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WildWings, 577 Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol. BS16 3AF.UK
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After the now proven success of the Western Pacific Odyssey, we are delighted to offer a unique opportunity to join an exploratory pelagic voyage, southbound in October 2009 from Japan to New Zealand. We anticipate this voyage will be a ‘one-off’ as the ship will be required elsewhere in 2010 and beyond and, as a result, this unique opportunity is being offered at a very special price indeed.
It will also be possible to join either the northern or southern sectors although the whole voyage will have to be paid for, however, we are able to allow two people to share a place, ie one travels on the northern section, one travels on the southern and both for the one price!
Kolombangara in the north western Solomon Islands is the anticipated changeover point, with a landing planned for some onshore birding, snorkelling or just a chance for those doing the whole voyage to spend some hours off the ship and really stretch their legs. For those getting off or on the ship, the nearby island of Gizo (transfers between the two islands will be by local boat) offers air connections to the rest of the world via Honiara. For British and European passengers, Honiara can be reached from Brisbane, Australia.
This voyage will appeal to seabird fanatics although we can expect to encounter a number of cetaceans along the way, not to mention the odd shark plus a myriad of flying fish, subject as always to sea conditions.
We hope this voyage will see the recently re-discovered Beck’s Petrel, as well as other poorly known seabirds such as Heinroth’s Shearwater and Polynesian Storm-Petrel plus much more besides but there cannot, of course, be any guarantees. The mysterious ‘all brown’ petrels may also be encountered and finally yield up their secrets (if they are not nailed during the full spring Western Pacific Odyssey in 2009).
Whilst we may not see all the seabird specialities of the Western Pacific Odyssey or, of course, many of the special land birds which are seen on that trip, we can expect to see some additional species during the southern portion of the voyage as the vessel will sail down eastern Australia and cross the Tasman Sea. This voyage will then end at Bluff at the southern end of South Island, New Zealand rather than Auckland on North Island which is where the northbound voyages depart.
The planned landing on Kolombangara will add a number of land bird endemics such as the Roviana Rail (only discovered during the early 1990s) plus others including hopefully the magnificent Solomon Islands Sea- Eagle.
Our vessel will be the comfortable expedition ship, the Spirit of Enderby, operated by Heritage Expeditions, carrying a maximum of just 48 passengers. All cabins have portholes or windows and plenty of storage space. The ship has a bar/library lounge and a dedicated lecture room with informal but excellent dining in two dining rooms.
Unusually, we offer just two prices for this expedition, cabins with a washbasin and lower berths and cabins with private facilities (some with two lower berths, some with both lower and upper berths and this category also includes the vessel’s suites, first come first served!). Chris Collins, the WildWings leader, will have travelled these waters four times previously.
Itinerary
Day 1: Group transfer from a local hotel, embark our vessel, “Spirit of Enderby” early afternoon in Yokohama (Tokyo, Japan), clear customs and sail.
Day 2: Passing through the Izu Islands (Japan).
Day 3: We sail over the Bonin Trench, seabirds may include Short-tailed, Black-footed and Laysan Albatrosses, Streaked Shearwater, Bonin Petrel and both Tristram’s and Matsudaira’s Storm-Petrels.
Days 4-6: Cruising east of the Northern Mariana Islands. Matsudaira’s Storm-Petrels may accompany the ship and we may also see Bulwer’s Petrels, Wedge-tailed and Bannerman’s Shearwaters.
Days 7-9: Passing the many islands of the Federated States of Micronesia, it is likely that we will start to encounter our first tropicbirds and frigatebirds as well as a number of other tropical species.
Day 10: We will celebrate the crossing of the Equator.
Day 11: We plan to cruise west of Bougainville Island. It is in this vicinity that Beck’s Petrel and Heinroth’s Shearwaters have been sighted on the northbound voyage, plus the mysterious ‘all brown’ petrels. This area is also extremely rich in cetaceans and whilst nothing is certain, we have seen over seven species on previous voyages in this area.
Day 12: Subject to weather and sea conditions, we plan to spend some time over the deep underwater canyons west of Bougainville, our second chance for both Heinroth’s Shearwater and Beck’s Petrel.
