Albatross Encounter Kaikoura

03/06/2026

More international visitors are coming to New Zealand, and they’re also spending more once they’re here, according to new data. That’s great for tourism operators and our wider economy.

Winter tourism is alive and well in Kaikōura. Humpback whales have been spotted every day so far in The Great Kaikōura Whale Count and Albatross Encounter Kaikoura have been busy showing visitors the world’s largest marine bird! It’s a great time of year to visit.

#012 Kaikōura electorate pics

31/05/2026

It may be winter, but we are still running tours once a day, every day (weather depending). Wrap up warm and join us out on the water to see some albatross and other seabirds with the gorgeous backdrop of the snow-capped Seaward Kaikōura Ranges. Visit our website to book a tour or call our reservations team! If you want to know what species you may encounter (remember though, every tour is different), check out our bird sightings from previous tours over the years https://www.albatrossencounter.co.nz/our-tours/bird-sightings/



Kaikoura NZ Alpine Pacific Touring Route Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura Kaikoura Visitor Centre

27/05/2026

Now we are heading into winter, we are starting to see the Buller’s Albatross/Mollymawk return to our waters. They have black across the upper wings, a white lower back and a rump with a black tip to the tail. The underwings are white with a narrow, black leading edge. It has a light-grey neck. The bill is black with canary yellow on the top and bottom.

There are two subspecies with subtle differences. The Northern Buller’s Albatross breeds on Three Kings Islands and Chatham Islands, whereas the Southern Buller’s Albatross breed on Snares Island and Solander Island. We usually see the Southern sub species here. Outside of the breeding season, they can be seen right around New Zealand.

14/05/2026

We sometimes see banded birds whilst out on our tours. Colour and number/letter combinations vary between species and research location to help identify individuals. Bands help us to track individuals over the years, helping us to identify important information such as breeding success and movement.

One bird that has been well known to us in the past is Orange-512, also known as Abby. She is a female Gibson's Wandering Albatross that hatched at Adam’s Island (Auckland Islands) early summer 1995/96 and was banded as a one-year-old fledgling on 24/12/96. She was sighted off Kaikōura as a 3 year old in 1998, again in 1999 and 2000, before returning to Adams Island as a 6-year-old for the first time since she fledged in February 2001.

Researchers had not seen her since 2007, but we contacted them about recent sightings of Abby off Kaikōura. The researchers searched for Abby each year, and finally in 2014 located her breeding 100m outside of the study area courting a younger male.

In October 2010, she was found entangled by fishing gear by a local fisherman, Ian Croucher. With the help of Gary, one of his friends and Ian, they managed to rescue, detangle and release her (second image of Gary about to release her). Abby has been spotted since then and looks fine. She no longer has her Orange-512 band, but she does still have her metal band. We last saw Abby only the other week on several of our tours. The first photo is Abby in 2024 and the last photo is of Abby in 2001! You can see how much whiter she is which typically happens as albatross get older.

20/04/2026

Operations update:

⛔️ our operating base is now closed until tomorrow due to the extended power outage

🌊all tours for 20th & 21st are cancelled due to adverse conditions and our team will be in touch further about rescheduling or refunds tomorrow subject to power being restored

🛜 we currently don’t have power and only have limited cellphone internet so there will be a considerable delay in response times to messenger and email

☎️ our phones are currently down with the outage and will only be manned again from tomorrow morning

Huge thanks to the guys at Main Power for their work to restore service 👍

We plan to reopen as normal tomorrow subject to power being restored 🙂

COMMUNITY UPDATE:

DISTRICT WIDE POWER OUTAGE:

We currently have a district wide power outage.

MainPower have identified the issue and aim to have power restored by 3pm today.

CONSERVING WATER:

It is important that people conserve water at this time.

Do not flush the toilet if possible as the pump stations all need power to operate.

INNOVATIVE WASTE KAIKŌURA CLOSED:

Due to this power outage and weather conditions, Innovative Waste Kaikōura will close today until further notice.

ROADING:

Downer are monitoring the roads for slips and any flooding.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT & WEATHER:

The Emergency Management Team at Kaikōura District Council is working closely with Environment Canterbury monitoring our rivers and streams during this event.

Please be wary when driving and check in for updates.

12/04/2026

07/04/2026

Last week of dawn tours… 🌅

This gorgeous sunrise albatross captured by Mati Di Prospero 🧡👌

⏱️ last chance this season to book a scheduled dawn tour, as from mid April our early morning tours are on request only until the end of the month. After this the next opportunity will be mid October…. Don’t miss out! 👀

24/03/2026

Introducing skipper Kevin, who joined the Albatross Encounter Team around 2 years ago. He is an engineer by trade, originally working in the aquaculture industry. Through working for Antarctica NZ, Kevin branched out into conservation work. He and his wife Toni managed an island in the Hauraki Gulf for a few years, working with the likes of kiwi, Takahē and Tīeke/North Island Saddleback. Kevin then became a cycling guide, getting into the tourism industry before settling down in Kaikōura. He worked in the Marlborough Sounds as a skipper for a water taxi company, then joined the team at Albatross Encounter and Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura around two years ago.

Kevin's favourite bird is the Buller's Albatross because it takes a nice photo! However he says the friendliest and one you can have the best relationship with is the Wandering Albatross.

Kaikoura NZ Alpine Pacific Touring Route

20/03/2026

Keep your eyes peeled in Kaikōura town and the surrounding area for grounded Hutton's Shearwaters!

12/03/2026

A special day 🧡

When approached us to share some of Kaikōura‘s wildlife with Tulasi and her family we were glad to be a part of their special day.

There is a particular magic in time spent in nature and sharing this budding love of birdlife was an absolute joy! ✨🪶🧡



In good company with Te Ana - The Caves Kaikoura, Flo n Co, Barnacle Bills Accommodation and who captured the day beautifully 👌