island itself and 2 in the waters around it!

That evening we headed out after dark with a few of the other volunteers in search of Little Spotted Kiwis, New Zealands rarest Kiwi that is only found on offshore islands. The lights of Auckland sparkled on the horizon and a thousand stars twinkled in the sky above as we walked down the trails listening for scufflings in the undergrowth. We heard the wind rustling through the trees, insects calling in the dark and then piercing through the night, the shrill call of a kiwi! Spurred on we continued down the path, just as the trail joined another we could hear rustling in the grass ahead. Holding our breathes we waited, straining to hear above the wind and see through the reddish gloom of our torches. The closer we got the louder the rustling and snuffling became.... then up ahead a shape appeared in the edge of the torch light..... a little closer and Lee announced "I can see a brown shape...its a....it's a duck!" Our breathes let out in a collective whoosh, not a kiwi but another of New Zealands rare birds, the Brown teal!

We headed back to the bunkhouse, we would have to try again for those kiwi...

Monday - 6.15am the alarm went off, we had been invited to help with the other volunteers on the island. They were here to catch Stitchbirds, a rare endemic successfully released and breeding on Tiritiri. The aim was no to relocate about 30 of the birds to another sanctuary on the mainland.

We were off mist netting again! We sat for over 2 hours watching all kinds of birds hop through the vegetation near the net but all seemed to know it was there. This can happen especially of a net has been up in an area for quite a while, as this net had. Despite that we did manage to catch two Bellbirds and one Stitchbird.

Later in the morning we helped set the net up in another location before leaving to fill the water troughs. The birds show little fear, coming down to the troughs even as we are filling them!

After lunch we met up with Jen who gave us a few more jobs to do, mainly cleaning the visitor center. With her permission we were able to rejoin the Stitchbird team later in the afternoon. Back at the net we'd set up late that morning we had a really good couple of hours, catching two Stitchbirds, two Whiteheads and two Saddlebacks - another rare bird that is only found on offshore islands now.

Later that evening we again headed out into a starless night in search of Little Spotted Kiwi, this time taking a longer route over the island. We searched and searched, scanning the edges of the trails. Suddenly up ahead a grey blob rushed across the path disappearing into the black undergrowth, from its shape we were convinced it was a kiwi! Slowly we crept over to where it had disappeared, waiting and listening...then there was a loud rustling in the bushes in front of us, we strained to see through the red gloom of the torchlight and there, close by was a Little Spotted Kiwi! It looked so fluffy! We followed the kiwi for a short while, having wonderful clear views through the undergrowth as the kiwi continued feeding. As we watched we heard more rustling and soon realised there was in fact two kiwis!

Once we left the kiwi's to get on with their nightly routine we continued on the path in a loop back towards the bunkhouse. A little further along in the long grass by the path we spotted a couple of Tuatara! An ancient reptile that is a relic from the age of the dinosaurs and now is rarely seen in New Zealand. Awesome!

Tuesday - Strong winds this morning meant the Stichbird team were not going out till later. We spent the morning filling the water troughs, each time we approached a trough we were greeted with a multitude of native bird calls filtering through the trees along with the sunlight.

As we came towards the end of the boardwalks through the Wattle Valley (where the troughs are located) movement caught our eye. We looked closer and hopping through the branches in front of us was a Kokako! Another of New Zealands rare and endemic birds, we'd been wanting to see one since arriving on the island. Beautiful bluish grey feathers with distinctive purple wattles (fleshy patches of skin that hand down around the bill) and black face mask, we were really excited to see this bird.

It was boiling hot after lunch, we'd gone for a walk down to the wharf and were tempted into a swim by the sparkling, blue green waters of the bay. Jumping off the wharf the water was refreshingly cool water.

That afternoon we rejoined the Stitchbird team mist netting by the water troughs in Wattle Valley. It was still hot and the birds were enjoying the cool water just as we had in the ocean earlier. As we waited for the nets to arrive we were once again joined by a beautiful Kokako.
We set the net up to try and catch the birds as they flew into the water trough, we also set up a sugar feeder on one side of the net to try and attract Stitchbirds. Within a minute of setting the net we had caught a male Stitchbird! The session continued in a similar successful manner with 17 birds caught; 7 Bellbirds, 8 Stitchbirds, 1 Tui and 1 North Island Robin.

