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TRAVELLING NATURALIST TRIP REPORT
8 – 27 January 2005
Leaders: Bob Gibbons Arron Conn Wynston Cooper Trip Diary Monday 10th January Arrived at the hotel in Auckland at about 7 in the morning. Although none of us felt especially lively, our guide Wynston, convinced us that it would be best to have a good full day so as to immediately get onto NZ time. It turned out he was entirely right, and we all appreciated an excellent first day in the field. After breakfast and a shower, we set off north-westwards from Auckland to Muriwai beach, where there is a superb Australian Gannet colony on offshore stacks and on the mainland cliffs, with easy views from several viewpoints. We spent much of the gloriously sunny morning here, also getting to grips with some of the commoner plants such as New Zealand cabbage, and a few butterflies such as common copper. There were good numbers of Black-backed Gulls, Red-billed Gulls and White-fronted Terns to add to the variety. After a cafe lunch, we drove into the nearby Waitatere hills to take a walk in some superb unspoilt native forest vegetation. We had our first taste of podocarps, the unusual conifers that dominated NZ forests once, and saw some superb Kauri trees, related to monkey puzzles. There were masses of gorgeous Pohutukawa trees covered in bright red flowers, related to Eucalyptus, and quite one of the most stunning trees around in every respect. We immediately began to see good numbers of native birds such as the noisy Tuis and Fantails. After an early supper, we were all glad to get to bed. Tuesday 11th January We set off early on a beautifully sunny morning to drive northwards to Gulf Harbour, on the Hauraki Gulf, to meet the large catamaran heading for Tiri Tiri Matangi Island. While waiting we watched terns and gulls, and shortly after we'd set off towards the island, we passed through a huge floating flock of Fluttering Shearwaters. As we neared the island, I passed on the word from Wynston to watch out for otters on the offshore reefs; I only found out two days later that he'd actually said 'dotterel', though in fact we saw neither! The island is a sanctuary for New Zealand's rarer native birds, which are steadily being reintroduced here as the habitat is restored to native scrub and woodland. It's only islands that can be readily controlled to keep out all the introduced predators and pests, such as rats, stoats and possums, which so devastate the mainland populations of birds, plants and invertebrates. The island did not disappoint us, and we had excellent views of most of the resident species, including Kokako (which obliged us by coming within 2 or 3 feet), NZ Robins, Stitchbirds, Tui, Little Blue Penguins (young only), Brown Teal, Spotless Crake, Pukeko (i.e. purple gallinule) and the extraordinary Takahe, a probable three-way hybrid between turkey, gallinule and puffin! The weather stayed excellent all day, and we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the lighthouse (where we met a couple who live about 400 yards from me in Wimborne!), followed by a walk back to the harbour through scrub and forest. Wednesday 12th January A transfer day, moving southwards from Auckland to Taupo, travelling through wide fertile valleys with hills in the distance, until we rached the volcanic and geothermal areas around Rotorua. We had a walk along the lake at Rotorua, looking mainly at the different cormorants and gulls that occur in large numbers, but also enjoying plants such as manuka and large colonies of tiger beetles with their extraordinary hole-dwelling voracious larvae. We arrived at the fascinating Waimangu geothermal area for lunch, and ate in a delightful cafe with good views across the valley and hills, with pleasantly tame Tuis feeding on the New Zealand flax. After lunch, we walked down the geothermal valley in warm sunshine, passing huge Fuchsia trees, various tree ferns and many other interesting woody species, before arriving at a huge steaming lake billed as the largest hot spring in the world! There was a Sacred Kingfisher nearby, though not much other birdlife. Further on was one of the bluest lakes imaginable, thanks to the suspended silica. The hot soil of this area supports plants that can't grow elsewhere in New Zealand, including some endemics, such as the strange fern-relative Psilotum nudum, and a clubmoss that also occurs in the volcanic areas of tropical Costa Rica! Finally, we stopped at the Waiotapu mud pool, an extraordinary place, where we also saw blue damselfly and common blue butterflies, arriving at the pleasant lakeside resort of Taupo by evening. Thursday 13th January Although it started cold and windy, looking suspiciously unsettled, it turned out to be another gorgeous day. We started early, to make our way to the Pureora forest area, where there are still large unlogged areas of ancient forest, though we also passed through vast areas of pine plantations and recent clearances. Our first walk took us into breathtaking ancient forest, dominated by the huge trunks of Rimu and Totara (both podocarps), with such interesting plants as chicken and hen fern and umbrella moss below. We heard the strangely eerie 'rusty-organpipe' call of the Kokako, as well as native parrots, California Quail (who, reasonably enough, call 'Chicago' as if from the song) and much else. On the next walk, nearby, we saw our first orchids, albeit not very spectacular ones, as well as sundews and a number of other attractive herbaceous flowers. A third walk passed through some particularly fine totara stands. The lunch-stop in a pleasant grassy glade gave us our first taste of Wynston and Aaron's excellent picnics, and we had good views of Australasian Harriers amongst other things. After lunch we walked nearby through more lovely old forest along a river, though our planned circular route was slightly curtailed