YHA Franz Josef managers Pam and Jeffrey brought their lucky staff to Okarito for their Holiday Party this week.  We added a few Christmas touches to the boat,

yes, that’s Swade in a Santa hat….

YHA Franz Josef staff on board

The evening was beautiful and sunny and as we headed up the Lagoon with the incoming tide we saw white herons, royal spoonbills, godwits and oyster catchers feeding.Once up in the rainforest we saw a white heron landing at the very top of a tree and we decided it was the perfect ornament with outstretched wings!We stopped riverside and watched plenty of native wood pigeons in the trees and swooping overhead, as well as Tui’s and then broke open the bubbly and nibbles. Heading back with the setting sun, the clouds over the mountains cleared completely and Mount Cook and Tasman and Franz Josef Glacier all visible in the evening light – beautiful! The YHA staff were a delight to have on board – a great mix of young people from New Zealand and all over the world -to all of you, we hope you enjoyed your trip on the Okarito Lagoon and had a wonderful party at the hostel that night! Happy Holidays to all from Paula & Swade at Okarito Boat Tours!Happy Holiday from Paula & Swade at Okarito Boat Tours

Happy Holiday from Paula & Swade at Okarito Boat Tours

The Royal Spoonbills are our favorites! They are animated birds, usually in groups as they are quite sociable, unlike the white heron which is far more territorial.  You can often view them at close quarters these days as we enter the Okarito River channel, just before going into the rainforest.  A group of usually five have taken up a particular tree washed down the river in a flood as their resting area between tides and feeding.  They tend to be habitual birds, so hopefully we will continue to see this group throughout the summer months.

Royal Spoonbills at Okarito River

The weather here on the coast has been spectacular these past few days, and although we may have a wet spell tomorrow, the rest of the week is looking fine. 

 The flax flowers are becoming much more apparent and, being a predominant food source for the tui’s, these birds are really putting on some shows in the forest for us with their fast flying manoevres and complex calls.  They actually have two voice boxes and can make sounds too high pitched for us to even hear.  Tui’s breed in September and October and some of the young should be getting ready to test their wings. 

You can see the best of both wading and forest birds on our two hour Nature Tours – hope to see you soon!

Okarito Lagoon has had very high water levels due to the heavy rainfalls received last week.  Lake Mapourika near Franz Josef Glacier flows into the Okarito River.  On our two hour nature tours you travel up this river into the rainforest.  It is also the main outflow of the lagoon, carving a deep channel through the lagoon on its way out to the Tasman Sea.  Although this channel is quite deep during all tides, roughly 2-4 metres deep, it is quite narrow.  To each side of this channel is where we see many of the wader birds feeding, particularly at low-mid tides,  such as the Kotuku, or Great White Heron, the Royal Spoonbills and smaller waders, such as godwits, oyster catchers and banded dotterels.   

These birds all require shallow waters for feeding and the condition of Okarito Lagoon can have a significant effect on the success of breeding birds.  The Kotuku rely heavily on the food source from Okarito.  Although earlier in the week we were seeing herons, they were mostly from a distance, or perched in trees in the rainforest. Yesterday’s trip rewarded us with a dozen or so feeding once again on the lagoon. The waters are now receding as the flow from the Okarito River has finally slowed. 

Kotuku - Great white Heron at Okarito Lagoon

The Paradise shelducks seem to be loving the weather, and one of our local pairs brought their 5 young out from the nest for a look about.   There are two pairs who have called the village home for a number of years and are quite used to people.  You can get great photo opportunities of them! The female, uncharacteristically more flamboyant than the male, is chestnut coloured with a white head.  The male is dark grey and black.  The young all look like males as they gain their feathers, then the females will gradually acquire white feathers around their heads and turn chestnut.   

Summer is unfolding in the rainforest with the first of the Rata flowers beginning to bloom. In a predominantly green forest, these flowers make for a delightful splash of colour.  Also flowering profusely is the native jasmine.  The manuka is continuing to come out slowly with it’s small white flowers, and the flax is providing a great source of nectar for the Tui’s and Bellbirds.

You have great opportunities to see all these birds and native plants in the rainforest on our two hour Nature Tours which run daily at 9 and 11:30 am. 

We look forward to your company on board in Okarito soon!