18 & 19 July 2026

2026WINTERTOUR REPORT

19 Jul

THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT

GREY PHALAROPE - MEGA!! A NEW SPECIES for The Petrel Station seabird tours!

The standout highlight of the weekend and huge surprise was when a stunning coloured up GREY PHALAROPE stopped in a for a short visit. Grey Phalarope have only been recorded 10 times in New Zealand, making this an exceptionally scarce bird to encounter — and a perfect example of how you never know what might turn up out on a pelagic seabird tour.

This was a new species for us and is now the 70th SEABIRD SPECIES RECORDED on The Petrel Station seabird tours ... which further reinforces offshore from Tutukaka as one of the world's most diverse seabird locations.

Another highlight was our first ever winter Grey Noddy as well (usually they are a summer visitor to our area).

In total we recorded just short of 6,000 stunning seabirds, and 19 seabird species (see the full species list below). Conditions on the both days were mostly fine / overcast, with 10-15 knot winds and a 1.5m swell.

Keen to join us for a unique seabird experience? We’re well into our winter season when the Albatross species and Southern Ocean seabirds return to our area, and our local winter breeders build up in numbers too. 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 😁.