Coast Up Close Wildlife Cruise

We took a leisurely (no birding) drive up the coast from Dunedin yesterday arriving in Akaroa (on the Banks Peninsula) in time for a very pleasant pre-dinner walk along the harbour front as the sun was setting. The weather prediction for the morning was not looking great for our 'Coast Up Close' wildlife cruise with an expected 'cool' change, rain and high winds. We were pleasantly surprised when we woke to bright sunshine and still air and arrived at the dock to board the boat.

'Coast Up Close' boat, Akaroa, Canterbury NZ
(photo courtesy of Joanne Smissen)

It was reasonably calm inside the inner harbour allowing shots of a Spotted Shag flying close-by the boat

Spotted Shag, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @92mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/4000

and this one surfaced right next to us.

Spotted Shag, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @92mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/500

We saw lots of Hutton's Shearwater, mostly like this

Hutton's Shearwater, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @92mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/2000

but one stayed around long enough for me to get this shot. 

Hutton's Shearwater, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @92mm, ISO 400 f/4 1/8000

I cannot tell the difference between Hutton's and Fluttering Shearwaters without seeing the underwings but the boat skipper assured us that Flutterings don't come this far south in the breeding season and Hutton's breed just up the coast in the Kaikoura Ranges.

The predicted strong SW wind soon came up (and you can see from the shot below what sort of weather was heading our way) which meant we didn't venture far outside the harbour but it did make for a fun trip spotting Hector's Dolphins with the boat ploughing through the 1-2 metre swell in the outer harbour.

Photography was difficult with so much movement of the boat so we both spent most of our time just watching these incredible animals as they charged towards the boat,

Hector's Dolphin, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/4000

Hector's Dolphin, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/3200

 frustratingly spending most of their time under water

Hector's Dolphin, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/4000

occasionally breaking the surface allowing a brief glimpse of their short, rounded dorsal fin.

Hector's Dolphin, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @92mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/4000

Jo spent a lot of time lying on the deck hanging over the bow watching them close-up, playing in the bow wave.

Hector's Dolphin, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
(Photo courtesy of Joanne Smissen)

I had enough trouble keeping the lens dry just leaning over the side rail...

Hector's Dolphin, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/4000

There are several spots along the cliffs where Spotted Shags were nesting.

Spotted Shag, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @92mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/500

Spotted Shag, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @92mm, ISO 400 f/2.8 1/1600

and New Zealand Fur Seals were basking on the rocks...

New Zealand Fur Seal, Akaroa Harbour, Canterbury NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @92mm, ISO 400 f/4 1/6400

...all under the watchful eye of the First Mate.

(Photo courtesy of Joanne Smissen)

Royal Albatross Centre Guided Walk

After a great day driving through The Catlins, we made our way back to Taiaroa Head in time for our booked guided walk through the Royal Albatross Centre.

We had deliberately booked the last tour of the day as, in addition to giving most of the rest of the day to do other things, we anticipated that there would be more activity with albatross returning to roost in the early evening.

Even from the car park it was obvious we'd made a good decision as there were several birds flying around overhead.

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/8000

The Centre has an observatory built on the cliff top within the colony

Royal Albatross Centre Observatory, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
(photographed from the boat on the Monarch Cruise yesterday)
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @200mm ISO 400, f/6.3 1/1000

so you can get up close (and nearly personal) with nesting birds.

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/200

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/160

Even though sunset was still a few hours away, the cloudy conditions made for low light, which was just one of the challenges facing us. The tours are limited to a small number of people so that everyone can get a spot at the window but the action was coming thick and fast, with birds flying past the windows every few seconds, so once I had a good spot I was reluctant to move. One of the reasons why this site is suitable for albatross is that it almost always has high winds and this evening was no exception, which meant the birds were flying at incredible speeds. When you are standing at cliffside lookouts watching albatross flying offshore there are few indicators by which it is possible to judge their speed but when they fly past you only a few metres away...

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

So, fast moving birds, low light, cramped conditions and shooting through glass was challenging. The following shots (all from one sequence) demonstrate the auto-focus problems. I thought I had a lock on the bird but once I lost it, the camera tracked back and forth between the background and the glass...

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/640

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/1250

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/2500

We spent about 40 minutes in the observatory but it was over way too quickly. It's almost impossible to convey the feeling of standing (albeit inside a building) within a colony of these majestic birds but here's a few of my feeble attempts:

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/250

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/250

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/500

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/800

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/500

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/400

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/3200

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8
ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/800

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/800

Northern Royal Albatross, Taiaroa Head, Otago NZ
Pentax K-3, Sigma 300mm f/2.8, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/320

Oh, and to top it off...sunset

Sunset from Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @35mm, ISO 1600, f/4 1/4000

The Catlins

The Catlins is the area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The combination of rugged coastlines, spectacular waterfalls and temperate rainforest tempted us into a day trip from Dunedin.