After dark a small group of us headed down to the wharf in search of the phosphorescence, once more the stars had returned to fill the night sky.
We crunched down the road, scanning the edges, suddenly a Little Blue Penguin came into our circle of torchlight. We all froze and the penguin sat motionless for a while before waddling away.
Down at the beach we made out way to the end of the wharf with a few stones in hand. As Lee threw the stones into the black water we watched as hundreds water droplets glowed a eerie green. Lee then decided to take a midnight dip jumping off the bottom step into the black abyss, the splash and subsequent wave he created both glowed faintly green and as he swam around we could see his arms and legs glowing!

Time to head back via a track this time, suddenly up ahead we heard a familiar rustling noise. Creeping closer into the reddish glow of our torches came another Little Spotted Kiwi =)

It was a calm night filled with millions of stars and we all decided to spend the night under the stars. We grabbed our mattresses, pillows and sleeping bags and made our beds out in the paddock behind the lighthouse keepers cottage. It was an awesome sight and experience, lying there with millions of stars shining back at us, we could see the milky way and Saturn. Turning our heads one way the lights of Auckland lit the horizon, the other way nothing but darkness pierced regularly by the beam of white light from the lighthouse behind us.

Watching the stars we fought as our eyes started drooping, wanting to watch longer, eventually sleep over took and we fell asleep under natures roof.

Wednesday - Woke to an absolutely, uncomprehendingly stunning sunrise, the horizon was aglow with pale pinks, yellows and reds fading to light and then dark blue above. Happy Valentines Day...

This morning we returned to the mist nets for one final session, despite good conditions the area was noticeable quieter and we caught fewer birds. However we did see the pair of Kokako's once again, coming down to drink and investigate.

Once we'd finished the mist netting and filled the water troughs we headed to the far end of the island along the East Coast track. It was a beautiful, sunny day with the deep blue ocean reflecting the clear blue sky. The much more rugged east coast is studded with rocky beaches and trees clinging to steep, sheer cliffs. It was a touch walk, negotiating the coastline but the views were magnificent. Finally we arrived at North East Bay, here we ate lunch by the pools at Silvester Wetland where we spotted a Spotless Crake feeding along the waters edge.

After a dip in the cool waters of the secluded beach, we spent a couple hours clipping flax back at the edges of the trails. Gratefully we accepted a lift back to the bunkhouse from Jen.

It was strangely quiet in the bunkhouse this evening the Stitchbird team having left this afternoon. Once again we decided to go in search of Kiwi that night and were greeted once more by millions of stars. We had walked quite a way before our torches illuminated something on the track ahead...a Kiwi! We couldn't get enough of watching these fun little creatures.

We continued on, looping round and back towards the bunkhouse, once again along the trail we found 5 Tuatara and almost stood on another Kiwi sitting on the track just in front of us!

Thursday - Once the water troughs had been filled we headed down to the beach to clear out the wharf shed. Another glorious hot day, once we'd finished work we went for another cooling swim in the blue waters of the bay.

The long walk of the previous day and all those nights spent looking for Kiwi's were starting to catch up and we were both feeling pretty tired by that evening.
However we were determined to make the most of being on the island and so once it was dark we again headed out, this time down towards the wharf in search of Kiwi. Although we found no Kiwi this night we did see another Brown Teal and met some researchers taking measurements of a Little Blue Penguin.

Friday - Our last full day on Tiritiri and our 4 months travelling anniversary. After our usual job of filling the troughs, and getting caught in the first rain shower we'd had on the island, we spent the rest of the day cleaning out the store room and implements shed.

Our last night on the island we went out with Dylan, a research student staying on the island, in search of his study subject Duvacell's Gecko. In the middle of a flax and tree filled bush we spent nearly an hour slowly searching the ground and trees for geckos while keeping an eye out for kiwis - of course!
It was beginning to look like we would not find any when suddenly Rachael spotted one sitting on the leaf litter at her feet! Dylan then carried out his measurements and attached a tiny transmitter to its back.

