Ian is a kiwi expert and a fantastic story teller.

His insights and enthusiasm about kiwis makes the experience special - whether you are lucky enough to see a kiwi in nature or not, it is worthwhile spending a few memorable hours with Ian. One of our favourite NZ highlights!

Reviewed 9 months ago

What a fantastic experience!

We were part of a group of 9, which I thought would be too large to have a chance to see a kiwi. After being issued with torches, dayglo safety vests and head-nets, our instructions were given -- quiet, no movement, stay in a line, no sound or gesturing. Mike was adamant that we followed instructions, and we practiced several times. Once he was convinced we were prepared, off we went. We walked on the road that led to Okarito while Mike used the antenna to pick up signals. Several times, he thought one of the males was close, only to have a car pass by and the kiwi stopped. After nearly 2 hours, a male called loudly, maybe 5 meters in front of us. We stood silently and without moving, in the dark. Then Mike pointed his red-filtered light onto the edge of the road, indicating where the kiwi would emerge. The bird emerged and ran across the road, near the one end of the line of us, giving us a look of less than 10 seconds. 'Run' is used loosely -- it looked more like it was off balance or needed a hip replacement. We only heard and saw the one male, but it was a wonderful experience. Mike clearly knew his stuff and his insistence that we comply with appropriate behavior paid off. Other than South Island Robin, no other birds were seen or heard. As long as anyone participating understands and is prepared to follow the 'rules', I would highly recommend this activity to see one of the world's very rare bird species!

Reviewed over 6 years ago

This was a great experience in a small group of 8.

After being issued with torches, head-nets and extra clothes for those who needed them, we were thoroughly briefed and firmly marshalled by Mike; Ian was having a rare night off Despite twice being thwarted by unfortunately timed passing vehicles which caused the kiwis to stop their progress, Mike got us all in position to see 2 kiwis. The first one was a bit over 10 metres away, but the other was considerably closer. Despite the attentions of the advertised mosquitoes, this was a most enjoyable evening and an experience I would highly recommend

Reviewed almost 7 years ago

I was very impressed by Ian who did really his best to show all of us a Kiwi.

With success! Very professional, he used radio waves to detect them.

Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in February 2017

The Kiwi tour with Ian was one of our highlights during 6 weeks vacation in New Zealand and we will remember it forever.

And yes, we saw a Kiwi - just for 10 seconds - but anyway it was more about the whole evening and night experience than only about this short moment of luck of seeing one of the rarest birds on our planet.

Ian managed to make it an unforgettable and exciting night including a lot of fun. The whole but yet small group (8 persons) has to struggle to listen for some "crunch crunch" or rustling in the bush and then provide a quiet signal to the others if having the feel there could be Kiwi near by. This creates an exciting atmosphere while the forest is slowly getting darker and darker and the Morepork owl is crying through the night . Whispering voices: "Have you heard something?" "Not sure, could also be a leave falling down." Torches sparkling and Ian with his antenna searching for near "Beep" of one of the transmitters.

So if you would like to join an exciting and funfull wildlife night adventure with very good chances of seeing a Kiwi then I clearly recommend to do a Kiwi tour with Ian and his colleagues.

Reviewed almost 8 years ago

Ian is a kiwi expert and a fantastic story teller.

His insights and enthusiasm about kiwis makes the experience special - whether you are lucky enough to see a kiwi in nature or not, it is worthwhile spending a few memorable hours with Ian. One of our favourite NZ highlights!

Reviewed 9 months ago

The Kiwi tour was an unexpected highlight of our NZ trip.

Be aware that this tour doesn't cater to the tourist masses but requires patience and stamina as you have to stay absolutely still and alert for several hours at night. However, seeing a Kiwi in its natural habitat was an incredibly powerful experience and well worth the wait. Mike was a great guide, friendly and knowledgeable and clearly loves what he's doing.

Reviewed almost 6 years ago

What a fantastic experience!