Our first intended stopping point was The Nuggets but we couldn't resist the stop at Kaka Point to check out the views. It was so windy that I needed a very fast shutter speed to freeze the movement of the foreground grasses in the view over Molyneux Bay so I bumped the ISO up to 1600 for this shot.

Molyneux Bay from Kaka Point, Otago NZ
Pentax K-5, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, ISO 1600, f/8 1/3200

It was a little calmer around the corner.

The Nuggets from Kaka Point, Otago NZ
Pentax K-5, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 @ 20mm
ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

When we reached The Nuggets, it was raining heavily so we opted for a quick view from the lookout near the car park but declined the longer walk to the lighthouse. The tiny white dots in the vegetation on the right side of the large conical rock in the mid ground are Royal Spoonbill, the second place in New Zealand where we saw them precariously roosting on rugged oceanic coastlines (we saw them earlier in the week at Taiaroa Head), having never seen this in Australia.

View from Lookout at Nugget Point, Otago NZ
Pentax K-5, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, ISO 1600, f/8 1/3200

When we returned to Kaka Point, we found a flock of Black-backed Gulls (= Kelp Gulls) on the beach at Kaka Point with The Nuggets in the background just as the sun came out.

Black-backed Gull, Kaka Point Beach, Otago NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 70mm, ISO 400, f/6.3 1/2000

Black-backed Gull, Kaka Point, Otago NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm, ISO 400, f/6.3 1/2000

As the rain returned, we decided that the best place to be was the rainforest so we headed for Purakaunui Falls,

Purakaunui Falls, Otago NZ
Pentax K-5, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 @ 10 mm, ISO 80 f/22 0.4 sec

Rainforest floor at Purakaunui Falls, Otago NZ
Pentax K-5, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 @ 20 mm, ISO 80, f/8 1/6 

Path at Purakaunui Falls, Otago NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm
ISO 1600, f2.8 1/500

As we walked through the rainforest to and from the falls, we saw several small dark birds with flashes of white and yellow but it was not until right at the end of the walk back near the car park that one of the Tomtits sat still long enough to be photographed.

Tomtit, Purakaunui Falls, Otago NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200 @ 200 mm, ISO 1600, f/2.8 1/1600

The other place I wanted to see was the Petrified Forest at Curio Bay. The rock platform on the beach has many petrified tree trunks exposed in the rocks at low tide.

Petrified Forest, Curio Bay, Southland, NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 35mm, ISO 400, f/8 1/1250 

Petrified Forest, Curio Bay, Southland, NZ
Pentax K-5, Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 @ 35mm, ISO 400, f/8 1/1000

While photographing the petrified logs in the rocks, I spotted a Variable Oystercatcher nearby.

Variable Oystercatcher, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @200mm, ISO 400, f/8 1/320

Not far away was its mate with two small chicks.

Variable Oystercatcher, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @200mm, ISO 400, f/8 1/500

Variable Oystercatcher, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @200mm, ISO 400, f/8 1/500

Neither of us has ever seen Oystercatchers with chicks before so we were enthralled watching these tiny, bobble-heads wandering around the rocky reef ably defended by their parents, so much so that neither of us noticed the Yellow-eyed Penguin scramble out of the water right beside me (we had to be alerted by another couple waving at us and pointing at the penguin).

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm @200mm,  f/2.8, ISO 400, f/8 1/640

I took a few steps back to give the penguin more space and get a shot of it with wider surrounds.

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm,  ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

Jo managed to capture me taking the shot above.

Curio Bay, Southland NZ
(Photo courtesy Joanne Smissen)

The penguin seemed unperturbed by us and the other ten or so people on the beach watching it at a respectful distance. It walked right by me less than ten metres away.

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm,  ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm
ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm,  ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm
ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

feet audibly plopping through the shallow puddles left by the receding tide.

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm
ISO 400, f/5.6 1/1000

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm
ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

Occasionally stopping for a stretch, before heading into the dunes.

Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, Southland NZ
Pentax K-5, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 @70mm
ISO 400, f/5.6 1/800

I have had some great wildlife experiences in my life but this one will be remembered as one of the special ones but it was time to head back to Dunedin as we had another experience booked and paid for at the Royal Albatross Centre.