The Petrel Station Seabird Tours & Research - Tutukaka, New Zealand

The Petrel Station Seabird Tours & Research - Tutukaka, New Zealand One of the world's best full day pelagic seabird birding tour experiences. ⭐️ Huge seabird diversity with 70 species seen to date.

Also part of a seabird research project. Based out of Tutukaka, Northland, New Zealand The Petrel Station pelagic seabird tours have a well-earned reputation for being one of the best pelagic seabird trips in New Zealand, and globally, for birders to see an incredible diversity of stunning seabirds. Based out of Tutukaka (in Northland, NZ) these tours are any bird watchers dream! So far we've seen

69 seabird species (and 52 of those are tubenose seabirds!). The best way to experience these seabirds is out on the ocean, in their world, so get in touch if you’re keen for a great day out with some stunning seabirds! Here’s just a few reasons why the tours are special:

• Best location, and tour, in the world to see New Zealand Storm Petrel

• An impressive list of specialty local seabirds including Pycroft’s, Cooks and Black Petrel, Little Shearwater and Grey Noddy to name a few

• 24 seabird species breed locally on nearby islands & mainland

• Migrating seabirds pass by in season, & scarce vagrant seabirds turn up as well

• Our latitude (35ºS) is generally as far south as tropical seabirds, and as far north as southern seabirds will range, so we’re in a prime location to see a diverse mix of seabird species over various seasons

• Huge feeding workups of Buller’s Shearwater and Fairy Prion in season

• Every tour out helps towards the at-sea seabird sighting research project

• Exceptionable up close seabird viewing and photo opportunities

• A full day out means lots of time on the water (trips go for 9 to 10 hours)

• Tours go year round, for a wide range of seabirds over the various seasons. FOR MORE INFO

www.thepetrelstation.nz
The Petrel Station's comprehensive website has loads of info about:
– the seabird species, the different seasons and local specialty seabirds
– tour dates, costs and booking details
– what the trips are like, FAQs, past tour reports and seabird image galleries
– the at-sea sighting research project
– private seabird charter tours

11/09/2026

THE BULLER’S SHEARWATERS ARE COMING HOME!
After spending our winter in the northern hemisphere, huge numbers of Buller’s Shearwaters are now making their way back to the Tutukaka area to breed on the Poor Knights Islands — the ONLY place in the world where these stunning seabirds breed.

By mid-late September they’ll be back in big numbers ... and we can't wait to see them again out on The Petrel Station Seabird Tours & Research - Tutukaka, New Zealand 😁

www.thepetrelstation.nz

10/09/2026

THE TINY STUFF THAT DRIVES THE HUGE SEABIRD WORKUPS!
Look closely at the water in this video — the sea is thick with tiny krill and other zooplankton swirling in the currents. They are one of the key reasons the spring seabird feeding workups seen on The Petrel Station seabird tours can become so spectacular.

In spring, increasing sunlight and nutrients trigger huge blooms of phytoplankton — microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food chain. And when the phytoplankton blooms, the zooplankton and krill can multiply in huge numbers too.

And when there's a huge concentration of them, everything else soon takes notice. Massive schools of fish move in to feed on this rich food source, while seabirds like Buller's Shearwaters and Fairy Prions gather on the surface to feast on the same abundance — an entire marine food chain coming together in one place, from microscopic plankton to huge schools of fish and thousands of seabirds.

So next time you’re out on a seabird tour with us and see one of our famous seabird workups, remember: it all starts with the tiny stuff! 😁

www.thepetrelstation.nz

MOTTLED PETREL** Spring seabird species **There is nothing quite like a stunning Mottled Petrel and it’s always exciting...
09/09/2026

MOTTLED PETREL
** Spring seabird species **
There is nothing quite like a stunning Mottled Petrel and it’s always exciting when one shows up for a fly-by, when they're usually dramatically arcing and wheeling around as they pass through. Bigger and heavier-set than the smaller Cookilaria petrels, they stand out with their dusky belly and thick underwing carpal bars.

They breed in southern New Zealand and pass through northern waters during migration in spring, and we can sometimes encounter them in late October through to December on The Petrel Station seabird tours, which is one of the best places to see them offshore mainland New Zealand.

Keen to see one? Check our website for upcoming tours 😁

www.thepetrelstation.nz

08/09/2026

* South Polar Skua *
SPRING SEABIRD SPECIES
South Polar Skuas are a semi-regular specialty seabird of The Petrel Station seabird tours – They're pretty scarce to encounter off the New Zealand mainland, so it's exciting that a handful of them turn up during our spring season tours, from late October into December, as they migrate back down to their Antarctic breeding grounds.

It's always a treat when these massive powerful birds show up and they often come in quite close like this stunner that spent ages just hovering around behind us.

Keen to see one? ... check our upcoming tours 😁
www.thepetrelstation.nz

03/09/2026

THREE WINNERS CHOSEN FOR OUR SEABIRD TOUR GIVEAWAY!
The response to our youth and student seabird tour giveaway has been so incredible that we couldn't stop at just two places... so we’ve added a THIRD free tour place!

We were completely blown away by the passion, dedication, and genuine love for seabirds from young birders and students in New Zealand and from around the world, which made deciding on just 3 people incredibly difficult.