Once we'd finished Dylan headed back and we continued on in search of Kiwis. We had not gone far when one appeared on the track ahead of us! We spent a good while watching this kiwi feeding and moving through the undergrowth, before moving one along the trail. Five or ten minutes later and we had come across our second kiwi of the night!

This nights Kiwi watching was the best so far and it was not over yet, while on our way back along the road back to the bunkhouse we spotted our third kiwi in the undergrowth! A wonderful end to a brilliant week of bird watching.

Saturday - Our last day, no other work for us except filling the troughs and tidying our room. However just as we were finishing breakfast Ian, the ranger came in to tell us that a man, who was drunk, had grounded his boat on the rocks last night, the boat had now partially sunk creating a bio security risk. If any mice or rats had been on the boat they could now be on the island and must be caught as rodents are one of the main factors in the decline of New Zealands native bird life. Ian asked us if we would go down and help set up the bait lines even though it was really our day off. We were both more than happy to go and help, wanting more than anything to protect these special birds we had encountered on the island.

Down at the beach the first task for Lee was to mark out the bait lines, a tricky task which involved walking straight up the steep, flax and tree filled slopes and putting pink marker tape every 20 metres where the traps would be set. While Lee did this Rachael helped assemble the rat and mouse traps. While we worked the boat lay forlorn and broken on the rocks, its white hull flashing in the bright morning sun.

Once the lines were marked and the traps assembled it was just a questions of setting them up with bait, easier said than done when you have to carry the gear up those steep slopes. Still we took one line as the other volunteers went to do the rest, and then scrambled up the back, clinging to branches and flax leaves to haul ourselves up.
Once the bait traps were set we struggled back down the bank, satisfied that we had done as much as we could to help make sure that any rodents did not spread over the island.

It had been a couple of hours hard work setting the traps, we spent the rest of the afternoon tidying our room and enjoying our last few moments with the beautiful birds of Tiritiri Matangi.

3.30pm came all to soon and we were once again back on the ferry bidding farewell to a one of the best places we had been to since arriving in New Zealand.

We spotted many birds on our way back to Auckland but the highlight of the ferry trip back had to be the brilliant, clear view of a Hammerhead Shark! Skimming just under the water surface as the boat zipped by.

Auckland harbour was brimming with boats and as we pulled into the dock we saw why, the Queen Mary 2 was berthed there. The longest and most lavish ocean liner in the world was on a break during her maiden world voyage.

Back on the mainland we were knackered but also looking forward to setting off our on travels with our own car!

Final few days on the Banks Peninsula

A wonderful, quirky shot of a very inquisitive Hector's Dolphin. Although a little more chilled than the acrobatic and exuberant Dusky Dolphins, these guys were still really playful and interested in us.

We all really enjoyed our kayak trip, although our muscles ached once we'd finished! It was awesome to kayak with the Hector's Dolphins though and to get a unique view of this crater from so low in the water.

Even Mum got into the kayaking groove! Thoroughly enjoying the action and singing all the way to encourage the dolphins over =) although even by her own admission Laura did most of the work paddling them through the water, Bless 'em both.

Those cheeky Hector's Dolphins were even managing to bow ride our kayaks!

White-flippered Penguins, these were two late chicks waiting for the right time to abandon that lovely, cosy, feather lined burrow and head for the cold, bouncy ocean..who'd blame them for hanging around as long as possible!



This was our best camp so far, a free camp on the Kaitorete Spit, it was only us, the wind, waves, stars and a beautiful comet streaking across the heavens....

Twins by birth, best friends by choice!

Goodbye is so hard to do....

Our final week with Mum and Laura... =( Its been brilliant spending time with them and sharing experiences like swimming with dolphins and we were determined to make the most of our last few days with them.

Sunday - Today's aim was to go kayaking in the Akaroa harbour, hopefully to find Hector's Dolphins again =) It was a lovely morning, quite a bit of cloud, pocketed with bright blue sky and warm sunshine.

Once we sorted the kayaks and the rest of our gear out the guys at the rental shop took us down to the beach and helped launch us. Laura and Mum were in one kayak, Lee and Rachael in the other. Despite the sunshine there was a cool wind blowing down the harbour, but we were all prepared, dressed warmly and with plenty of waterproof clothing.

