New Zealand's Far North Pelagics

Dates: See Trip Calendar
Duration: 2 days/2nights live-aboard (or 3-day excursions from Warkworth, Auckland.)
Cost per person: See Trip Calendar
Limited to 10 passengers.

NZ's Far North is a rarely-visited area of seabird activity. The New Zealand mainland's northernmost landmark is the area around North Cape and Cape Reinga. Here warm oceanic currents flow across the Tasman Sea from east Australian waters, and across the top of New Zealand. This becomes the warm East Auckland Current moving down the north-eastern shelf edge. This dynamic oceanic mix off North Cape offers a rich array of seabirds, where birds from tropical, New Zealand and Subantarctic breeding grounds can be seen together through much of the year.

These pelagic tours are run as overnight boat trips from a northern harbour OR as three-day excursions from Warkworth near Auckland. (Depart Warkworth Friday afternoon, return to Warkworth Sunday evening). We use our minibus for transfers to the Far North. Alternatively we can rendezvous at our departure point Pukenui on the shore of tranquil Houhora Harbour. Departure from Houhora will be on Friday night to an anchorage at either North Cape or Cape Karikari. On Saturday morning we head for deeper waters and two or three chumming locations looking for seabirds. Saturday night will be at an anchorage near North Cape, if conditions are favourable we will anchor close to Cape Maria Van Demien. Some of these trips will include the Three Kings (Go to the trip calendar for dates)

Wandering Albatross Kim Westerskov

Grey-faced Petrel Kim Westerskov

Immature Black-browed Albatross Kim Westerskov