4 July 2026

2026WINTERTOUR REPORT
Written By Scott Brooks

THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT

We had an absolutely EPIC winter's day of very scarce to see Southern Ocean seabirds on the latest pelagic seabird tour out to The Petrel Station, offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand).

The outstanding highlights of the tour were:

Once we reached the deeper water, it was non-stop seabird action. The Blue Petrels surrounded the boat for almost five hours, often so close it was simply ridiculous. Add a procession of spectacular Southern Ocean visitors throughout the day, and it all combined to produce one of the greatest seabird days we've ever experienced at The Petrel Station seabird tours.

In total we recorded 29 seabird species (see the full species list below). Conditions were mostly fine, with 15–20 knot winds and a 2m swell.

After today's incredible trip, we've decided to add three extra winter tours on 9 July, 19 July and 1 August 2026. If you'd like to experience what the Southern Ocean might deliver next, so check out our upcoming seabird tour dates and get in touch … and our spring season madness is on the way too – It’s always a great day out 😁.

Here’s the full tour results from the day:

Seabirds seen:

  • 4 x Light-mantled Sooty Albatross

  • 1 x Chatham Albatross

  • 3 x NZ Wandering Albatross (ssp. 2x Antipodean, 1 x Gibson's)

  • 1 x Northern Royal Albatross

  • 7 x Buller's Albatross

  • 1 x Salvin's Albatross

  • 9 x Black-browed Albatross

  • 8 x Campbell's Albatross

  • 14 x White-capped Albatross

  • 4 x Antarctic Prion

  • 5 x Northern Giant Petrel

  • 400 x Fairy Prion

  • 60+ Blue Petrel

  • 2 x Cook's Petrel

  • 7 x Soft-plumaged Petrel

  • 9 x White-headed Petrel

  • 6 x Cape Petrel

  • 34 x Grey-faced Petrel

  • 90 x Common Diving Petrel

  • 18 x Fluttering Shearwater

  • 8 x Little Shearwater

  • 1 x Sooty Shearwater

  • 2 x New Zealand Storm Petrel

  • 1 x Little Blue Penguin

  • 540 x Australasian Gannet

  • 37 x Red-billed Gull

  • 4 x Black-backed Gull

  • 69 x Pied Shag

  • 2 x Little Black Shag

Learn more about the seabird species seen on this tour:
Albatross • Petrels • Shearwaters • Storm Petrels • Prions • Skuas • Other Seabirds


Scott Brooks
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19 June 2026