Bird Watching

Okarito Is the One

Okarito is the standout for birdwatching on the West Coast, and honestly, in the whole South Island. It's now NZ's largest pest-free habitat, which means native birdlife is genuinely thriving here. On a recent visit we heard Kiwi at night and Kea and Kakariki during the day. Most campervans blow straight past and head to Franz Josef township. Leave them to it.

Get on the Water

The best way to experience the birdlife is to get out into the lagoon. Drifting silently through the shallow wetland channels, away from road noise, hearing nothing but birds is a rare thing. We saw and heard heaps of Kotuku (white heron) on the kayaks. If kayaking isn't your thing, an Okarito boat tour on the flat-bottomed lagoon boat is brilliant too. They cut the engine regularly and you still get that special quiet.

Worth Noting Further North

If you're coming down through Nelson Lakes, the Kerr Bay bellbird loop at Rotoiti is a pleasant 20-minute family-friendly walk with solid birdlife, the result of about 30 years of trapping work. And at Punakaiki, keep an eye out for the Tāiko (Westland Petrel) from McMillan Rd between April and January. Hundreds of these big black birds circle offshore at dusk before crash-landing back into their nesting colony in the forest behind the beach. Genuinely wild to watch.