The New Zealand Wildlife I Actualy Saw on the South Island Truth be told, I visited the South Island of New Zealand for the scenery. However, the wildlife stole half my camera roll. And no, it wasn’t any safari-type animals, I’m referring to the farm critters and birds that you come across while walking around parks, towns, or down a rural road.
They were everywhere (and actually quite easy to see if you pay attention). The rest were pretty much everyday species that everyone around here likely walks right by and doesn’t give a second thought to. There was ducks, geese, sheep in their thousands, some horses, and sparrows who won’t take “no” for an answer.
Everything has been listed below by where I actualy sighted it so you can get an idea about what appeared where.
What Animals I Saw in New Zealand
Christchurch Street
While strolling around the Avon River in Christchurch, I found myself constantly bumping into what appeared to be indifferent water birds. Groups of Canada geese hung out near the old boat sheds, paddled down the river, and grazed on the lawn as though it was theirs for the taking. In fact, I spotted well over a dozen geese in an afternoon.
Some were floating in groups, and others was eating the grass right up against the river bank. They didn’t seem to care about me getting close enough to count their feathers, they are pretty bold.
Queenstown Gardens
There is also Queenstown Gardens which provided me with a decent reason to wander aimlessly through some open parkland with no particular destination in mind.
The gardens were well maintained and there was flower borders and some pretty mature trees, you know, someone actually cares enough about this place to tend to it. While wandering around, I saw some mallard ducks lounging at one of the ponds just doing absolutely nothing but sitting there.
It was a nice quiet area to escape the busier areas of town, and the ducks weren’t bothered by the rare tourist who walked by.
Deer Park Heights
Drive-Through Farm, Deer Park Heights in Queenstown is basically a drive-through farm on a hillside, and the animals there is used to cars stopping.
I pulled over and immediately had a donkey and a bunch of shaggy Shetland ponies crowding the window, clearly hoping for food. There was one pony further up the bare hill standing alone, who looked rather dramatic about it.
A little further along the track, I found some flocks of sheep lined up by the fences and a couple of them were staring straight at camera as if to know exactly what I was doing. If you want guaranteed animal sightings without having to do much, this is a good spot.
Edgewater Hotel Wanaka
At least when I was staying at the Edgewater in Wanaka I woke up to mallard ducks meandering along the hotel patio as if it belonged to them.
There were even some hanging out on the lawn by the lake, including pairs that foraged directly outside the room. Because they were clearly fed by humans, they had no worries about it and just went about their business.
I had one female waddling past my door two times in the same morning. It’s not really wild behavior, but who am I to complain about such easy photo opportunities? It is the Wanaka Tree.
It is exactly what you think.
That Wanaka Tree
A single tree (willow) sits in the middle of lake for all the tourists to take pictures of. I visited first thing so there weren’t too many people around. Besides the tree, which was fine enough, there are a few ducks hanging out in the shallow water right next to it.
Didn’t expect them and they were a pleasant addition. They were just chilling beneath the peaks doing nothing. Somehow this made the entire scene seem more real than the famous tree by itself would of been.
Wanaka Street
I saw even more waterfowl on the shores of Lake Wanaka when I walked around town. There was swans and ducks hanging out around the water’s edge, plus a huge number of sparrows in a bare tree beside the lake. So many sparrows crammed into this single tree; it was ridiculous.
I also saw a pair of dogs running about town. A chocolate Labrador was waiting patiently on the pavement, and a shaggy something-or-other were lounging on a doormat. Not wild dogs, no. But friendly ones, which is why I said hi.
Glenorchy Wharf
At Glenorchy (the other end of Lake Wakatipu), the wharf was packed with black-billed gulls. They was hanging out everywhere: on floating pontoons, wooden piles, and pretty much anywhere else that was nearby water. There was a time when an entire flock assembled out on the lake, and I lost count how many times I spotted two, three, four, five, six, seven…maybe twenty or thirty birds in a single location.
None of them were shy, I crept up pretty close before any took flight. It’s a peaceful location and it seems like the gulls is its primary inhabitants.
High Country Salmon (Twizel)
There’s also High Country Salmon in Twizel, a salmon farm shop selling fresh fish as well as allowing you to feed the fish at the canal out back.
There are also seagulls hovering low over the water and sitting on the deck railing. Why did I not expect that?
The seagulls are obviously waiting for scraps and they weren’t being very subtle. One of them sat on the railing the entire time I was there, just watching everyone eat. It just watched as we all ate.