We crossed the emerald green water of French Bay (in front of Akaroa itself) and then made our way down the East coast of the harbour itself, heading with the wind, coasting with the rippling waves it created behind us. The kayaks gave us a new and unusual perspective of this volcanic harbour, so low to the water the steep sides towered above us even more. Of course we were looking for dolphins as we went but we also admired the rest of the scenery and wildlife as we passed, shags, gulls and oystercatchers milling around on the rocky shore, penguins popping up amongst the waves and terns feeding in the waters a short distance away.

The dolphins were quite far away today, we paddled almost to the mouth of the harbour before we saw the dolphin watching boats stopped up ahead and knew the dolphins were there. We felt a little disheartened, unsure whether we would make it that far out before we had to turn back and head for Akaroa once more.
Suddenly something amongst the waves catches Rachael's eye, they paddle over and then we both saw those distinctive, quirky round dorsal fins of Hector's Dolphins. Calling to Mum and Laura we headed over in their direction hoping to get just a little closer. Suddenly, right next to the kayak the dolphins surfaced! We whooped in delight, they were so close! The dolphins hung around us for about 10 minutes, at one point there was at least 10 dolphins surfacing and swimming all around our kayaks, some even began bow riding! We pushed on hard watching them just in front of us under the water! A couple of dolphins porpoised clear of the water just to our right, it was pretty awesome!

All too soon they disappeared into the waves and it was time for us to start our journey back, heading into the wind and waves it would take us much longer to return. We hugged the coastline trying to keep out of the wind and spray as much as possible. We paddled close to rocks that were covered in barnacles, chitons, limpets, oysters and some of the largest mussels we have ever seen! We went through beds of kelp, watching the browns appear in a patchwork amongst the green water.

It was tough going our arms and shoulders ached and we were covered in salt as the sun quickly dried off any water that sprayed us. Still we ploughed on, stopping for short breaks to rest our muscles and take in a bit of the scenery.

We rounded the headland into French Bay to find it heaving with yachts making the most of the wind and sunny weather, we made our way across to the beach, dodging large sail boats as they tacked back and forth. 4 hours after we had started we skimmed back up the beach and Rachael got out to haul both kayaks onto the beach. We handed the gear back and then went to change from our dripping clothes and had a hot cup of tea.

The rest of the day we spent relaxing, pooped from our kayaking adventure.

Monday - Woke to an absolutely gorgeous, hot morning, for our final day in Akaroa and after a leisurely breakfast Rachael, Lee and Laura headed down to the main wharf to do some fishing and enjoy the beautiful day.

It started off quite quiet but as the tide turned and began to come in we started to feel bites on the end of our line. Lee and Rachael ended up having quite a successful afternoon, both catching numerous small Wrasse and Herring, we kept the herring to eat and let the wrasse go. Unfortunately Laura didn't have as much luck, not catching anything all afternoon =) but still we all enjoyed just relaxing in the sunshine. After a couple of hours our bait had all gone and we were all feeling rather rosy from sitting in the sun, so we headed up the hill to show mum our catch.

After a cooling dip in the pool we ate the fillets of herring for starters, polished off the rest of our dinner and rushed back down the hill in order to join an evening penguin watch.

We jumped into the four wheel drive mini van and then headed up an extremely steep, twisting road to the very lip of the volcanic crater. From here we had magnificent views of Akaroa Harbour and the rest of the Banks Peninsula in the evening light.,
As we descended down the other side, Flea Bay or Pohatu came into view, this is where the White-flippered Penguins nest and sleep for the night. A beautiful, rugged bay with bluish grey water and pine trees topping grassy, steep sides. The penguins nest on both sides of the bay, right up to the tree line and although most of the chicks have fledged by now, adults are returning to the burrows to moult.

We drove to the very bottom of the bay and then walked along the steep sides following a narrow track, passing bushes and gullies, every now and then we would come across a nest box. Carefully our guide lifted the lids to reveal some White-flippered Penguins! We mostly found adults in various stages of the moult, looking a little bedraggled but we also saw two late chicks, with their bright blue plumage!

As we walked a little further our guide pointed our three Yellow-eyed Penguins up on the bank, one of rarest penguins whose numbers have dramatically been reduced by loss of habitat in which they breed.

