okarito heron tours

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46 Cron St Franz Josef Glacier 7886 New Zealand

White Heron Tours

Visit New Zealand’s only White Heron (Kotuku) nesting colony, protected amongst temperate rainforest on the edge of Okarito Lagoon. See the magnificent Kotuku, Royal Spoonbill, Little Shag and other bird life, all in their natural environment. We recommend and book White Heron Tours.

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46 Cron Street Franz Josef Glacier 7886 New Zealand

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White Heron Sanctuary Tours

New Zealand's Only Kotuku, White Heron Nesting Site, Whataroa is the departure point for White Heron Sanctuary Tours.

Whataroa is the departure point for NZ’s only White Heron Sanctuary Tour.

The 2.5 hour tour consists of an informative minibus ride through private farmland into the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve. In the reserve a short walk takes visitors through ancient Kahikatea rainforest to our purpose built viewing hide to observe the magnificent Kotuku, White Heron in their natural nesting environment.

The Royal Spoonbill and the Little Shag also share this special area and all can easily be seen from the hide.

The White Heron use this area for breeding so can be seen in the nature reserve during the spring and summer months, usually mid-September until early March.

Over the autumn and winter months they disperse widely throughout New Zealand and are generally seen as a solitary bird.

The population of White Heron in New Zealand is approximately 120-150. To see one of these splendid birds is a rare and special sight and to visit their only New Zealand breeding ground is a truly unique experience!

White Heron Sanctuary Tours (Est 1987) is the original and only tour operator allowed to visit New Zealand’s only known White Heron nesting site.

For over 30 years the Arnold family have been delighting visitors by sharing this world class attraction with them.

Tours operate with a Department of Conservation concession and entry into the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve is by permit only.

Tour Times - 9am, 12 noon, 3pm

(Times do vary and minimum numbers apply - bookings are recommended)

Duration: 2.5 hours return trip from our office in Whataroa

Cost including DOC entry permit: $150 Adult, $75 Child (12 years and under)

Tour is suitable for all ages and abilities

All weather activity -we operate rain or shine (wet weather gear is provided)

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Okarito and the White Herons in Spring

October 22, 2017 by Rosemary Neave 1 Comment

Okarito Lagoon is the largest unmodified wetland in New Zealand More

It is a 3.5 hour drive to from Christchurch to Hokitika and then nearly 2 hours south towards Franz Josef. We head west from Christchurch towards the Southern Alps, across farmland with huge irrigators looking like out of this world robots ready to march across the landscape.

Springfield and the Yellow Café

At the foothills of the Alps, is our first recommended stop – Springfield and the Yellow Café . Always a friendly welcome here and I had a great bacon and egg roll and good coffee to start the day.

Announced only last night, we are glued to the radio as we drive, hearing all the latest about it. Eventually the signal goes and we are forced to turn it off.

Hokitika for Lunch

We drive down the mainstreet which is a tourist hotspot, I drive further thinking there must be a café the locals use. Past the clock tower to the end of the road and turn left. We find The Stella Cafe and   Delicatessen.

We follow the bees painted on the floor, past the cheese room, to the hive of bees swarming in the wall (they make their own honey) and to a great cabinet full of food – a great choice.

The Wilderness Gallery is quite special, as Juergen really only stocks unique products – many you will not find other places, including some fabulous photos that Juergen himself has taken, some jewellery made from fossils and some amazing steel bird cut outs – we buy two!

White Heron Tours

Make sure you book ahead, this is a very popular trip – if we had not booked ahead we would have missed out, and this trip is not to be missed.    Visit their Website

Our guide Deon, a west coast local has been doing this for 20 years. They pay a concession to Department of Conservation for access to the reserve, and are also actively involved in trapping and enhancing the area.

The White Heron (Kotuku) in New Zealand is a very rare and sacred bird. In Maori oratory to see one of these birds just once in a lifetime was considered to be good fortune and to liken someone to a Kotuku was paying them a great compliment.

We are all in awe of these beautiful birds still in their mating plumage – white herons are rare and beautiful – it is a such a treat to see them.

We spy the Royal Spoonbills nesting in the higher trees, and the black shags are there too, though harder to see.

PS across the road from their office, buy a whitebait fritter, or buy some to take home. This is a traditional West Coast delicacy and absolutely delicious.  We cooked ours us with eggs – yummy.

Kayaking the Okarito Lagoon

Could not be easier, Okarito Kayak s  are right on the corner opposite the lagoon, and being able to enjoy an espresso coffee and cake before or after your trip is just great.

Baz and Gemma are leasing the business while the owners are in the city for a few years. Gemma made us a great coffee and chatted, baby Rowan wrapped on her chest gurgling away happily.

• Be prepared for wet – it will almost certainly rain – this is the West Coast!
• Be prepared for sandflies – but they sell a great local eco friendly repellent.

You can have a guided or self guided trip – we opt for two hours self guided trip. We head up the lagoon, into a water way surrounded by majestic forest, back through an extensive salt marsh and along the estuary edge home.

