14 Mar 2025

An odyssey begins! A beautiful ship cruise at the Hauraki Gulf

Our Western and Grand Pacific Odyssey adventure was underway with an exciting ship cruise of the Mokohinau Group, a group of small islands in the Hauraki Gulf.

We awoke this morning to a beautiful, clear day with the pink light of an early morning sun painting the islands of the Mokohinau Group. While guests travelling as part of the GPO group soaked up the glories of a calm morning at sea, the Birders in the WPO were already talking about the anticipated highlight of the day – the search for the elusive, rare New Zealand Storm Petrel – unaware of just what a vibrant day of experiences also lay ahead of us.

By the end of the day, the birders had seen White-capped Albatross, Black Petrel, Cook’s Petrel, the rare Pycroft’s Petrel, as well as the highly sought-after New Zealand Storm Petrel, fluttering and dancing across the water like feathered butterflies.

For those with a wider interest, there were schools of Devil Rays in large numbers, leaping Bottlenose Dolphins and even a Blue Shark cruising on the surface and a Bryde's Whale – all seen under perfect sea conditions. We enjoyed a glorious first day at sea en route to our first island destination, Norfolk Island.

Images © C. Finch, Heritage Expeditions