as the bridge had been recently washed away! Finally, we called in at the fascinating ‘craters of the moon valley’, where a series of actively-steaming geothermal areas sit amongst a low moorland vegetation that has to survive being frequently burnt or inundated with boiling mud. Hardly surprisingly, it wasn't very species-rich, though it made a pleasant and interesting walk. Friday 14th January We left Taupo to travel southwards along the lake shore (the largest in New Zealand), stopping for views of the snow-clad Tongariro volcanoes (our destination) and to search for the rare and inconspicuous Fernbird in lakeside marshland. We were successful and found four or so birds, though good views were hard to get. The process provoked interesting discussions as to why such apparently-productive marshland in a warm area should be so species-poor compared to a similar situation in, say, south Spain. We decided it was probably due to a combination of recent declines due to rats and other predators, coupled with the relatively poor species-base that is a feature of such an isolated island as New Zealand. We arrived at Whakapapa by lunchtime, and had a good look at the National Park Visitor Centre, before setting off on an excellent and varied walk around the slopes of the volcanoes, to Silica Rapids. This was quite different to anything else we had come across, with dense southern beech forest, and extensive areas of moorland, with many more plants in flower. We found 2 species of greenhood orchids, together with at least 2 other species of orchids, plus native violets, several beautiful Celmisia daisies, Hebes, Parahebes, sundews, and many other flowers. We found several fine clumps of red mistletoe, always on trees that had shiny metal collars around the trunk, and it turned out that these were to prevent the introduced possums from devastating the mistletoes. While in the forests, some of us also saw the pretty little Rifleman, rather like a tree-creeper, and a New Zealand Falcon, whilst out on the moorland there were pipits and Skylarks. There were superb views of the high volcanoes almost throughout the walk, and it was a pleasure just to be out walking at this altitude, just over 4000 ft, apart from all else that we saw. Saturday 15th January This was a leisure day in the sense that regulations required our leaders to have a non-driving day, giving us the opportunity to do our own things from the hotel, which was perfectly placed for walk in all directions, and yet again it was sunny all day. The bulk of the group elected to go with Wynston and Bob on a 4 hour walk through forest and moorland to some spectacular falls, though Patricia and Anthony went on a longer walk to some high lakes, while Dave took off early with his cameras. The main group walk was very attractive, similar to the previous day in its habitats, though we added Tomtits to the list, and saw some lovely new blue orchids, the broad-leaved Thelymitra, as well as some new alpines. Seeing a dwarf Podocarp in fruit - so different to those of normal conifers, - was of great interest to the botanists, and they are surprisingly attractive. We had a delightful picnic by the river below the falls, then meandered back to the hotel looking at the rich lichen flora, masses of bellflowers and anything else of interest. A smaller group accompanied Wynston on another walk in the afternoon, and a good many postcards were written. Sunday 16th January Yet another glorious day dawned, for our main transfer day, driving southwards out of the volcanic mountains, down to the coast at Wellington, then across to South Island and onwards into the mountains. We stopped for a morning break at Foxton where there is an attractive sandy estuary, with good numbers of waders such as Banded Dotterel, Bar-tailed Godwits, Pied Oystercatcher, Royal Spoonbill, NZ Paradise Shelduck, and various others, with some attractive tree mallows and the striking red pohutukawa trees by the water's edge. We boarded the ferry at Wellington, an attractive city built around a series of hilly bays, and often compared with San Francisco. Apparently its layout was all planned in London on the assumption that it was flat, and it was still built to the same plan even when they discovered that it wasn't! It also lies over a complex fault zone where earthquakes are frequent, though usually not large. The ferry set off in calm warm sunshine, but by the time we reached the more oceanic straits, it was extremely windy, and a patchy sea mist gradually appeared. Later in the trip, masses of Fairy Prions (which sounded like furry prayons in Wynston’s New Zealand accent!) joined us, followed by several species of shearwater as we approached South Island. The way in to Picton is staggeringly beautiful, passing through a narrow unspoilt hilly channel, then up Queen Charlotte Sound, with superb views all the way. After arriving at Picton, and eventually finding Aaron, we drove on south-westwards into the hills, arriving at St. Arnaud on the edge of the Nelson Lakes National Park in warm evening sunshine. Monday 17th January We set out from St. Arnaud in glorious sunshine, again, heading northwards to the Arthur Range, a wild and beautiful area not far from the west coast. The car park at the end of the track lies on a ridge amidst superb beech forest, with fine views down the valleys. From here we set out to walk to a refuge just at the tree line about 4 kms away, which involved climbing steadily through ancient mixed beech forest (involving 3 different species of southern beech) awash with more lichens and mosses than I've seen anywhere else. The mountains of New Zealand are said to have the cleanest air in the world, and this was certainly reflected in the abundance, luxuriance and fertility of the lichens here. Besides this, we soon started finding a good range of woodland flowers such as native wood sorrel, 3 species