Okarito Boat Tours
About us
The tours
Tour details
Birdlife
Customer feedback
ABOUT US
Okarito Boat Tours and the Nature of Okarito Guided Walks offer small, personalised guided trips. The trips are designed for anyone interested in the natural life of Okarito and area - birdlife, ancient plants of the rainforest, coastal hikes and village walks unfolding its history and way of life today. These tours enable you to take in the stunning scenery of South Westland at your leisure and a comfortable pace.
Your guides, Swade Finch and Paula Sheridan, have many years’ birding and guiding experience between them. Swade has lived on the West coast for 40 years and has many stories and a wealth of information on the local flora and fauna. Paula and Swade love to share their passion for the magic of Okarito and the West Coast.
THE TOURS
Okarito is truly a nature lover’s paradise. It is home to more than 70 species of birds and offers tremendous natural diversity, from the wild beaches of the Tasman Sea, up the lagoon and into the surrounding rainforest.
The Boat Tours
Our two hour Nature Tour enables you to enjoy the natural beauty of this area up close and personal. You will drift quietly amongst feeding birds, including white herons (kotuku) and royal spoonbills, explore quiet, narrow waterways, and see the ancient plants of the rainforest - including giant kahikatea and rimu trees that host many of our unique forest birds. The Southern Alps, Mt Cook, Mt Tasman and the Franz Josef Glacier make for spectacular scenery on clear days.
The Sightseeing Tour is perfect if you are looking for a shorter trip to see the variety of wading birds feeding on the lagoon. This one-hour tour reaches the edge of the Okarito rainforest waterways before returning to the wharf.
The Guided Walks
Okarito Discovery - This One Hour Village and Beach Walk introduces you to the locals way of life, past and present. Discover the "nature of things" in this remote village of just 30 residents - tour the historic buildings of Okarito and learn of the flora and fauna in the village and along the beach.
Mountains to Sea – Join us on a 2 Hour Okarito Trig Track and see the forest with new eyes. This interpretive walk takes you from the village up through rainforested moraines to an incredible lookout point encompassing the Tasman Sea, Okarito Lagoon and the Southern Alps. We will be looking and listening for fernbirds, tomtits, fantails and bellbirds along the way as we wind our way up through the forest. Learn of the rowi - the rarest of kiwi which inhabit this area. (For guided nocturnal trips to see the Rowi see Okarito Kiwi Tours.)
Coastal Rainforest - This 3.5 hour hike encompasses both coastal rainforest and beach along the Tasman Sea (tide permitting) and introduces you to the history, plants and birds of these environments. In addition to the forest birds we will be passing near a blue penguin colony and may see seals or dolphins if we're lucky!
BIRDLIFE
Over 70 species of birds have been recorded at Okarito Lagoon. It remains an untouched, unmodified natural environment in which to view migratory, native, endemic and occasional vagrants. Waders commonly observed feeding include the Great White Heron, Royal Spoonbill and Eastern Bar Tailed Godwits. Forest birds often seen include the native New Zealand Wood Pigeon, Tuis, Bellbirds and Fernbirds.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
"...Swade manouvered the boat to give us great photo opportunities and I managed 3 great shots of the beautiful white Heron feeding.We also saw Spoonbills, Tuis, Wood Pigeon and Godwits. I thoroughly recommend this tour for the scenery and birdlife." ___Lynn Clayton, Auckland NZ October 2009
CONTACT US
Okarito Boat Tours
Swade Finch & Paula Sheridan
www.okaritoboattours.co.nz
email: info@okaritoboattours.co.nz
Postal Address: PO Box 2, Franz Josef, South Westland, New Zealand
Phone: 03 753 4223 (local) or +64 3 7534223 (International)
TOUR DETAILS
PRICING AND DEPARTURE TIMES - all tours offer youth prices and under 7's are always free.
The Boat Tours
Nature Tour – 2hrs $85 adult/$45 youth* 9am and 11.30am daily
Sightseeing Tour – 1hr $45 adult/$20 youth 2:30 pm and 4:00 pm daily
Please check in 15 minutes prior to departure at Okarito Nature Tours in Okarito Village, located 12km west of State Highway 6. Watch for the turnoff 13 km north of Franz Josef or 14 km south of Whataroa.
The Nature of Okarito Guided Walks
Okarito Discovery Tour - 1 hr $25 adult/$15 youth
Mountains to Sea - 2 hrs $40 adult/$20 youth
Coastal Rainforest - 3.5 hrs $65 adult/$35 youth
9:30 AM & 2:30 PM departures - please email or check our website Okarito Boat Tours for a schedule of walks. Please check in 15 minutes prior to departure at Donovan's Store in Okarito Village. All walks include a private tour of Donovan's, once the Club Hotel and the West Coast's oldest known building with a Historic Places Trust Category 1 designation.
Okarito Accommodation
Stay & Explore - if you enjoy quiet, out of the way, off the beaten track you'll love Okarito and wish you were staying! The village of Okarito, set between the beaches and sand dunes of the Tasman Sea and the towering snow capped peaks of the Southern Alps is a small slice of paradise. Once you've explored the Lagoon, take a walk through the forest or along the beaches, and then relax, knowing the only night time sounds you're likely to hear are the call of the morepork (native owl) and waves on the beach. Visit www.okaritoboattours.co.nz for accommodation packages and more information.
We provide:
- Access to bird viewing and photography
- Interactive commentary supplemented with bird and plant identification notes and photos
- Personalized tours to suit your interests
- Binoculars
- Refreshments
You bring:
Clothing appropriate for the conditions, camera, hat and sunscreen.