Its amazing to think White-flippered Penguins scramble up these steep slopes, over rocks, through grass and round prickly bushes and deep gullies! Scanning the bay we saw groups of penguins sitting on the water, and soon came across a cluster resting on the rocks before making their way to their burrows. As we watched these penguins on the rocks something out in the bay caught Rachael's eye, Hectors Dolphins! About 15 of them surfacing amongst the greyish green wavelets of the bay! It was such a surprise to seen them, we were on a penguin watching trip! We watched the dolphins and penguins for a few moments until it started to get darker and so we headed back to the van at the end of the bay.

Before we left our guide showed us two final penguins that she was hand feeding, as she gave them their final feed of the day she explained what had happened to them. The first had been attacked by a stoat and the other, a chick, had been struck by a boat. The stoat victim should soon be able to be released back into the wild, but the chick will need to heal much more before its released.

Our guide then took us back along those winding roads to Akaroa.

Tuesday - Today we left Akaroa, a beautiful place with stunning wildlife.

It was a hot, sunny day as we drove out of Akaroa and up, over the peninsula. Soon we had arrived on the other side of the peninsular and stopped at a small, beach village called Birdlings Flat. Here we wondered along the shingle beach, being buffeted by a strong breeze that whipped up white caps on a startlingly blue ocean. We stopped to watch a colony of White-fronted Terns, the adults hovering over the water, dipping down to catch a fish and then swoop in over the colony dropping down next to a calling chick to feed it. We also spotted an albino shag being mobbed by terns as it fed just past the surf, eventually having enough it took off and flew down the coast.

We then visited a Gemstone and Fossil Museum, much to Mum's delight! The rocks and stones were all really interesting, lots of different shades and colours and the fossils were really cool. Mum was in her element!

Once our curiosity was satisfied we drove along the Kaitorete spit next to Birdlings Flat, that splits Lake Ellesmere from the ocean. A flat expanse of yellow grass and small white flowers, rippling in the strong wind, dotted with tufts of green, prickly bushes. Spur-winged Plovers hid amongst the long grass and Australasian Harriers glided inches from the grass heads.

We turned and parked near the shingle beach, with gravelly dunes covered in tufty patches of brush. After another walk on the blustery beach, we had to start thinking about finding a campsite for the night, that's when we decided, having seen no signs prohibiting it, to free camp on the spit!

After dinner, we struggled against the ferocious wind to set our tent up and then watched the sky change colour with the setting sun. When it was finally pitch dark the beauty of our chosen campsite really came out. With no lights to be seen the velvet black sky was filled with millions of twinkling stars millions, we saw the milky way, the edge of our galaxy, and even saw another galaxy on Orions sword, best was a comet McNaught, a fuzzy splodge with a fuzzy trail of greenish light.

With no one else around and only the sound of the wind howling and the waves crashing onto the beach for company this had to be our wildest and best campsite yet.

Wednesday - We awoke to a tranquil, calm morning with beautiful, diffuse light touching the grass heads and flowers, the pale blue ocean was calm, washing up onto the pebbly beach.

After a leisurely breakfast we packed up and headed back to Birdlings Flat for one last walk on the beach and so Laura could take a few more photographs of the White-fronted Terns.

Once gain we watched the adults feeding their chicks, but it was very hot lying on the shingle in the heat of the sun and after a while we headed back to the shelter of the van, not before Laura got an absolutely fabulous shot of an adult feeding a young tern! Jammy!

We ate lunch on the shores of Lake Forsythe, watching the Black Swans and Paradise Shelducks and then continued our journey back to Christchurch.

Once we got to Christchurch we ended up driving around for a couple of hours trying to find somewhere to refill the gas canister and get it fixed as we had a suspected it had a leak, and a campsite near to the airport. Eventually we were all settled in for the evening.

Thursday - The day we had all not been looking forward to, we were flying back to Auckland this lunchtime and leaving Mum and Laura to continue their trip around the South Island. We were all really looking forward to carrying on with our adventures, Mum and Laura were heading to the Fiordlands and we were going to be volunteering on Tiri Tiri Matangi, but we were also all sad to be leaving each other. We'd had a brilliant month together.