of orchids, special Hebe species and many others, as well as superb old Dracophyllums amongst the 'elfin' beech forest on the high ridges. There were good birds too, and we had excellent views of Riflemen, Tom-tits and Fantails, while a few were lucky enough to see Kea at close range. The rear group with Aaron were shown the curious Peripatus, once thought to be the ancient link between arthropods and worms, though now considered to be a primitive (and colourful) form of woodlouse. Above the refuge were some fine areas of open grassland and limestone outcrops, with masses of alpine flowers such as big pink willowherbs, numerous New Zealand Daisies, large buttercups and others, though sadly rain began to set in and we gradually retreated. We covered the return journey much more quickly than the ascent and saw little new, though it was fascinating to see how the lichens and other epiphytes had doubled in size and turned much greener with the advent of the rain! Tuesday 18th January Today dawned cold and windy, and most people were putting on several extra layers, especially as we were heading for a mountain top where it was likely to be colder still. However, by the time we reached Blenheim for a brief stop, it was considerably warmer, and the mountain top - at over 4000ft - was surprisingly pleasant. We had driven up a rough track into the heart of the Black Birch range in order to see a fascinating high altitude vegetation type dominated by the ancient tussocks known as vegetable sheep! It's an excellent name, as the largest and oldest tussocks, which may be many hundreds of years old, are remarkably sheep-like from a distance. There are actually several species involved, all from the composite family, and it's clearly a response to the particular range of conditions experienced in these dry mountains with cold winters. We saw at least 4 of the species, all in flower, as well as a number of other attractive alpines, and it was a fascinating experience. There were few birds up here, and not many insects, though we did have excellent close views of the bush giant dragonfly on the way down. In the afternoon, we stopped further down the coast, not far north of Kaikoura, to look at a small colony of New Zealand Fur Seals on a beautiful bit of coast. It was populated mainly by males and youngsters from this season's breeding sitting on rocks surrounded by superb beds of bull kelp, with White-faced Heron, Spotted Shag, and Variable Oystercatchers feeding round about. Wednesday 19th January Kaikoura is an attractive small town nestling below mountains on a superb piece of coast, with a lively atmosphere and many interesting shops and restaurants. The reason it's thriving, and the reason we came here, is the fact that a deep water trench comes right close to the coast here, with a prodigious upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water just close to the town. This, in turn, means that large numbers of pelagic seabirds, in addition to many cetaceans, feed close in shore here. By feeding the birds with fish offal, a small number of boats can provide trips with quite outstanding bird-watching, almost certainly the easiest way to see southern hemisphere pelagic birds in quantity. We had a magical 2 _ hour trip, in excellent weather, spending much of the time surrounded by hundreds of birds made up of 5 species of albatross (including Wandering, Royal, and the beautiful Salvin's), as well as the delightful Cape Pigeons (a petrel), several shearwater species, and the rather vulture-like Giant Petrel. It was a quite extraordinary experience, and an excellent photographic opportunity especially for birds in flight as they wheeled effortlessly in. After a little shopping, 6 of the party went on a whale-watching trip and had excellent views of Sperm Whales, though it didn't have quite the magic or intimacy of the seabird encounter. Others walked the local headland, shopped, or just relaxed. Thursday 20th January This was essentially a transfer day, moving from the north-east coast at Kaikoura southwards into the alps on Lake Ohau, with some interesting stops along the way. There was a definite change in the weather, with strong north-westerly winds all day. We had attractive views of the rocky coast south of Kaikoura for the first 10 miles or so, with good numbers of gulls, shags, Variable Oystercatchers and a few White-fronted Herons amongst the reefs. We stopped for a short break at a pleasant lake reserve just inland, where there were hundreds of NZ Paradise Shelduck and a few other waterfowl, though curiously all the recently-planted trees around the lake were non-native species. We had a picnic by the river Waimakariri where it emerges from a gorge, with good views, though it was too windy to see much in the way of birds or insects. After a brief ice cream stop in Geraldine, we climbed steadily into McKenzie country, with wide open views of glaciated mountain country, and masses of multi-coloured lupins lining the roadsides. Many of these high country rivers have been dammed for hydro-electric power, which completely alters their natural flow patterns and ecology, causing considerable problems for the Black Stilt which used to nest throughout these high valleys. It declined almost to the point of extinction before the problem was fully appreciated, and now there is a concerted captive breeding programme and attempts to re-create suitable habitat. As it's endemic to New Zealand, it's almost certainly the word's rarest wader, and we were fortunate to see one feeding alongside a river channel, with a more aggressive Pied Stilt nearby, and Black-fronted Terns overhead. We stopped for the obligatory views of Mt. Cook across the lake, then pressed on into the Lake Ohau valley, itself highly photogenic and dominated by the Neumann range, still snow-covered in mid summer. Friday 21st January Today dawned cool, cloudy and