We have been busy keeping an eye out for our little banded dotterels who come to nest on the Okarito Beach each year. It’s been a difficult spring so far with some big seas, strong winds and cool temperatures, however the two nests we have had roped off this season have each produced chicks. This [...]
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Okarito Early Bird Tour & Updates
We are enjoying the most amazing summer weather – and to help people take advantage of the beautiful early morning conditions on the Okarito Lagoon we are adding a new trip to our tour itinerary Our new Early Bird Tour departs the Okarito Wharf at 7:30 am and returns at 8:45 am. (bookings essential please!) [...]
Summer on the West Coast
Just in case you haven’t heard, the West Coast is the place to be this summer. Both TV 1 news and NIWA (National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research) have been attributing this to La Nina – read more about why you want to be here this summer! Seasonal Climate Outlook Jan-March 2012 The white [...]
Happy Holidays from Okarito
We would like to wish everyone a beautiful holiday time whether you are spending it with family at home or traveling abroad – enjoy nature wherever you are – we hope to meet with you in the New Year: Discovering this idyllic place, we find ourselves filled with a yearning to linger here, where time [...]
Dotterals endangered during breeding season
While our more common banded dotterals are happily nesting on the Okarito beach, with just the “normal” worries this entails, such as black backed gulls, dogs, 4 wheel drives, people, storms, tides etc. etc. The more precarious population of the New Zealand Dotteral is threatened by the the oil spill of the Rena Click here [...]
Birds of the day and an All Black supporting Tomtit!
It’s amazing how a stroll about Okarito can reward with so many photo opportunities – here are a few photos I snapped and with the Final Game coming up on Sunday with the All Blacks taking on the French, I couldn’t help but think this Tomtit had strapped on his Ma’a Nonu shoes! ha!
Okarito Review by NZ Herald
A wild and stormy morning settled down as intrepid reporter Jim Eagles braved the elements to tell his story -see the photos and read about it in the NZ Herald “Okarito: Reserve time for rare sightings”
Once bittern…twice very lucky!
It was a great week for bittern sightings and both of us (Swade and Steve – our guest) thought ourselves terribly fortunate to have not one, not two, but three bittern sightings on this magic morning. Although, to be fair, the third sighting may have been a repeat, but exciting nonetheless. Here a couple of [...]
Summer summary
Summer this year was beautiful on the West Coast and we enjoyed one of the best seasons for birds in years. The native flax flowered profusely starting early in the spring and carried on for a good few months. Flax flowers provide birds with a bounty of nectar and the village and Okarito waterways were [...]
Perfect day on the Okarito Lagoon (before the storm!)
Well, we have had quite an interesting spring here in Okarito with some wild and windy days and plenty of rain. A huge Antarctic storm has unleashed its fury and most of the country is seeing cold temperatures, wet weather and a lot of wind. Just before it descended upon us, we spent a lovely [...]