The morning flew by and all too soon we were saying good bye, getting on the plane and flying back over the island to Auckland.

Back at Alan and Cath's house we spent the next few days getting ready for our stay on Tiri Tiri Matangi, an island that is a nature reserve off Auckland, here they have eradicated pests such as rodents, re-planted native trees and introduced native bird species.

We've had some great weather for photos!

The largest flying bird in the world! This Campbell Island wandering albatross's wingspan is wider than the width of our boat. They came really close and are not scared of humans. They don't know that humans are decreasing their population so much by long line fishing they are threatened to go extinct.



This is an Antipodean wandering albatross (left) and a Campbell Island wandering albatross (right). The Antipodean is larger so has first grabs at the food.



Rachael did very well in her games of pool, probably due to the keen support of Lee and especially her mum.


A lovely day at the beach. Rachael's smile did reduce some what after getting rolled about on the rocks, but that's what happens when you go surfing, right?


This photo brings a new meaning to PPPPPick up a penguin! These Little Blue Penguins were having their feet looked after in a shallow paddling pool.



The tram was a great way to travel in the old days and now its great for tourists and annoying car drivers.

Goodbye Kaikoura, Hello Akaroa
Well apologies for the delay in this weeks blog but since leaving Kaikoura we have been on the move quite a bit and then on the Banks Peninsula the charges for using the Internet were rather high so we decided to leave it till we got back to Auckland.

Saturday - A chilled out and relaxed day.

Sunday - A beautiful, breezy morning as we prepared to go in search once again for the bird with the largest wingspan in the world; The Wandering Albatross.
We were soon out on the water, racing across the deep Kaikoura canyon, the further out we got the greater the swell became. Large waves of water rolled towards us, lifting our little boat and then dropping us again, it was like being a little toy boat in a bath with a giant wave machine!

It was not long before a few Cape Pigeons started following the boat and then, over the rolling horizon a massive bird flew in, Wandering Albatross and we had not even lowered the chum yet!! Fantastic!

Once the chum was lowered the action really started, birds were everywhere including Wandering Albatrosses, Rachael's favourite the Salvin's Mollymawk with its striking markings, New Zealand White-capped Mollymawk and Subantartic Black-browed Albatross.(Mollymawks are smaller Albatrosses) Hutton's, Sooty and Buller's Shearwaters circled, gliding just over the swell all around the boat. It brilliant, even with the boat rocking side to side. After quite a while we headed to calmer waters and found Black billed Gulls, one of the rarest gulls in the world as well as Fur Seals and White-fronted Terns.

As we headed back to Kaikoura, hugging the coastline to keep out of the swell, 15 to 20 Dusky Dolphins surfaced close to the boat! We watched them as we zipped by, surfing in the wake of our boat and even saw a young calf breaching out of the water!

It was an awesome bird watching trip, with loads of new birds for us both and the added surprise of seeing the Dusky Dolphins.

Back on dry, stable land we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening taking photos, birdwatching and rock pooling at South Bay, enjoying the array of wildlife around the Kaikoura Peninsula.

Monday - Surfs up dude! This afternoon Rachael, Lee and Laura went surfing at Mangamauau Beach, 5km up the coast from Kaikoura. It was a mostly sunny and warm day, the only problem was that it was just after high tide which meant that the waves were breaking closer to a rather rocky shore. Never-the-less there were some waves breaking further out, they looked pretty cool and we wanted to try it out so we headed off.

Once we'd managed to make our way into the water we paddled out, paddling up steep walls of water that rose in front of us, peaking over the top and then dropping down the other side. We then spent the next couple of hours attempting to catch those waves and not get crashed into the rocky shore, something Lee and Laura seemed to do easily, Lee even managed to stand up a few times. Rachael on the other hand couldn't seem to get off the board before being swept onto the shore and ended up being bumped around the rocks giving her some rather colourful bruises.

After a while our arms started to tire and the water started to numb our limbs, so we scrambled back onto shore through the tumble of surf and stones and then went back to the warmth of our camper van.

Tuesday - As expected we awoke with aching muscles and sore bruises, Rachael a little more so than the others. We spent the morning cleaning and tidying the van, getting ready to leave the following day.