windy, but we set off anyway for Mt. Cook and the Hooker valley. When we arrived, it was still very windy and none too warm, but at least the sky looked to be brightening up. This was primarily a botanical walk, up the Hooker valley towards some of the glaciers, though we quickly saw rifleman and tom tit in the first clump of trees. The most striking plants were the spaniards, spiky members of the umbel family which are a feature of the NZ mountains, and can grow up to 4m tall. Although these were the most obvious plants, the most beautiful were probably the huge-flowered daisy Celmisia semicordata which was abundant in some areas, and we also saw the last few Mt. Cook lilies (actually a very large-flowered white buttercup). Other species of interest here included South Island Edelweiss, some attractive Parahebes, several dwarf podocarps with cones, endemic violet, Pratias and many more species, though admittedly most of them fulfilled the generalisation that New Zealand alpine flowers are white! Higher up, the wind was so intense that it was virtually impossible to walk, and extremely unpleasant crossing the swaying suspension bridges across the raging river, so we turned back and ate our picnic in a sheltered hollow as the sun came out and it began to warm up. Several butterflies soon appeared, including tussock ringlet and some nice blues and coppers, and we began to look for geckoes, though without success. Sadly the resident falcons were not in evidence, though we did see several native pigeons and other birds of interest. We visited the visitor centre, with the usual disappointing selection of wildlife books, followed by an unscheduled stop in Twizel to get a slow puncture fixed, which turned out to be a long business as the wheel nuts were impossible to remove, returning to the hotel later than planned. Saturday 22nd January We left Lake Ohau after breakfast to head southwards into the mountains of Otago. One of the most notable features of the whole journey was the vast quantities of flowers along the way, all introduced species but impressive for the way they could often colour whole landscapes; the main species were viper's bugloss, perforate St. John's wort, biting stonecrop and 2 species of mullein from the UK, and Californian poppies and lupins from North America, with smaller quantities of monkey musk and Californian stinkweed. We crossed the rather barren Lindis Pass, just under 1000m altitude, then on through Alexandria to the Old Man Range just south of the town. The bus made surprisingly light work of the rough track into the high mountains, and we had lunch on a windswept hillside at over 5000 ft amongst schist tors and snow patches. The flowers here were all extremely reduced, forming tussocks or small tight plants, and with searching it was possible to find a good range of species from gentians and mountain buttercups to dwarf spaniards and lovely rounded tussocks of Donatia, with virtually all the species being New Zealand endemics. The vast areas of tussock grasslands waving in the breeze were particularly impressive, especially with the rugged tors and snow-fields in the distance. From here, we returned part of the way we had just come, branching off to the resort town of Wanaka on its attractive glacial lake for our night's stay. Sunday 23rd January We left Wanaka in glorious sunshine with barely any wind, and climbed gradually into the Crown mountains. There were lupins and Californian poppies en route, and from the top of the pass at about 1000m (3300ft) there were fine views of the Remarkables (a mountain range) and some mid-altitude tussock grassland. As often seems to be the case in the agricultural areas, virtually all of the birds, as well as all the more conspicuous flowers, were of foreign origin, mainly European. A little later, we stopped beside Lake Wakatipu, a large enough lake to have its own tides apparently, and curiously reminiscent of Wastwater or other Lake District lakes. Birds were abundant here, mainly Redpolls and Goldfinches, but there were also Bellbirds in the bushes, with a slightly different song to ones we had heard elsewhere. We arrived in Invercargill by lunchtime, and went straight to the Museum, which had an excellent combination of cafe for lunch, live Tuataras in good surroundings, a botanic garden, a bookshop and an aviary which included a number of NZ birds such as Kea, Kaka and Weka. After a pleasant couple of hours here, we caught an 8-seater plane for the short but fascinating flight to Stewart Island, flying over dunes and saltmarshes on the mainland, then over some lovely forest with tree ferns on the island, before touching down on the short airstrip. A late afternoon walk around Oban turned up Little Blue Penguin racing through the kelp beds into the harbour, and Linda was lucky enough to see, and photograph, Fjordland Crested Penguin in the next bay. Other birds included Tui, Tom-tit, Pied and Great Shags, Variable Oystercatcher and the usual assortment of gulls. The sea was strikingly clear, and it was easy to look down into incredibly diverse brown seaweed beds with starfishes, brittle star, sea tulips and a multitude of fishes. Oban is a lovely little place, peaceful and unspoilt, and surrounded by beautiful forest and coast. After supper we went on the great kiwi hunt. Apparently the last three weeks had been cloudy with a lot of rain, and several Kiwi trips had been cancelled; but we continued our run of good weather, and the 45 minute boat trip to a remote bay was almost millpond-calm, with a fine sunset over the hills of Stewart Island. After an introductory talk from Philip, the sole official Kiwi guide, (and also local Maori headman) we set off across a peninsula to a lovely sandy beach where Kiwi are known to feed regularly on sand-hoppers. Although they feed throughout the bush, they are much easier to see and approach when on the beach. Our