Tracks for bird life / song

Around the Tablelands area and the Cobb Valley both in Kahurangi NP have excellent amounts of birdlife due to ongoing pest control.I saw(and heard) Kea,Weka,Brown Creeper,Whio,Riflemen,Robins,Fantails,Tomtits,Pipits,Bellbirds,Kaka,Morepork,heard Kiwi at night near Chaffeys Hut etc etc.Well worth it.

Whirinaki again. Raukumaras for Kokako and kiwi. Lake Colenso in the Ruahines for a haven of mixed bird life surrounded by near silent beech. If you've not been, I really recommend a trip to Kapiti Island. Day walk, not tramping, I know. But incredible chance to be surrounded by hihi, tomtits, saddleback, kaka, kakariki takahe, plus all the usual suspects.

Stewart Island impressed me immensely for the bird life when I first visited in the 1970's. It was still good in the early 80's but I haven't been back since then so am unsure what it is like now. I'll 2nd what John Dutchie said about Kahurangi where there is ongoing predator control and add the Fyfe to those areas he named. There are a few hot spots in Westland with really good birdlife. One which was great, but may have declined as I think pest control has stopped with the demise of Oceana Gold's Reefton operations, is the headwaters of Rainy Creek an Inangahua tributary. I did quite a lot of work in there and in the surrounding area and saw an abundance of kaka, tui, bush robin and bellbirds. Kakariki are present but not in big numbers. The South Island Kokako was identified as present by bird surveyors in this area but I did not see any though possibly heard some?

Most areas with ongoing and consistent pest control has pretty good birdlife. The Poulter valley at Arthur Pass springs to mind. For coastal Birds, I can highly recommend the short walk around the Wairau Lagoons.

I spent last summer in Fiordland, and bird life along the Milford is quite good. However, I've never experienced the abundance of bird life/song like on Ulva Island, which is a small island off of Stewart Island. It's fully protected; save for one property, no one is even allowed to camp overnight on the island. You can get there one of two ways; either a tour with Real Journeys, or by water taxi, both from Stewart Island. On the boat on the way you're highly likely to see two or three species of albatross close up.

Atiwhakatu saddle is good for kaka so is cone ridge. the nor eastern part of the kaweka is great for kiwi. Chaffey hut has a great resident weka. They are abundant on the west coast.

Leslie-Karamea has heaps of bird life. Lots of blue duck through the river, weka everywhere, kereru, kaka (we didn't see them but others did), kea (ditto), and kiwi (heard, not seen), plus robins, tomtits, bellbirds, tui.