Hauraki Gulf Pelagic — Wrybill Birding Tours

Wrybill Birding Tours runs full-day pelagic trips from Marsden Cove into the northern Hauraki Gulf, targeting waters around the Hen and Chicken Islands that hold some of New Zealand's rarest breeding seabirds. These trips are one of the most reliable ways to find Pycroft's Petrel, a range-restricted species nesting on offshore Northland islands, alongside Cook's Petrel, Black (Parkinson's) Petrel, New Zealand Storm-Petrel, and Buller's and Little Shearwaters. Led by Brent Stephenson and Sav Saville — two of New Zealand's most experienced seabird guides — the trips combine expert chumming technique with deep knowledge of the local oceanography to maximise species encounters.