luck was definitely in, and we had 4 sightings of at least 3 different birds, both male and female. One bird just kept coming towards us across the beach, only veering away at about 10 yards. As we also had our only calling Morepork owls, calling Mottled Petrels, Stewart Island Shags, a possible Short-tailed Bat, Blue Penguins alongside the boat, and fabulous views, it could be counted as a highly successful evening! Monday 24th January After an early breakfast, we drove to a nearby small port to catch our boat to Ulva Island. This turned out to be a superb heavily-forested, predator-free (and therefore bird-rich) island, with a rich flora. We quickly had good views of Wekas, which stalked us around the island, and later attempted to steal peoples' picnic lunches (successfully in the case of Linda, by means of co-ordinated diversionary tactics, one bird distracting the victim while another stole the sandwich!). We also had excellent views of Yellowhead, Brown Creepers, South Island Saddlebacks, Kakas, parakeets, Riflemen, Tuis, Fantails, and well-nigh perfect views of a young NZ Robin who adopted us while we were looking at and photographing a superb Earinia orchid; it was almost trodden on twice, it was so tame. We found clumps of the rare lantern berry (a primitive relative of the lilies, now split off into a different family), several orchids, beautiful red-flowering trees of southern rata, and luxuriant masses of ferns, lichens and bryophytes, amongst much else. Our boat was due at lunchtime to connect directly with the flight to Invercargill, but no-one really wanted to leave either Ulva or Stewart Island, they are both such beautiful, unspoilt, species-rich places. Due to bus problems, we had to spend a couple of hours in Invercargill, but luckily Aaron and Wynston were able to arrange it so that we could spend the time at the museum again, with better views of the Tuatara, and another visit to the aviary and botanic gardens. After our replacement bus arrived, we pressed on for Te Anau and the hotel, stopping briefly in the town. The hotel at Te Anau downs is located in a beautiful setting on Lake Te Anau, with woods and scrub all around, miles from anywhere. After supper, several of us went for a walk along the edge of the woods and down to Lake Mistletoe, primarily to see if Bob's bat detector could pick up either of the two native bats. We found none, but had an excellent walk with several birds and wonderful views of the full moon rising over the mountains. Tuesday 25th January Our last full day, sadly, but it dawned beautifully cloudless for our early start towards Milford Sound. We left early to get ahead of the big rush of day-trip buses that plies its way up this road, all stopping at the same viewpoints and toilets along the route. Along the way, we stopped at Mirror Lake with, not surprisingly, some fine reflections of mountains and some good beech forest, followed by a brief stop at Knob flats, with lovely wide views of Fiordland mountains across the grassy river plain. Another viewpoint provided superb views up the Hollyford valley, and into the surrounding beech and rata forest, though there were no keas to be seen, unfortunately. Our main destination for the morning was the Gertrude valley, a high glaciated valley leading to a cirque. We parked near the road, and immediately entered a much wilder area, quickly losing sound and sight of the traffic. Birds were few and far between, but this was primarily a botanical walk, and we were quickly rewarded with gentians, various Celmisia daisies, Hebe bushes in full flower, some lovely alpine ragwort, alpine avens and many other high altitude species. Higher up, we found a couple of clumps of 'Mount Cook lily' still in flower (most were over), and a couple of species of Spaniards (members of the umbel family) looking very stately. During lunch, Bob and Gill climbed on up to the first snowfield (which was further away than it looked!) and were rewarded with fine displays of the 'lily' (actually a very large white buttercup) and lovely carpets of one of the New Zealand foxgloves. We returned to the bus and pressed on towards Milford Sound in increasingly magnificent mountain scenery. A walk to a spectacular chasm through lovely ancient beechwoods was rewarded, for some of the group, by views of Kea flying overhead, though Bob's endless quest for the beautiful little kidney fern (a type of filmy fern) remained unsuccessful. At Milford, everyone opted for the optional cruise up the fjord, which provided a spectacular end to the tour. The weather was perfect and the scenery superb, with high obviously-glaciated mountains all around, and fantastic waterfalls. The main wildlife interest was provided by a group of young male NZ Fur Seals, but it was the scenery that dominated. We stopped in several places on the way back to try to find any tame Keas, but without success, though it was a lovely drive. Wednesday 26th January Going home day (for some). Anthony and Patricia stayed on in Te Anau to walk the Milford Track, while the rest of us set off for Dunedin airport. A stop at Te Anau Information Centre and Wildlife Park gave us views of Kea, Kaka, Jewelled Gecko, Morepork owl, and Takahe, though of course all were in captivity, and we saw our first Cirl Bunting of the trip. From there onwards, we pressed on to catch the internal flights at Dunedin, and ultimately home, though Ann, Linda, Scrap and Sue, and Neil and Margaret were either staying on in NZ or going elsewhere. All in all, a superb trip, with good weather virtually throughout. Bob Gibbons Wimborne, February 2005 SPECIES LISTS NB These lists exclude birds as they were covered on the daily checklists, and are summarised below as a general list. As there were so many species, almost all new to everyone, I have separated them out into daily lists to try to make them easier to relate to locations and photographs. $ = introduced non-native species. I’ve used some English or Maori names where they exist. Monday 10th Jan. From Auckland to Gannet colony in morning at Muriwai beach; afternoon in Cascade range Kauri forest. Mangroves in harbour Avicennia marina Pohutukawa - the red-flowered christmas tree Metrosideros excelsa (why don't we grow this in Britain?) Norfolk Island pine Araucaria excelsa (= A. heterophylla) - related to the monkey puzzles of S. America, and the Gondwana connection was discussed. Nikau palms Rhopalostylis sapida New Zealand cabbage palms Cordyline australis NZ flax Phormium tenax Pratia angulata $ Various introduced species such as Lotus pedunculatus, L. ornithopodioides, and various clovers Totara, Podocarpus totara - one of the big podocarps Rimu, Dacrydium cupressinum “ White pine Dacrycarpus dacrydioides “ Kauri Agathis australis (a true conifer, related to monkey puzzle trees; massive!) Laurelia nova-zelandiae Elatostema rugosa, the pretty woodland herb with reddish leaves Silver fern Cyathea dealbata, and other tree ferns incl. black tree fern Sphaeopteris medullaris Coriaria arborea (poisonous, with black strings of berries) Filmy ferns Hymenophyllum spp. The little 6-petalled white flower which we thought was a Libertia was actually almost certainly Dianella nigra, or a close relative. Monarch Common copper Lycaena salustius Passionvine hopper Scolypopa australis
Tuesday 11th Jan. To Tiri Tiri Matangi. Mainly birds. Kowhai Sophora microphylla. The national flower - a large bush, only seen in fruit. Five-finger Pseudopanax arboreus $ Spotted medick Medicago arabica $ Bindweed Calystegia sepium Puriri Vitex lucens Wineberry Aristotelia serrata Meryta sinclairii - plant with big leaves. Wednesday 12th. Off southwards to Rotorua etc. Walk in hot springs area etc. White pines (actually a podocarp) Dacrycarpus dacrydioides Rimu Dacrydium cupressinum Totara Podocarpus totara Tawa Beilschmeidia tawa Lemonwood Pittosporum eugenioides Five finger Pseudopanax arborea Clematis, prob. C. forsteri Coprosma robusta Manuka Leptospermum damascenum - common shrub with white fls Kanuka Kunzia ericoides - similar, with smaller fls. $ Water fern in ponds Azolla filiculoides Tree fuchsia Fuchsia excorticata Coriaria arborea Mingimingi Cyathodes juniperina Psilotum nudum - special clubmoss relative with unusual taxonomy Clubmoss Lycopodium cernuum Cyathea medullaris Hebe salicifolia H. elliptica Toetoe Cortaderia fulvida $ Tree lupin Lupinus arboreus + usual NZ flax, NZ Cabbage palm, tree ferns. Tiger beetles, Neocicindela sp Thursday 13th. Visits to various parts of the Pureora forest area. Hen and chicken fern Asplenium bulbiferum (with the babies on the fronds) Crown fern Blechnum discolor B. novae-zelandica B. pennamarina Tree ferns Cyathea dealbata Dicksonia fibrosa D. squarrosa Hounds tongue ferm Phymatosorus diversifolius Bracken Pteridium esculentum (different species to ours, but related) White pine, Rimu, and totara again, and also other podocarps: tanekaha (celery pine) Phyllocladus trichomanioides miro Prumnopitys ferruginea matai P. taxifolia A cabbage tree Cordyline banksii Tawa. Beilschmeidia tawa Broadleaf Griselinia littoralis, and G. lucida Mahoe Melicytus ramiflorus Lemonwood Pittosporum eugenioides Manuka and five-finger Lancewood Pseudopanax crassifolius Pepper tree Pseudowintera axillaris, and P. colorata, with red leaves Pate or 7-finger Schefflera digitata Coprosma grandifolia, and C. lucida Karamu, C. robusta Hebe salicifolia Climbing rata Metrosideros diffusa Myrsine australis Parsonsia capsullaris Supplejack Rippogonum scandens $ Wall lettuce Mycelis muralis Onion orchid Microtis unifolia Sundew Drosera spatulata Mazus radicans – the little pale whitish-blue creeping toadflax-type plant A piri-piri bur Acaena sp. Pratia angulata Toetoe Cortaderia fulva ( a big grass) Hook grass Uncinia uncinata $ Yellow bartsia Parentucellia viscosa Umbrella moss Hypnodendron kerrii _ Striped click beetle Metablax cruciger Three-lined hoverfly Helophilus trilineatus A stag beetle Manuka beetle Friday 14th Jan and Saturday 15th; combined species list for Whakapapa area. 1 = 14th; 2 = 15th
Sunday 16th Jan. Transfer day from Whakapapa to St. Arnaud on S. Island. Few flowers. $ Tree mallow Lavatera arborea at estuary Pohutukawa Metrosideros excelsa Monday 17th Jan. Arthur's mountains area, from St. Arnaud. Lovely walk up from car park at end of track, through woodland to hut; rain later. 3 species of beech: White beech Nothofagus menziesii Red beech N. fusca Alpine beech N. solandra var. cliffortioides Large grass tree Dracophyllum traversii Coriaria arborea Orchids: Thelymitra longifolia Chiloglottis cornuta (tiny, on track) Adenochilus gracilis (on path just above car park) Large yellow buttercup Ranunculus insignis A sundew Drosera stenopetala Colobanthus canaliculatus Oxalis lactea Big dangerous nettle Urtica ferox Willowherbs: Epilobium nerterioides in forest two other pink species on ridge, uncertain identification. Myosotis sp. Golden spaniard Aciphylla aurea Lagenifera cuneata (miniature daisy, in forest) Native foxgloves Ourisia macrophylla, and O. caespitosa Hebe vernicosa Bulbinella hookeri - attractive yellow foxtail lily Solanum laciniatum - large blue flowers $ A creeping St. John's wort Hypericum japonicum _ Common blue Zizinia otis Tuesday 18th Jan. Leaving St. Arnaud, driving to Kakoura via Black Birch range. Main botanising done at 1362m (c. 4500ft) around the former Black Birch Observatory. Vegetable sheep: Haastia pulvinaris (the largest, with yellowish-green hummocks) Raoulia grandiflora (low growing tight cushion with small white flowers) Celmisia sessiliflora (looser cushion with larger daisy flowers) Raoulia mamillaris (very tight cushions with tiny flowers) Big yellow buttercup Ranunculus insignis Maori bluebell Wahlenbergia pygmaea Kellera (Drapetisca) dieffenbachii - like a tiny white