Day 13: (17th October) Our only planned landing of the voyage, Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands, and ‘change over’ day for any passengers getting off or on. West Solomon endemics could include Roviana Rail, White-capped Monarch, Solomon White-Eye and Yellow-vented Myzomela. Other possible species are Solomon Islands Sea-Eagle, Pied and Variable Goshawks, Purple Swamphen, Grey-tailed Tattler, Mackinlay’s Cuckoo-Dove, Superb and Claret-breasted Fruit Doves, Red-knobbed and Island Imperial Pigeons, Ducorp’s Cockatoo, Cardinal Lory, Rainbow and Duchess Lorikeets, Singing and Eclectus Parrots, Shining Bronze-Cuckoo, Buff-headed Coucal, White-rumped Swiftlet, Moustached Treeswift, Little and Sacred Kingfishers, Blyth’s Hornbill , Pacific Swallow, Melanesian, Yellow-eyed and White-bellied Cuckoo-Shrikes, Willie-Wagtail, Steel-blue Flycatcher, Olive-backed Sunbird, Metallic and Singing Starlings plus Yellow-faced Myna. Please note, we will have to clear customs in and out on this day, which will determine exactly how much time we have ashore.
Days 14-17: We will sail through the Solomon Sea and hope to start seeing Gould’s and Collared Petrels as well as Tropical Shearwater. If we are extremely fortunate, we may encounter rarities such as Polynesian Storm-Petrel.
Days 18-21: Temperatures will now be starting to cool as we cruise down the eastern side of Australia. We should see our first southern albatrosses and possibly Black-winged, Providence and Kermadec Petrels.
Days 22-24: We will cross the Tasman Sea and can expect to see more albatross species potentially including Northern and Southern Royals, White-Capped and Salvin’s. Short-tailed and Sooty Shearwaters and other smaller tubenoses can also be expected.
Day 25: We should sight southwest Fiordland today, as we approach the Foveaux Straight. We can expect to be accompanied by prions, diving petrels, Cape Petrels and possibly giant petrels and other ‘Southern Ocean’ seabirds.
Day 26: We arrive at the Port of Bluff (South Island, New Zealand) and once we have cleared customs, there will be a group transfer to Invercargill (downtown and the airport).
As applies to all expedition cruises, the exact sea itinerary and landings will be subject to weather, local conditions and government permissions.
NB: The potential species referred to above are a guide only and by no means an exhaustive list as this is, after all, an exploratory voyage. The list is based on observations from similar northbound voyages operated in March and April. ‘Fish oil’ and ‘chum’ will be used at selected points during the voyage in an attempt to attract species closer to the vessel for better viewing, identification and photographic purposes.
Holiday information
Dates: Japan – New Zealand 5th – 30th October 2009
Leader/s: Chris Collins and expedition team.
Cost:
Sharing a triple or twin cabin with washbasin £2549
Sharing a twin cabin with private facilities £2999
Single supplement: double the above prices.
NB: You may travel from Yokohama to Kolombangara (5th – 17th October) or from Kolombangara to Invercargill (17th – 30th October) for the same price, but allow another person to travel the other sector. The second sector name must be advised at least 4 months prior to departure (but note cancellation by the first named passenger, at any time after booking, will result in charges being applied, and the second sector passenger therefore will be treated as a new booking). Passengers planning to join the voyage in Kolombangara should be on Gizo by 16th October as the ship will be unable to wait for any late passengers.
Deposit: 25%
Prices include: Voyage with onboard accommodation as booked, including all meals aboard vessel, tea and coffee, services of WildWings leader and ship’s expedition team, pre-trip information pack, day-by-day birds and mammal checklist, use of the group radio network and evening log-call. A planned landing in the western Solomon Islands with guided birding ashore. Group transfers in Yokohama and Invercargill . Post-voyage log.
Excludes: Flights, vessel fuel surcharges, local boat transfers in the Solomons if getting off or on (approx £30pp each way), pre and/or post voyage hotels, travel insurance, other drinks, crew tips, visas (if applicable) and other items of a personal nature.