Another one swooped right past me. I could’ve reached out and touched it. They know exactly where the food is and they’re not subtle about it.
Big Fig
The sparrows at Big Fig in Wanaka are relentless. While sitting outdoors, they came looking for crumbs. They quickly found some since I was sitting at a picnic table.
Soon, sparrows was hopping about, and several even perched on the roof of a parked car not far away. They are cheeky little things, and obviously accustomed to people dropping food on the ground. As such, don’t be surprised if you have visitors when eating outdoors.
They didn’t bother me, though.
Baldwin Street
It was also my time to walk up Baldwin Street; Dunedin‘s claim-to-fame that is supposedly the world’s steepest residential street.
It really isn’t kidding, when I looked down from the top, my legs were still sore from the experience. But there at the bottom was this calm tabby cat, sitting on the kerb and paying absolutely zero attention to all the tourists gasping their way up or down.
Better fit than all of us, that cat.
Lake Wakatipu
Queenstown has a lot going on down at its lakeside district surrounding Lake Wakatipu, but even amidst all the bustle, there was still time to see this dog in his tartan coat pause for a sip beside the shore. His human companion was nearby.
Kai Whakapai Cafe
It might not have been the most exciting thing in Queenstown, but it was certainly one of the highlights of that stroll. The walk included wandering the paved plaza and timber jetty before settling into some people-watching. One afternoon, I stopped into Kai Whakapai in Wanaka, a little corner cafe with a sidewalk patio.
Outside on the footpath lay a border collie, who looked quite at home. Turns out that it was owned by someone working inside the cafe, but that didn’t seem to bother the dog, who was more than happy to lie there as people walked past it. I sat down under the awning next to her and watched the dog watch me (and everyone else) for a good half hour.
Lighthorse Adventure Glenorchy
Just outside of town, there are horses at Lighthorse Adventures in Glenorchy that you can see from the road even if you don’t want to go riding.
They also offer horse rides. I dropped by to say hello to them and got to see a couple bay horses grazing in the pasture against the backdrop of the mountains.
There was also a pinto who had an extremely distinct face blaze. Judging by the fact that one of the horses was already tacked up, it must have been preparing for a group ride. The setting made them all look way more photogenic different than your typical stable horse, though they were still calm and well taken care of.
Castle Hill
The limestone rock formations that Castle Hill is famous for were there, and sheep was also grazing in the nearby paddocks.
From where I parked, I spotted flocks grazing close by and once witnessed a big group file through a field in a long line, as if they had someplace important to be. While sheep are abundant throughout New Zealand, it was still kind of impressive to see this many in one place.
Most of them ignored me which, frankly, was fair enough.
Larnach Castle
I drove out to Larnach Castle on the Otago Peninsula, which involved seeing lots of farmland and stopping at one lookout point with a view of the harbour. Sheep dotted all around. One lone sheep stood on a very green hillside and posed as if to say “hello” to me.
I didn’t get near any of them, only spotted them from the car, but they added to the landscape throughout my drive.
Road Trip View
At dusk, I saw sheep graze on a tussock hillside somewhere along the back roads of the South Island. A little farther along, there was another paddock where the sheep were replaced by white alpacas. I had never seen an alpaca in real life, so naturaly I stopped: they were so fluffy it was ridiculous.
This one here immediately came right up to the fence, staring at me with that curious wide-eyed-soft-nose face. They were much more photogenic (and friendly) than sheep.
Milford Sound
A boat cruise through Milford Sound was largely about the waterfalls and the fiord itself, but I had no idea I would get to see fur seals hanging out on the rocks.
As the boat cruised past a rocky point, the boat captain pointed them out. And there they were, dozens of seals lying around in the sun.
They were close enough for me to make out the individual seals, some of which sat up, looking around while others sprawled out. It was honestly one of the coolest surprises of the entire trip. Photographing the sheep and ducks in town didn’t feel like seeing actual native wildlife in the wild.
While browsing old photos I can’t believe all of the wildlife I captured on camera that I didn’t actively go out to find. It’s not all rare or unusual stuff but rather the day-to-day creatures that call New Zealand home (alongside humans). However, Milford Sound’s fur seals were certainly something special.
Some of the farm animals was also special when the light was perfect or the scene became dramatic enough. Did you see any wildlife while traveling around New Zealand, anything surprising? Tell me about it in the comments.
