6-8 Dec 2025
THE PETREL STATION 3 DAY TOUR REPORT
3 DAYS -> 282,000 SEABIRDS!
We just completed 3 awesome seabird tour days in a row out at The Petrel Station, offshore from Tutukaka (in Northland, New Zealand).
Highlights of the tours were:
Long-tailed Skua (scarce in New Zealand)
Huge numbers of Buller's Shearwater and Fairy Prion on each day
Spectacular views of Cooks Petrel, including multiple dives (rarely observed!)
Incredible diversity of other marine life including Whales, Sharks, Manta Ray, Sunfish, Marlin ...
Over the 3 days we recorded just over of 282,000 stunning seabirds, and 26 seabird species (see the full species list below). Conditions across the 3 days were very mild with fine weather, light 0–10 knot winds and a small 0.5–0.8m swell.
Keen to join us for some unique spring seabird action? Check out our upcoming seabird tour dates and get in touch – the best way to experience these stunning seabirds is out on the ocean, in their world. It’s always a great day out!
Here’s the full tour results from the 3 days:
Seabirds seen:
7 x White-capped Albatross
1 x Long-tailed Skua
1 x Arctic Skua
142,500 x Fairy Prion
278 x Cook's Petrel
5 x Pycroft's Petrel
3 x Grey-faced Petrel
35 x Black Petrel
127,500 x Buller's Shearwater
117 x Fluttering Shearwater
20 x Little Shearwater
16 x Flesh-footed Shearwater
26 x Short-tailed Shearwater
9 x Sooty Shearwater
240 x Common Diving Petrel
74 x White-faced Storm Petrel
9 x New Zealand Storm Petrel
4 x Wilson's Storm Petrel
3 x Little Blue Penguin
18 x Grey Noddy
9,750 x Australasian Gannet
1,950 x Red-billed Gull
9 x Black-backed Gull
225 x Pied Shag
2 x Little Pied Shag
3 x Little Black Shag
Other marine life encountered:
1 x Bryde's Whale
2 x Whale sp.
3 x Mako Shark
1 x young Great White Shark
1 x Manta Ray
2 x Marlin
1 x Sunfish
1 x Mahimahi leaping
1 x Yellowfin Tuna
2 x Flying Fish