We then headed to the New Wharf to enjoy the gorgeous sunny day with some more fishing. The scene was perfect, high greeny brown mountains topped with white fluffy clouds, dropping down to an ocean that was a bright deep blue shimmering in the bright sunlight that sparkled on the tips of small wavelets, whipped up by a cool breeze.

We sat at the end of the wooden wharf that looked rather rickety and spent the afternoon fishing. As the afternoon progressed Lee was very successful, catching numerous small Wrasse, Laura and Rachael were not quite as successful with loads of bites but those darn fish always seemed to wiggle away at the last moment! But still it was a glorious afternoon, very chilled and relaxed compared to yesterdays surfing antics.

By 6pm we were all fished out, and headed to the movie theatre returning to the campsite later that evening to a glorious star filled sky and a beautiful, glowing moon that sparkled on a black velvety ocean.

Wednesday - A beautiful morning waved us off from Kaikoura, a place that we all felt really at home and attached to, a marine wildlife heaven and an unforgettable experience.

Glorious sunshine followed us as we moved away from the ocean and through the mountains, heading for Hanmer Springs. The road twisted and wound its way through steep mountain valleys, covered with green pine forests and towering over rushing blue streams running over wide pebbly stream beds. Deep gorges cut through the landscape like open scars, sheer sides dropping down to a narrow river flowing below.

Late afternoon we arrived in Hanmer Springs, famous for its thermal pools, nestled in a circle of mountain peaks with bare escarpments and deep green pine forests. We donned our swimming costumes and headed straight for the hot pools. We spent over an hour relaxing in the pools that ranged from 36° to 41°c, until our feet and hands turned pink and wrinkly and then headed to our camp for a BBQ watching the sky turn purpley and the clouds turn from golden yellow to pinkish.

Thursday - Continued our journey to Christchurch through the mountains and as we went the clouds broke up revealing a hot sunny day. Once in the Garden City we parked up and headed to the Cathedral Square where while Mum collected our completed Visa we wondered round the market. We then hopped onto the towns charming 1920s Tram service that takes you on a tour around the city centre. The City was charming and beautiful especially in the sunshine.

Once we'd got back to the van we headed for the International Antarctic Centre and spent a couple of hours wondering round learning all about the Antarctic, its exploration and wildlife.
They had a really interesting display of Little Blue Penguins that we watched being fed and got a chance to ask a few questions about the species.

Back outside we left Christchurch and headed out towards the Banks Peninsula, and Akaroa where we have there is a good chance of finding Hector's Dolphins. The smallest and one of the rarest dolphins in the world, with only around 5000 left, these dolphins are only found around New Zealand.

Created by three volcanic eruptions the peninsula's steep valleys and twisting, winding roads stand out in start contrast to the flat ground around Christchurch. We stopped near Lake Ellesmere at the edge of the peninsula for dinner before driving the final leg over the peninsula and round Akaroa harbour to the town of Akaroa itself.

Friday - We had a leisurely morning waiting for the low misty clouds to clear around the harbour, before heading down into the town to explore. The french influence on the town is very clear, with french colonial style houses and street names all starting with Rue. As we booked ourselves onto a harbour cruise that afternoon the sun finally came out from behind the clouds warming the day.

By 3pm we had walked back up the rather steep hill to our camp, got our things together and made our way back down to the main wharf to join the boat that would take us on a tour of the harbour and its wildlife. It was hot sitting on the bow of the boat enjoying a complimentary drink and watching a cheeky pair of sparrows hop around the deck. Soon we were heading out over the calm bluey green water, watching the whole of Akaroa harbour reveal its self before us. Created by a massive volcanic eruption, the crater used to be a lake that was then breached by the sea creating this long, natural harbour, the volcanic sediment creating murky water that is ideal for Hector's Dolphins to come in and hide from predators such as sharks.

Within five minutes we had spotted what we had hoping most of all to see, Hector's Dolphins. Three of them headed straight for the boat, swam by and then disappeared. We were so surprised to see them so soon, we had imagined they would be a little more tricky to find!