Hebe Montia australasica (the pretty little 5-petalled pinkish flower) Brachyglottis bellidioides (small yellow alpine ragwort) Lower down, around the dragonfly stop, there was: Orchid Microtus unifolia $ Deptford pink Dianthus armeria $ Viper's bugloss Echium vulgare (everywhere in the mountains) $ Broomrape Orobanche minor parasitic on red clover etc. Dragonfly: Mountain giant Uropetala chiltonii Common copper skink Oligosoma inconspicuua Weds. 19th Jan. Just albatrosses and whales all day! Thursday 20th. Transfer day southwards from Kaikoura, with lunch stop at gorge. Very windy. Hoheria angustifolia (white shrub) in flower at lunch $ Field madder Sherardia arvensis $ Mulleins Verbascum thapsus and moth mullein V. blattaria $ 'Blue tansy' Phacelia tanacetifolia $ Monkey musk Mimulus guttatus $ Alstroemerias $ Wild chicory Cichorium intybum South Island broom Carmichaelia arborea Hebe salicifolia $ Perforate St. John's wort Hypericum perforatum $ Hare's foot clover Trifolium arvense Red deer and wapiti (elk) Friday 21st. Walk in Hooker valley, from about 760 to 830 metres (c. 2500ft.) Extremely windy. Dwarf alpine podocarp Podocarpus nivalis (like a cross between yew and juniper, with red fruit) Leucopogon fraseri - creeping plant with orange berries Muehlenbeckia axillaris - tiny creeping plant with green fls and white fruit Alpine celery pine Phyllocladus aspleniifolius ssp. alpina (podocarp) South Island edelweiss Leucogenes grandiceps Mt. cook lily, gone over; Ranunculus lyalii Celmisia semicordata - the common very big white daisy Coriaria plumosa Parahebe decora Gaultheria depressa, and G. crassa Violet Viola cunninghamii Stellaria gracilenta Tall gentian Gentiana corymbifera Geranium microphyllum Golden spaniard Aciphylla aurea - abundant and large Wild Irishman Discaria toumatou - the tangled divaricately branched bushes ($ Should also be mad englishman here, Homo britannicus, about 6ft high with red head capped with white!) South Island broom Carmichaelia arborea Acaena sp An avens Geum sp, over Dracophyllum longifolium Helichrysum bellidioides NZ bluebell Wahlenbergia albomarginata (different species to the Tongariro ones) Pratia angulata - pretty little creeping toadflax-like plant Griselinia littoralis - large shiny-leaved shrub __ Tussock ringlet Argyrophenga antipodum Little blue Zizina oxleyi Coppers Black mountain ringlet Percnodaimon merula Saturday 22nd. Transfer southwards via Lindis Pass to Wanaka $ Lots of viper's bugloss and moth mullein along roadsides and in fields. Old man Range at up to 5000 ft. (1500m) $ Californian stinkweed Navarettia squarrosa (bluish clover-like plant around gateways) Various nice cushion plants, incl: Raoulia australis (slightly yellowish-green, lower down); R. subulata in amongst other tussocks, and lots of hummocks of Donatia novae-zelandiae with white flowers. A dwarf spaniard Aciphylla kirkii Woolyhead (not in flower) Craspedia lanata White gentian Gentiana divisa Kelleria dieffenbachii (like a tiny dwarf white Hebe, though actually in Daphne family) Anistome aromatica – a dwarf umbellifer Celmisia spp. Neopaxia (= Montia) australasica – the small pink mat-forming flower Small yellow buttercup Ranunculus enysii in several forms Greyish lichen looking like a collection of strands – prob. Thamnolia vermicularis Dwarf alpine forget-me-not Myosotis pulvinaris, not in flower Native cranesbill Geranium sessiliflorum + $ Perforate St. John’s wort, Californian poppy, Biting stonecrop, lupins, monkey musk and other Euro or US aliens along roadsides. Sunday 23rd Jan, travel southwards to Invercargill, stopping at museum, then flying to Stewart Island. Usual roadside introduced flowers. Tuatara Sphenodon punctatus at museum; unique reptile, distinctly separate from all other lizards by serrated jaw instead of teeth, pineal gland still with optic nerve, etc. Endemic to NZ, now very restricted. Monday 24th Jan. Morning excursion to Ulva island, then flight to Invercargill, re-visit museum, then on to Te Anau. Ulva Weinmannia sylvicola (shrub by jetty) Lantern berry Luzuriaga parviflora – pretty herb with white bell-shaped fls Ferns, mainly Blechnum spp, and filmy ferns Hymenophyllum spp. Coprosma lucida A greenhood orchid – the species on Stewart Island are still being classified; it was probably Pterostylis montana Onion orchid Microtis unifolia A Corybas orchid, gone over Lovely white orchid on branch Winika cunninghamii (was Dendrobium) Lanceleaf Pseudopanax crassifolius Southern rata Metrosideros umbellata – the lovely red-flowered shrub/tree, such as at the viewpoint Stilbocarpa lyalii; endangered herb, in ivy family. Gunnera hamiltonii – tiny relative of the huge garden plants (Gunnera manicata), one of rarest NZ plants. Labelled, on dunes. A spurge Euphorbia glauca – also labelled, on dunes Umbrella moss Mniodendron dendroides (there are several different ‘umbrella mosses’) Tsemipteris elongata – unusual relative of club-mosses Hebe elliptica – nice white shrubby Hebe along coast (also seen by jetty on kiwi expedition) _ Whistling frogs Litoria ewingii calling at night and early morning Tuesday 25th Jan. Travelled along Milford Road, stopping at mirror lake, Gertrude valley etc. Beech forests, mainly Nothofagus menziesii, and N. fusca. Southern Rata Metrosideros umbellata In Gertrude valley Nice alpine ragwort Dolichoglottis (Senecio) lyalii White avens Geum parviflorum Cranesbill Geranium microphyllum Gentiana montana, and a few G. corymbifera Bulbinella hookeri – the nice yellow ‘foxtail lily’ going over Mount Cook lily or giant buttercup Ranunculus lyalii Hebe subalpina Spaniards, Aciphyllum aureum and probably other species Creeping Ourisia, Ourisia caespitosa Anistome haastii _ Young male NZ fur seals in fjord. Arctocephalus forsteri. Sandflies Austrosimulium spp ! Wednesday 26th. Departure day. At information centre – Jewelled gecko in vivarium; Naultinus gemmeus