We are absolutely thrilled to announce the three winners who will be joining us offshore this spring:
🎉 Rosie, Clemence and Angel 🎉

We can’t wait to get them offshore with us on The Petrel Station seabird tours to experience these remarkable seabirds up close! We've sent you each an email with details 😁.

To everyone who took the time to write in—thank you. It’s been so inspiring to see so many young people passionate about these amazing seabirds.

And once again, a big thanks you to the generous guest who donated the original place and sparked this whole thing off. 💙

Our spring seabird season is right around the corner — see you out on the water ... it's always a great day out 😁.

The Petrel Station seabird tours team

www.thepetrelstation.nz

3 EXTRA SPRING TOURS ADDED!* 21 Oct, 5 Nov & 7 Dec 2026 *Our spring season seabird tours are filling well, and due to th...
02/09/2026

3 EXTRA SPRING TOURS ADDED!
* 21 Oct, 5 Nov & 7 Dec 2026 *

Our spring season seabird tours are filling well, and due to the demand, we’ve added three extra tours on 21 October, 5 November and 7 December 2026.

These will likely be the only additional spring tours — so there are now a few more opportunities to get out on the ocean and experience the incredible spring seabird spectacle at The Petrel Station Seabird Tours & Research - Tutukaka, New Zealand.

Thousands of seabirds, huge feeding frenzies, albatrosses, storm petrels and a great diversity of New Zealand seabirds — spring really is something special 😁!

Come join us for a very unique New Zealand seabird experience Check our website for details and upcoming tour dates. It’s always a great day out 😁

👉 www.thepetrelstation.nz

02/09/2026

* Wilson’s Storm Petrel *
SPRING SEABIRD SPECIES
Wilson’s Storm Petrels and are a seasonal visitor to New Zealand, and we regularly see them on our spring and autumn tours as they move north or south on migration to their Antarctic breeding grounds. Like all storm petrels they are just delightful to have around the boat as they bounce, glide and hover about.

And for us, it's always a fun challenge picking them out among the more abundant (but much rarer) New Zealand Storm Petrels when both species are around the boat together out on The Petrel Station seabird tours.

Want to see these for yourself? .... Check our upcoming tour dates 😁

www.thepetrelstation.nz

01/09/2026

* Chatham Albatross *
SPRING SEABIRD SPECIES
The countdown to our first spring seabird tour season is on! Over the next few weeks we'll be highlighting some of the stunning seabirds and incredible experiences that make spring so exciting at The Petrel Station Seabird Tours & Research - Tutukaka, New Zealand.

Today we're kicking off with the stunning Chatham Albatross... one of the scarcer specialty seabirds of The Petrel Station, and one that many participants hope will make an appearance on our spring tours. This New Zealand endemic only breeds on tiny Pyramid Rock in the Chatham Islands, and over the last few years The Petrel Station has become one of the very few places in NZ outside the Chathams where there's any sort of chance of encountering one, with typically 2–3 spring sightings most years. It's always an exciting moment when one glides in close and you pick out that bright yellow banana bill!

Check our upcoming tour dates to join us 😁

www.thepetrelstation.nz

27/08/2026

ONLY 4 WEEKS TO GO!
The spring seabird season is almost here — and so are the huge seabird feeding workup frenzies that The Petrel Station seabird tours are famous for.

Thousands of seabirds swirling around make for one of New Zealand's most spectacular birdwatching and wildlife experiences, and are just one of the many highlights of the season offshore from Tutukaka, Northland, New Zealand.

We're so excited already 😁 !!

Spring tours are already filling up, so check out the upcoming dates and get in touch if you'd like to experience it for yourself. It's always a great day out!

www.thepetrelstation.nz

THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT (22.08.26)Had another great winter's day out to finish an outstanding winter seabird seas...
26/08/2026

THE PETREL STATION TOUR REPORT (22.08.26)
Had another great winter's day out to finish an outstanding winter seabird season on the latest pelagic seabird tour to The Petrel Station Seabird Tours & Research - Tutukaka, New Zealand

Highlights of the tour were:
- A Grey-backed Storm Petrel
– A Southern Giant Petrel
– Lots of Little Shearwater and Common Diving Petrels

In total we recorded just over 5,500 stunning seabirds, and 17 seabird species (see the full species list below). Conditions on the day were mostly fine, with 7-12 knot winds and a small 0.7m swell.

It's been an amazing winter seabird season which has resulted in an impressive list of scarcer Southern Ocean visitors that we've encountered in the last 2 months ... and now it's time for our spectacular spring seabird season tours .. bring it on!! Keen to join us for a unique seabird encounter? Check out our upcoming tour dates and get in touch – It’s always a great day out 😁

www.thepetrelstation.nz

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Here’s the full tour results:
1 x NZ Wandering Albatross (ssp. Gibson's)
3 x Buller's Albatross
1 x Salvin's Albatross
9 x White-capped Albatross
1 x Southern Giant Petrel
1 x Northern Giant Petrel
1,600 x Fairy Prion
19 x Grey-faced Petrel
1,150 x Common Diving Petrel
825 x Fluttering Shearwater
44 x Little Shearwater
1 x Grey-backed Storm Petrel
1,750 x Australasian Gannet
55 x Red-billed Gull
20 x Black-backed Gull
61 x Pied S**g
1 x Little S**g

Other marine life encountered:
2 x Blue Shark
9 x NZ Fur Seal

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Tutukaka
Tutukaka

Telephone

+6421322324

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