I'm delighted to find out that the Kakapo Encounter with Sirocco is back for 2008, with nightly departures running September 8-October 22 out to Ulva Island.


Wildlife Extra has more news on this event which is bound to sell out quickly, even at $90 a pop. People came from all over the world last time, including Mosher during his world travels.

The response was phenomenal: people travelled from all over the globe to view this extraordinary bird. Prime Minister Helen Clark herself spent some ‘face time’ with the lovable parrot Sirocco, and remarked that the Kakapo Encounter was a ‘world class’ operation. Due to the success of the event, Ulva Island Charitable Trust is excited to announce that Kakapo Encounter is back! This year the Trust is making an effort to get the word out early, as many overseas bird enthusiasts expressed disappointment they didn’t have enough notice to plan a trip to New Zealand last year.

New Zealand's "One News" still has an article and video describing the previous Kakapo Encounter.

Here's the location of Ulva Island using the Google Maps API. The full Google Maps and Google Earth versions links to this location are available below.

Any profits go to Trust projects which include trail maintenance on Ulva Island (a predator-free bird sanctuary), and the reintroduction and care of endangered bird and plant species.