As we continued along the eastern coast of the harbour we found more dolphins and the afternoon just got better and better. The Hector's Dolphins cruised around the boat at a much more leisurely pace that the Dusky Dolphins in Kaikoura, but were still extremely playful. They loved to bow ride, turning to take a look at us leaning over the bow looking at them! One even turned completely flashing its white belly at us. They turned this way and that, chasing each other under water, swimming upside down and tail slapping, others frequently spy hopped, poking their heads out of the water to take a good look around. They are gorgeous with their distinctively rounded dorsal fin and puffing blow, we all loved watching and photographing them in the beautiful calm waters of the harbour.

We spent quite a while with the dolphins before heading further towards the mouth of the harbour where we went into Cathedral Cave, a huge cavern that echoed with the sound of our engine and the calls of Spotted Shags resting on the ledges.
Out of the mouth of the harbour and the swell increased, with the wind whipping up white caps on the blue ocean. We passed by hundreds of White-fronted Terns that all took off at once turning the sky white with birds. Bobbing amongst the waves were a few White-flippered Penguins, a subspecies of the Little Blue Penguin that only nest around the Banks Peninsula coast.

As we headed round the coast into Damons Bay we once again came across three Hectors Dolphins surfacing amongst the spray of the waves. The skipper took the boat close in to the rocks of the bay giving us a wonderful view of New Zealand Fur Seal pups learning to swim in the large rock pools - they were sooooo cute!

As we returned to Akaroa Harbour and made our way back to port the change in the weather conditions was remarkable. Large clouds bubbled up over the mountains withe increasingly strong wind that now came straight at us, whipping up small white caps in the harbour itself. It was pretty chilly and bumpy on the bow now, so we headed for the shelter at the back of the boats. Still from there we were able to spot Hector's Dolphins surfacing quickly amongst the waves.

That evening we were still buzzing from our first encounter with these small, rare and rather quirky dolphins.

Saturday - We woke before dawn on a mission, a mission to swim with those beautiful Hectors Dolphins we had seen the day before. The lack of stars told us it was an overcast morning, which also meant it was a long time in coming light. As we watched the boats across the road from the office finally take shape we got kitted up in our wet suit and fins and headed onto the small Dolphin Experience boat that would take us out.

There was only five of us swimming and as we motored out over the dull greenish, calm waters of the harbour we all kept our eyes peeled. It did not take long to spot a group of 3 Hectors Dolphins surfacing in the early morning gloom, they came over to investigate the boat and we then sat and waited to see what the dolphins were doing, whether they would hang around and whether any others would turn up.

Soon 5 or 6 dolphins were swimming around the boat and our guide gave the signal to get into the water, quietly we slipped in, sucking in a deep breathe as the cold water filtered through our wetsuits. We warmed up as soon as we started swimming around, making noises through our snorkels in an attempt to catch the dolphins interests. It took a while for the dolphins to take interest, for a good 15 minutes we were swimming around without seeing a dolphin, however just as the guide and skipper were going to call us back on board, the dolphins suddenly appeared amongst us!

It was brilliant! The water was pretty murky, you'd look up and see a dolphin surface less than a metre away, look back under and not see anything. However this meant that in order to get a good look at us the dolphins had to swim in close, really close, Hector's dolphins swimming within inches of us! Stunning!
At some points 4 or 5 dolphins would swim in close, circling or gliding next to us, holding eye contact for what felt like eternity before disappearing into the gloom below. They were so close you could see the scratches and scars that cover their bodies and dorsal fins. A couple of times we would swim as fast as we could with a group of dolphins just ahead and it felt like you were one of the pod, then they would speed up and disappear with no hope of us keeping up.

We spent over an hour swimming with a group of about 6 or 7 dolphins, and as the group of swimmers and dolphins were smaller than the Duskies in Kaikoura, we were able to interact more with each other and the dolphins at the same time =)

Back on the boat, warming up with a cup of hot chocolate we watched as a couple of dolphins breached clear of the water close to the boat and then proceeded to bow ride with exuberant energy as we made our way back to port. We were all buzzing from our encounter and didn't want the trip to end, but at the same time we were extremely grateful of a warm shower.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the now hot and sunny weather, investigating the next bay and watching the boats, birds and dolphins out on the water.