Western Pacific Odyssey Japan to New Zealand 2008.

We arrived in Auckland on the 31st March, 2008 and visited several local birding sites including Snells Beach. The following day we went out on a local pelagic trip into the Hauraki Gulf passing the Mokohaniu Island. The following morning we drove to Miranda, and then returned to Auckland and boarded the Spirit of Enderby during the late evening on the 2nd April. We again sailed through the Hauraki Gulf the following day before starting the journey North to Japan. En-route we stopped off at the following Islands: Norfolk Island, New Caledonia, Rennell Island, Makira Island, Gudalcanal & Kolombangara Island (all four islands form part of the Solomon Islands). We crossed the Equator on the 21st April. We then visited Chuuk,Micronesia and then continued sailing North to Japan. First visited Chichi-jima Island (part of the Bonin Islands group), and then onto Torishima Island where we anchored off-shore. (Not allowed to land here).

We next arrived at Ko-jima Island in heavy rain and strong winds and we cruised around the island (part of the Izu Islands), before sailing onto Miyake-jima Island (Izu Islands) and we visited the Nature Centre here (excellent birding). As we left this Island, we visited some stacks off shore for Japanese Murrelet. We finally arrived at Tokyo harbour on the 4th May for our flight back to the UK.

In total, we sailed just over 5,400 nautical miles on the Spirit of Enderby.

Boarding the Spirit of Enderby at Auckland harbour

Views of the Mokohinau Islands in the Hauraki Gulf, off North Island, New Zealand

Arriving at Norfolk Island

Views taken on Norfolk Island

Arriving at Noumea Harbour on New Caledonia

Les dreaming of Becks Petrel

Roger & Liz looking for Becks Petrel

Tony wasn't to bothered

Pete looking smug, he had just seen a Becks

Rennell Island

Arriving Makira Island

Locals came out to meet us

Reception committee as we were the first westerns to visit Yanuta village.

Departing from the Yanuta village on Makira Island

Views taken on Mt. Austin, Gudalcanal, where we birded for a day

Local village on Kolombangra Island

Kolombangara Island mangroves

Approaching Chuuk

Departing from Chuuk

Torishima Island, Japan, breeding site of the Short-tailed Albatross

JFC on board the Spirit of Enderby off Torishima Island

Japanese Murrelet stacks off Miyake-jima Island Japan

Spirit of Enderby in the harbour at Chichi-jima Island

Spectacular sun-sets over the Pacific

Orchids on Kolombangara Island

Flying Fish

Bottlenose Dolphin

Sperm Whale

Dragonfly on Kolombangara Island

Butterfly on Rennell Island

Flying Fox on Kolombangara Island

Yellow Bellied Robin in the Riviere Bleue National Park, New Caledonia

Wrybills at Miranda,New Zealand

Various Wilson Petrels

Green-backed White-eye on New Caledonia

Bare-eyed White-eye on Rennell Island

White Tern on nest on Norfolk Island

White Tern on Norfolk Island

White Tailed Tropicbird

White Necked Petrel

White Faced Heron at Miranda, New Zealand

White Chinned Petrel in the Hauraki Gulf off New Zealand

Our only White Capped Albatross seen in the Hauraki Gulf off New Zealand

Wedge Tailed Shearwaters of the dark colour phase

Three pictures of the rare intermediate colour phase of the Wedge Tailed Shearwater

Various Wedge Tailed Shearwaters mainly of the light colour phase

Various Wandering Albatrosses

Varied Tit (owstoni race) on Miyake-jima Island

Variable Goshawk on Kolombangara Island

Tui near Snells Beach, New Zealand

The underside of Tristram's Petrel

Various Tristrams's Petrels

Various Tahiti Petrels

Upperside of Tahiti Petrel

Long Tailed Triller on Makira Island

Streaked Shearwaters in Japanese waters

Streaked Fantail on New Caledonia

Solomons Island Sea-Eagle on Kolombangara Island

Poor record shot of a Solomons Island Cuckoo-shrike on Gudalcanal

Metallic & Singing Starlings on Rennell Island

Metallic Starling on Rennell Island

Adult and Juveniles Singing Starlings on Rennell Island

Silver Capped Fruit Dove on Rennell Island

Short Tailed Shearwater

Various plumages of the Short Tailed Albatross

Sacred Kingfisher on Rennell Island

Rufous Night Heron flying over Chuuk

Royal Spoonbills on the lagoons near Auckland Airport

Three Roviana Rails (flightless) seen around a village on Kolombangara Island

The cat appeared to ignore the Rail.