Marble leaf Carpodetus serratus – white shrub by bus BIRDS NB Includes a few that we only heard, such as the cuckoos, morepork owl, and mottled petrel. KIWIS Apterygidae Brown Kiwi Apteryx australis PENGUINS Spheniscidae Fiordland (Crested) Penguin Eudyptes pachyrhynchus Little (Blue) Penguin Eudyptula minor GREBES Podicipedidae New Zealand Grebe (Dabchick) Poliocephalus rufopectus Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus ALBATROSSES Diomedeidae Wandering (Gibson's) Albatross Diomedea exulans Royal Albatross Diomedea epomophora Salvin’s Albatross Thalassarche salvini Antipodean Albatross Diomedea antipodensis PETRELS & SHEARWATERS Procellariidae Hall's (Northern) Giant Petrel Macronectes halli Cape (Pintado) Petrel Daption capense Mottled Petrel Pterodroma inexpectata Fairy Prion Pachyptila turtur White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctinalis Westland (Black) Petrel Procellaria westlandica Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia Hutton's Shearwater Puffinus huttoni Buller’s shearwater P. bulleri BOOBIES & GANNETS Sulidae Australasian Gannet Morus serrator CORMORANTS Phalacracoracidae Little Black Cormorant (Shag) Phalacrocorax sulcirostris Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Pied Cormorant (Shag) Phalacrocorax varius Bronze (Stewart Island) Shag Phalacrocorax chalconotus Spotted Shag Phalacrocorax punctatus Little Pied Cormorant (Shag) Phalacrocorax melanoleucos HERONS & BITTERNS Ardeidae White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae IBISES & SPOONBILLS Threskiornithidae Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia WILDFOWL Anatidae Mute Swan Cygnus olor Black Swan Cygnus atratus Greylag Goose Anser anser Canada Goose Branta canadensis Paradise Shelduck Tadorna variegata Grey Teal Anas gracilis Auckland Islands (Brown) Teal Anas aucklandica Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Pacific Black (Grey) Duck Anas superciliosus Australian Shoveler Anas rhynchotis New Zealand Scaup Aythya novaeseelandiae HAWKS Accipitridae Swamp (Australasian) Harrier Circus approximans FALCONS Falconidae New Zealand Falcon Falco novaeseelandiae NEW WORLD QUAILS Odontophoridae California Quail Callipepla californica TURKEYS Melagrididae Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo PHEASANTS & Partridges Phasianidae Brown Quail Coturnix ypsilophora (Common) Pheasant Phasianus colchicus RAILS & COOTS Rallidae Weka Gallirallus australis Spotless Crake Porzana tabuensis Purple Swamphen (Gallinule) Porphyrio porphyrio Takahe Porphyrio mantelli Eurasian Coot Fulica atra OYSTERCATCHERS Haematopodidae (Australian) Pied Oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris Variable Oystercatcher Haematopus unicolor AVOCETS AND STILTS Recurvirostridae Black-winged (Pied) Stilt Himantopus himantopus Black Stilt Himantopus novaezelandiae PLOVERS Charadriidae Spur-winged Plover Vanellus spinosus Double-banded Plover (Banded Dotterel) Charadrius bicinctus SANDPIPERS Scolopacidae Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Red Knot Calidris canutus GULLS Laridae Kelp (Dominican) Gull Larus dominicanus Silver (Red-billed) Gull Larus novaehollandiae Black-billed Gull Larus bulleri TERNS Sternidae White-fronted Tern Sterna striata Black-fronted Tern Sterna albostriata PIGEONS & DOVES Columbidae Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) Columba livia New Zealand Pigeon Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae COCKATOOS Cacatuidae Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galerita PARROTS Psittacidae New Zealand Kaka Nestor meridionalis Kea Nestor notabilis Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius Red-fronted (-crowned) Parakeet Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae Yellow-fronted (-crowned) Parakeet Cyanoramphus auriceps OLD WORLD CUCKOOS Cuculidae Shining (Bronze-)Cuckoo Chalcites lucidus Long-tailed Koel (Cuckoo) Eudynamys taitensis TYPICAL OWLS Strigidae Morepork Ninox novaeseelandiae Little Owl Athene noctua HALCYONS Dacelonidae Sacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctus NEW ZEALAND WRENS Acanthisittidae Rifleman Acanthisitta chloris LARKS Alaudidae (Eurasian) Sky Lark Alauda arvensis SWALLOWS & MARTINS Hirundinidae Welcome Swallow Hirundo neoxena WAGTAILS & PIPITS Motacillidae Australasian Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae ACCENTORS Prunellidae Hedge Accentor (Dunnock) Prunella modularis THRUSHES Turdidae (Common) Blackbird Turdus merula Song Thrush Turdus philomelos OLD WORLD WARBLERS Sylviidae Fernbird Megalurus punctatus THORNBILLS & FLYEATERS Acanthizidae Gray Gerygone (Warbler) Gerygone igata Whitehead Mohoua albicilla Yellowhead Mohoua ochrocephala NZ Brown Creeper (Pipipi) Mohoua novaeseelandiae FANTAIL-FLYCATCHERS Rhipidurinae (Grey) Fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa AUSTRALASIAN ROBINS Petroicidae Tomtit Petroica macrocephala New Zealand Robin Petroica australis WHITE-EYES Zosteropidae Silvereye Zosterops lateralis HONEYEATERS Meliphagidae Stitchbird Notiomystis cincta New Zealand Bellbird Anthornis melanura Tui Prosthemadera novaeseelandia KOKAKOS Callaetidae Kokako Callaeas cinerea Saddleback Creadion carunculatus BUTCHERBIRDS Cracticidae Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen JAYS & CROWS Corvidae Rook Corvus frugilegus STARLINGS Sturnidae Common (European) Starling Sturnus vulgaris Common (Indian) Myna Acridotheries tristis NEW WORLD SPARROWS and BUNTINGS Emberizidae - Emberizinae Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus FINCHES Fringillidae (European) Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs (European) Greenfinch Carduelis chloris (European) Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea SPARROWS Passeridae House Sparrow Passer domesticus With best wishes – hope you all enjoyed it! Bob Gibbons
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