Highlights of our Kayaking Trip on Lake Okarito

• Up the tidal estuary we were on our own, quietly paddling through a largely undisturbed wilderness.
• Along the estuary edge we spot some flowering rata with tui singing and slurping their way through the nectar.
• The rain stopped, the wind stopped and we had some beautiful reflections in the water

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Okarito Lagoon Guided Bird Watching Boat Tours

Okarito Boat Tours - West Coast, South Island. NZ

Experience the tremendous diversity of one of the West Coast’s South Westland World Heritage areas with Okarito Boat Tours, which will transport you from the historic Okarito Wharf to the lagoon and beyond into the rainforest waterways on one of New Zealand’s most extensive unmodified wetlands.

View the birds and plants that make this area so magical, including Great White Herons, Royal Spoonbills, a lagoon and spectacular rainforest.

Swade will take you on a total sensory experience on his custom-built open-air boat, which offers 360° views of the nesting birds. He will help to identify the wading birds, forest birds and the plants of the rainforest, including the graceful Kotuku – Great White Heron, Royal Spoonbill, leggy Pied Stilt, Intrepid Godwit and many, many more and backed by the towering Mount Cook, Mount Tasman and the Franz Josef Glacier. You couldn’t wish for a more spectacular environment.

As you move slowly into the shallow environs of the lagoon and the rainforest, you will have lots of photo opportunities of both the wildlife and the stunning landscape that surrounds you.

Catering to small groups prior booking is essential to avoid disappointment

Okarito Boat Tours - Okarito Eco Tour

Price:  Adult $115 per person – Child $55 pp Tour departs:  9:00 am & 11:30 am Duration:  2 Hours approx.

The ‘two Hour Ecotour’ is the most interpretive tour and encompasses all that is special to this area.

You will be viewing many native and migratory wading birds in the lagoon, followed by a meander into the rainforest waterways of the Okarito River, where you can listen for the melodic calls of the Bellbirds, Tuis and New Zealand Pigeons.

Enjoy the scents and colours of the flora, the wild, red splashes of the Southern Rata, the smell of native Jasmine and the seasonal flax, which are full of nectar for the birds.

With a maximum of 12 Passengers, you can sit back and relax, take in the serenity of your environment and the Southern Alps or join in with the commentary on the geology, history, flora and fauna of the region.

Private Early Bird watching on Okarito

Price:  1 to 5 pax $485  and  6 to12 pax $750 Tour departs:  7 :30 am Duration:  Two Hours approx.

Early morning charters on the Okarito lagoon and forest waterways – what a way to start your day – quiet, calm waters, birds feeding, mountains soaring…capture that special photograph or just take in the peaceful, untouched atmosphere of this unique and inspiring landscape. 

In the spring and early summer, the sun will be up but generally the calmest time of day.  Mid-late summer you have sunrise and possibly mist in the river waterways – a beautiful time for photography. 

With its beautiful light and calm waters, this is our favourite time of day, showcasing a lot of bird activity as they feed on the lagoon, and on clear, quiet mornings, there are fabulous views of the Southern Alps.

Discover Okarito Package

Price:  Adult $230 per person – Child $100 pp Tour departs:  9:00 am Duration:  6  Hours approx.

From the historic Okarito Wharf, your two-hour EcoTour aboard the Explorer Douglas begins with Paula & Swade of Okarito Boat Tours. 

You’ll learn about the incredible variety of bird life on this unique waterway system, from the legendary kotuku – great white herons to the migratory godwits and much more.

In the rainforest waterways, you may see seasonal perching orchids, rata flowering, clematis and forest birds – and sometimes kotuku feeding along the channels.

Back at the Wharf, your guide with Glacier Valley EcoTours will meet you with a packed lunch and show you our restoration area. Over the years, we have slowly and steadily removed invasive weeds and replanted them with the eco-sourced native trees from our Community Plants Nursery we manage together.

We then experience the enchantment of the Okarito rainforest to see the plants- from the tiny carnivorous sundews to the towering kahikatea and the birds.

Booking for Okarito Lagoon Guided Bird Watching Boat Tours

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White Heron Sanctuary Tours Whataroa

White Heron Sanctuary Tours (Est 1987) is the original and only tour to visit New Zealand’s only White Heron nesting site. For over 30 years the Arnold family have been delighting visitors by sharing this world class attraction with them.

Whataroa is the departure point for New Zealand’s only White Heron Sanctuary Tour.

The tour consists of an informative minibus ride through private farmland into the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve. In the reserve a short walk takes visitors through ancient Kahikatea rainforest to the purpose built viewing hide to observe the magnificent White Heron, Kotuku in their natural nesting environment. The Royal Spoonbill, Kotuku Ngutu Papa and the Little Shag, Kawapaka also share this special area and all can easily be seen from the hide. The White Heron only use this area for breeding so can be seen in the reserve over the spring and summer months, usually mid-September until early March. Over the autumn and winter months they disperse widely throughout New Zealand and are generally seen as a single solitary bird. The population of the White Heron in New Zealand is approximately 150. To see one of these majestic birds is a rare and special sight and to visit their only breeding ground is a truly unique experience!

White Heron Sanctuary Tours is the original and only tour to visit New Zealand’s only White Heron nesting site. For over 30 years the Arnold family have been delighting visitors by sharing this world class attraction with them. Tours operate with a Department of Conservation concession and entry is with a guide and by permit only.

Please note: There is no access to the White Heron nesting site from Okarito. Kayaks are not permitted into the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve.

Tours operate wet or fine (wet weather gear is provided).

Duration:  Approx 2.5 hours return trip from Whataroa.

Cost including DOC entry permit:  $150 per adult, $75 per child (12yrs and under).

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