When I started planning my New Zealand trip three years ago, I came across this birdwatching haven and it instantly made my list of things to do. We saw many native birds at a close distance, including the rare takahe! Best activity to do in Auckland for bird/nature lovers!
Itinerary of the day: Auckland (day trip) → Tiritiri Matangi → Kawerau Track → Lighthouse & visitor centre → Wattle Track
Tiritiri Matangi used to be inhabited by human for farming and fishing, and much of its forests were cleared. A revegetation project took place in 1984, which involved 250,000 native trees to be replanted on the island. Pests like rats were exterminated to prepare this island for the re-introduction of rare native bird species.
The only way to get to Tiritiri Matangi is by ferry 360 Discovery Cruises, one departure and return a day, Wednesday to Sunday. If we missed the return ferry, the only alternative left would be a 400 NZD water taxi. To protect conservation efforts, a maximum of 150 visitors a day were allowed, so do buy tickets beforehand if possible.
We were at the ferry terminal early, so had plenty of time to exchange tickets, watch commuters come on shore, and let volunteers check our bag. To keep Tiritiri Matangi pest-free, all bags and backpacks must be zipper sealed, and food placed in ziploc bags or closed tupperware. We saw someone with a draw-string type backpack, and was asked to place the backpack into another plastic bag provided. Shoes need to be brushed cleaned (brush provided) before boarding the ferry to ensure no foreign seeds were brought onto the island.
On the ferry, a volunteer came to sell the map of the island for $1. Even though low-res maps can be found online, the official website does state that the reproduction of this map is prohibited. Please buy a new map and contribute the dollar towards conservation!
After 1h15mins of a comfortable ferry ride, we arrived at Tiritiri Matangi.
At the dock, volunteers prompted visitors to wait until everyone got off the ferry, then a ranger explained the basic rules and divided visitors into their designated groups.
There were two tracks on the island suitable for day trips: the 1-hour Kawerau Track, and the half-hour Wattle Track. Both can be done in one day as a loop, starting and ending at the dock, so it was only a matter of order.
There was a huge school group going on the Wattle Track, so everyone else chose the Kawerau Track. We along with 7-8 others were led by one volunteer.
Our volunteer guide (guy with the red fanny pack) really liked plants. He was spending way more time explaining plants than birds!
Thanks to him, I remembered the New Zealand celery. This was one of the plants James Cook used to prevent scurvy among his crew.
No offense to the admirable volunteer who guided us, but his comprehensive explanation of plants got boring rather quickly. Moving with a group was a disadvantage for birding, as most birds got scared away by so many people approaching. We wanted to break away from the group, but were too embarrassed to tell our guide.
We managed to see a few birds, like this New Zealand pigeon (kereru).
Stitchbird (hihi). Like Stephen Fry joked in BBC's Last Chance to See, the Maori names do sound quite funny to a non-speaker, not to mention hard to memorize. I would say remembering names of places and animals in New Zealand was all part of the fun!
After a short walk along the seashore, we then entered the lush forests. Some climbing was involved, but nothing too strenuous.
A signage on the track showed different birds to be seen on the Kawerau Bush Walk. We ended up spotting most of them on this board and a couple more listed in the brochure, with the exception of the kokako. There were only 20 kokako on the island so it would take a lot of luck to see one, but we did hear its call!
After we exited the bush, we entered an open hill of grass with a few isolated flax plants.
The white lighthouse marked the end of the guided tour. The guided tour was scheduled to last an hour, but we took two hours to reach the lighthouse. If I could do this day over again, I would opt out of the guided tour. The tracks were really straightforward, and it was easy to find someone and ask for directions. I would have preferred more time on our own to photograph the birds properly.
There was a visitor center with complimentary tea/coffee, toilets, and a souvenir shop beside the lighthouse. No food was sold on Tiritiri Matangi, so we had our packed lunch on the benches provided. This was also the only place on the island with trash bins.
This area would be the best place to spot a takahe - a rare, flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand. This species was thought to be extinct a century ago but now rediscovered and protected.
We searched around and saw that the usual track to see this rare bird was closed!
...but! We were very lucky to be right outside the fenced track when an adult takahe walked by.
Better yet, a chick followed! I was so happy because I got so much more than I bargained for.
Since the guided tour took much of our time, we had to pace our walk on the shorter Wattle Track in order to make the ferry departure on time.
Little puppet toys set up along the track for the school children.
We had much more success with spotting birds when it was just the three of us. All we had to do was be still and quiet for a few seconds, and the birds would be totally oblivious.
A North Island saddleback (tieke).
An Australian quail (obviously not a native).
Tui was the most commonly seen bird we saw in all of New Zealand, and this island was no exception. They're adequately sized with easily recognizable indigo colour, and has a signature puff of white feather on their throat.
Smaller birds like this hihi was much harder to photograph, and they had a tendency to show me their butt. This stitchbird is a male.
and this is a female.
Bellbird (korimako).
We saw this adorable whitehead (popokatea) about 3 or 4 times, but they moved so fast! Could have been a great shot if my lens wasn't so slow!
For the uninformed the pukeko could be mistaken as takahe. They're taller and slimmer, and are much more common. Some locals even consider them pests because they destroy the gardens!
Brown teals (pateke), New Zealand's unassuming looking, but actually endangered native ducks. Like many other native species of NZ, they were easy prey to introduced predators, and conservation is going underway.
My parents and I all enjoyed Tiritiri Matangi! Many birdwatching trips I had done in the past usually involved of a lot of waiting time, but not here. We were seeing birds every minute, and the birdsong never stopped! It's hard to believe that this island was restored to be a nature reserve through the efforts of volunteers.
We catched the return ferry to Auckland, where we had a chance to see the Auckland skyline.
After embarking, it was still early, so we shopped for souvenirs like volcanic salt, lanolin lotion, and manuka honey coughdrops. Auckland was the best place to buy souvenirs, in terms of price! The Chinese-owned convenience stores are your best bet, as they often sell the same product for a much cheaper price.
Dinner was Auckland's classic burger caravan, the White Lady Burger, in business since 1940. It's more of a late-night food joint, so when I got there at their advertised opening time, I had to wait another 20 minutes...
I ordered the King Burger, but probably should have gotten something a bit more adventurous. The burger was very hearty, and reminded me a lot of the breakfast burger in Taiwan. The best burger however, was to be had in Queenstown (to be continued!).
In addition, we also bought oysters from St.Pierre's Sushi at Britomart. The idea of buying oysters from a sushi chain never sounded good to me, but I read online that they are actually of decent quality! Glad to found out the reviewers were right.
Tomorrow, we would temporarily wave goodbye to this city and say hello to the best things NZ has to offer - the beautiful countryside of South Island!
