Wildlife Holidays in New Zealand

By Isabella Olsen

New Zealand is a country surrounded by lush and beautiful scenery, the very reason why Peter Jackson chose it as the location for the famous Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. It has the distinction of being the last land mass on earth to be discovered, as well. Because of this, New Zealand has many amazing wildlife species, some of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Indeed, it is a great idea to spend wildlife holidays in New Zealand and enjoy many fun and unique ways of exploring and interacting with nature.

One of the most popular wildlife activities in New Zealand is bird watching. After all, before it was discovered, New Zealand was a land of birds, with only bats for mammal inhabitants. Today, it is still home to hundreds of species of birds, both flightless and capable of flight, as well as several migratory seabirds which are protected and can be viewed at various sanctuaries, zoos and bird parks.

Aside from bird watching, whale watching is also a popular part of wildlife holidays in New Zealand. Sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales, can be seen all year round off the coast of Kaikoura while the smaller killer whales can be spotted from December to March and humpback whales can be seen in the months of June and July. According to experts, whales frequent the waters of New Zealand because of its deep underwater canyons and the right temperature of its currents.

There are opportunities for seal and penguin encounters, as well. Fur seal colonies are especially common on the rocky coastline of the South Island, or at Castlepoint and Cape Palliser on the North Island, although elephant seals and leopard seals have been known to come ashore, too. Little blue penguins or kororas, on the other hand, which are the world's smallest penguins, can be seen at Akaroa Harbour and Oamaru, while the rare yellow-eyed penguin or hoiho can be found on the Otago peninsula.

Swimming with dolphins is another popular wildlife activity, and is, in fact, one of the top-rated tourist activities in New Zealand, so make sure you try it during your wildlife holidays in New Zealand. Many consider this a privilege, as well, since dolphins are intelligent yet gentle creatures. There are many dolphin species in New Zealand, including the common dolphin, the bottle-nosed dolphin, the playful dusky dolphin and the Hector's dolphin, one of the rarest and smallest dolphin species in the world, which is exclusive to the waters of New Zealand.

Exploring the underwater wildlife in the network of marine reserves around New Zealand is recommended, too. These reserves consist of dive wrecks, kelp forests and sub-tropical reefs, all of which provide sanctuaries for hundreds of schools of fish. The most popular reserve is the Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve, which was also named by the legendary diver Jacques Costeau as one of the five best diving locations in the world.

There are also several places in New Zealand that offer an opportunity to go shark cage diving. After all, sharks frequent the New Zealand waters, too. The mako shark and the blue shark are the most common shark species in New Zealand, although the fearsome great white shark can also be found lingering in the Bay of Plenty, along with the giant stingray.

There are many excellent zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks to visit, too, such as the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, the Orana Wildlife Park, the Wellington Zoo and the Seahorse World Aquarium. Some of them even offer a chance to feed and pet the animals. After all, the purpose of these establishments is not just to persuade tourists to spend wildlife holidays in New Zealand, but more importantly, to help everyone understand and care for animals all over the world.