New Zealand Tourism Online

Bird Watching Kaikoura, New Zealand

Ocean Wings Albatross Encounters Introduction

Ocean Wings Albatross Encounter offers bird watching in Kaikoura, New Zealand, famous for whales and dolphins and arguably one of the world's most exciting arenas for pelagic (ocean going) birds.

Within close proximity of the beautiful Kaikoura Peninsula, range the considerable array of albatross, petrels, shearwaters, terns, shags and gulls you can see on our Kaikoura nature tours.

Peter Langlands, an authority on Kaikoura's seabirds, writes;

Kaikoura has one of the largest number of different types of seabirds within a small area than anywhere along the New Zealand coastline.”

Experience the sensation of getting close to the mighty albatross, one of the world's largest flight birds.

Our Tours and Bird Watching in Kaikoura

Kaikoura, situated on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand has become one of the world's most spectacular marine watching regions. The reason being the variety of both marine animals and birds that can be found just off what is a breathtakingly beautiful coastline.

It is this special feature which sets Kaikoura apart and draws visitors who wish to be inspired by that close to nature experience.

The same pioneering spirit that saw the evolution of the successful dolphin swimming and watching operation, Dolphin Encounter, is now being applied to our latest venture, Ocean Wings.

Our bird watching tours specialise in providing the platform for those who have an interest in meeting Kaikoura's pelagic birds. Gary skippers our bird-watching vessel and shares his knowledge and love for the ocean birds to those who wish to see up close the majestic albatross as well as the twenty or more other species of pelagic birds on show.

For more information about an albatross encounter on our Kaikoura nature tours, please contact us or visit our bird watching in Kaikoura Web site.

Bird Facts

Kaikoura has one of the greatest number of different types of seabirds within a small area than anywhere along the New Zealand coastline.

One of the reasons for such a large number of different types of seabirds is the presence of a deepwater trench close inshore and upwellings of cold nutrient rich water over the shallower coastal waters (supporting flocks of tens of thousands Huttons Shearwaters which breed in the nearby Seaward Kaikoura mountains).

Great Albatross – Five varieties of the great albatross can be seen off Kaikoura. Wandering Albatross, Antipodean Albatross, Gibson's Albatross, Northern Royal Albatross and Southern Royal Albatross.

Albatross – Up to eight varieties of the smaller albatross (sometimes referred to as mollymawks) can be seen in the waters off Kaikoura.

Shearwater – Seven varieties: Fleshfooted, Bullers, Sooty, Short-tailed, Fluttering, Hutton's and Little Shearwater.

Petrels – Fourteen varieties. Some of these include Westland, Common, Diving, White chinned, Cape Pigeon, Antarctic Fulmar, Southern Giant, Northern Giant, Fairy Prion and Wilson's Storm Petrel.

Shag – Four varieties including the Black, Pied, Little Shag and Spotted.

For more information about an albatross encounter on our Kaikoura nature tours, please contact us or visit our bird watching in Kaikoura Web site.

Entire Site Search