AndyL
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Before I arrived in Kaikoura I planned to watch whales and swim with dolphins, but hadn't considered the Albatross Encounter.
As the Whale watching was cancelled I decided to give it a go and didn't regret it. The experience of seeing such large seabirds close up was amazing as was the variety of birds that you get to see. On our trip we saw 23 different types of birds. This was one of the highlights of the holiday and I would definitely recommend it.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Okarito ▷
Okarito Kiwi Tours
Before going to New Zealand I had noticed good reviews for this tour on the internet and wasn't disappointed on the night.
We were lucky enough to see a Kiwi in day light as it came out of its burrow (Ian knew it was there as the birds are all tagged with radio transmitters to help track them). Although we didn't see it for long we got a good view before it disappeared into the dense undergrowth and it was great to see one in the wild. Later on we heard other Kiwis calling which was an amazing sound and we nearly saw a few others - but they didn't quite come onto the track. Although you need quite a bit of patience it was a unique experience that I would definitely recommend and wish I could do again.
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Dunedin ▷
Elm Wildlife Tours
I went on the tour which included a boat trip and thought the trip was amazing.
On the boat trip we saw a pod of Hectars Dolphins, Fur seals and one sealion as well as various seabirds. The tour then took us to a great sealion colony which you see from above and then a beach where you can watch Yellow-eyed penguins come in for the night. The Penguins didn't seem that worried by us and walked by quite close. We saw about six come in out of the water and got to see some others standing around with their chicks.