Rennell Shrike-bill on Rennell Island

Rennell Island Fantail

Red Tailed Tropicbirds on Norfolk Island

Red Knobbed Imperial Pigeon on Makira Island

Red Billed Gull on Snells Beach, New Zealand

Various phases of the Red Footed Booby on or around the Spirit of Enderby

Pygmy Woodpecker at Miyake-jima Island

Purple Swamphen near Auckland, New Zealand

Pomarine Skua

Polynesian Storm Petrel

Pied Stilts near Snells Beach, North Island, New Zealand

                                  Immature of the Pied Goshawk (normal form) on Gudalcanal

Immature Pied Goshawk (tawny form) on Gudalcanal

Adult Pied Goshawk on Kolombangara Island.

Parkinson's Black Petrel off North Island, New Zealand

Parkinson's Black Petrel & Flesh Footed Shearwater

Pacific Swallow on board the Spirit of Enderby

Pacific Imperial Pigeon on Rennell Island

Oceanic Flycatcher on Chuuk

Norfolk Island Gerygone

Norfolk Island Parakeet

New Zealand Storm Petrel off Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand Shoveller and Pacific Black Duck near Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand Dotterel in partial summer plumage

New Zealand Dotterel in winter plumage

New Zealand Dotterels at their breeding site near Snells Beach, New Zealand.

New Zealand Little Grebes near Auckland, New Zealand.

New Caledonian Whistler on New Caledonia

New Caledonian Friarbird on New Caledonia

Juvenile & Adult Micronesian Starling on Chuuk

Micronesian Myzomela on Chuuk

Matsuidra's Storm Petrel from the under-side

Various Matsuidra's Storm Petrels

Matsuidra's Storm Petrel in heavy moult

Adult & Juvenile Masked Boobies

Various Long Tailed Skuas

Lesser Frigatebird

Large Billed Crow on Miyake-jima Island

Kermadec Petrel including this distinctive white-headed bird.

Juvenile Kelp Gull near Auckland, New Zealand.

Ten Kagus were seen in the Riviere Bleue Nat. Pk. on New Caledonia

Japanese White-eye on Miyake-jima Island

Japanese Murrelets off Miyake-jima Island

Japanese Wood Pigeon on Miyake-jima Island.

Japanese Cormorant in Miyake-jima Island harbour.

Izu Thrush at Miyake-jima Nature Centre

Island Imperial Pigeon on Rennell Island.

Intermediate Egret on Miyake-jima Island, Japan

Iljima's Warbler in the Miyake-jima Nature Centre,

Japan

Very poor record shots of a Heinroth's Shearwater

Grey Fantail on Norfolk Island

Grey Fantail near Auckland, New Zealand

Various Grey Faced Petrels

Great Frigatebirds

Various Gould's Petrels

Flesh Footed Shearwaters off New Zealand

Finsch's Pygmy-Parrot on Gudalcanal

Fan-tailed Gerygone on Rennell Island

Fairy Prions

Eclectus Parrot on Makira Island

Intermediate colour morph Pacific Reef Heron on Chuuk

Dollarbirds on Mt. Austin on Gudalcanal

Crimson Crowned Fruit-dove on Chuuk

Crested Tern

Collared Petrels

Collared Kingfisher on Kolombangara Island

Caroline Islands Reed Warbler on Chuuk

Caroline Islands Swiftlets on Chuuk

Caroline Islands Ground-dove on at the Japanese Gun on Chuuk

Cardinal Myzomela on Rennell Island

Campbell's Albatross

Bulwer's Petrel

Bullers Shearwaters off New Zealand

Brown Winged Starling on Gudalcanal

Brown Booby

Bridled Tern

Various Bonin's Petrels near Bonin Island

Black Winged Petrels around Norfolk Island

Adult Black Tailed Gulls near Ko-Jima Island

Black Noddies on Norfolk Island

Black Naped Terns with Black Noody on Chuuk

Short Tailed & Black Footed Albatrosses

Various Black Footed Albatrosses

Beck's Petrels

Bar Tailed Godwits of the eastern race 'baueri' near Auckland, New Zealand

Australian Ibis on Rennell Island

Full moon over the Pacific.