We were part of a group of 9, which I thought would be too large to have a chance to see a kiwi. After being issued with torches, dayglo safety vests and head-nets, our instructions were given -- quiet, no movement, stay in a line, no sound or gesturing. Mike was adamant that we followed instructions, and we practiced several times. Once he was convinced we were prepared, off we went. We walked on the road that led to Okarito while Mike used the antenna to pick up signals. Several times, he thought one of the males was close, only to have a car pass by and the kiwi stopped. After nearly 2 hours, a male called loudly, maybe 5 meters in front of us. We stood silently and without moving, in the dark. Then Mike pointed his red-filtered light onto the edge of the road, indicating where the kiwi would emerge. The bird emerged and ran across the road, near the one end of the line of us, giving us a look of less than 10 seconds. 'Run' is used loosely -- it looked more like it was off balance or needed a hip replacement. We only heard and saw the one male, but it was a wonderful experience. Mike clearly knew his stuff and his insistence that we comply with appropriate behavior paid off. Other than South Island Robin, no other birds were seen or heard. As long as anyone participating understands and is prepared to follow the 'rules', I would highly recommend this activity to see one of the world's very rare bird species!

Reviewed over 6 years ago

Very informative, very interesting and fun evening.

Tobi was a very passionate guide. After four patient hours we finally got to see our Kiwi - which was amazing!

Reviewed almost 7 years ago and experienced in March 2017

I was very impressed by Ian who did really his best to show all of us a Kiwi.

With success! Very professional, he used radio waves to detect them.

Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in February 2017

The Kiwi tour with Ian was one of our highlights during 6 weeks vacation in New Zealand and we will remember it forever.

And yes, we saw a Kiwi - just for 10 seconds - but anyway it was more about the whole evening and night experience than only about this short moment of luck of seeing one of the rarest birds on our planet.

Ian managed to make it an unforgettable and exciting night including a lot of fun. The whole but yet small group (8 persons) has to struggle to listen for some "crunch crunch" or rustling in the bush and then provide a quiet signal to the others if having the feel there could be Kiwi near by. This creates an exciting atmosphere while the forest is slowly getting darker and darker and the Morepork owl is crying through the night . Whispering voices: "Have you heard something?" "Not sure, could also be a leave falling down." Torches sparkling and Ian with his antenna searching for near "Beep" of one of the transmitters.

So if you would like to join an exciting and funfull wildlife night adventure with very good chances of seeing a Kiwi then I clearly recommend to do a Kiwi tour with Ian and his colleagues.

Reviewed almost 8 years ago

Jan and I have since returned to the UK following an amazing evening's visit to Okarito, we vividly remember both seeing and hearing Rowi under the guidance of Ian's expert knowledge and field craft.

A highly recommended trip which is bound to be a highlight of any NZ tour. Thanks Ian for a memorable evening, please keep up the excellent work.

Peter Russell

Reviewed almost 9 years ago

Even though we returned back home from NZ couple of weeks ago - we are still keep talking about the amazing night out with Ian Cooper!

It was definitely one of our NZ highlights!!! Ian just loves what he does, and so it's a pleasure to spend time with him. It is not a tour about tourist, it's a tour about Kiwis. If you are into nature and wildlife, you have to join Ian on his tours! He taught us a lot about Kiwis and how they live. And he explained that we would be very lucky if we could see ONE Kiwi during our tour. But what we experienced on hour tour nobody would have expected! We actually saw TWO Kiwis - really close - in their native habitat without them noticing that we are around. As if this would not be enough - they met to make Kiwi love! :D

It was extraordinary to experience nature as it should be.

Dear Ian, thank you so much for bringing us so close to the Okarito Kiwis Beaumont & BZ!

Best

Michaela & Thorsten

Reviewed over 9 years ago and experienced in March 2015

I'm not sure how best to put down in a few words how fantastic our recent experience with Ian and the Okarito Kiwi Tours was, but it was amazing.

We've recently returned from 3 weeks holiday down south and this was a definite highlight. My wife and two kids met other members of the group, had our briefing and travelled the short journey to the local kiwi habitat. Ian prepped us well and kept us engaged with the whole experience as he tracked the birds and we waited for them to emerge. It was soon after 10 that not one, but two kiwi exited the bush directly in front of us, we stood there amazed as we had this close up encounter of such a unique bird. Even as NZrs ourselves, this was our first encounter of kiwi in the wild and it was outstanding. Can't recommend this enough!

Reviewed almost 10 years ago