Press play, close your eyes, and you are on the deck at Black Barn Valley Retreat with a coffee going cold. This is what the valley sounds like.
Birdsong in the valley, recorded in the native bush at the retreat
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Black Barn Valley Retreat sits in its own fold of the Helensville hills, about 45 minutes north west of Auckland, wrapped in protected native bush. Guests keep writing the same thing in their reviews: breakfast on the deck, birds singing in the bush behind them, and nothing else to hear. We thought we would let the valley speak for itself.
The birds you will hear from the deck
North west Auckland's native bush is home to most of the birds New Zealand is known for, and the valley has the two things they want: mature trees and quiet. These are the ones to listen for.
- TūīParson bird
- The loudest voice at first light. Chimes, clicks and wheezes, often from the top of a kōwhai or flax in flower.
- KorimakoBellbird
- Pure, bell-like notes, usually before you see the bird. Easiest to pick out at dawn and again at dusk.
- PīwakawakaFantail
- Follows you along the bush edge, fanning its tail and chattering, catching the insects you disturb.
- RiroriroGrey warbler
- A tiny bird with a long, wavering song that seems to come from everywhere at once.
- KererūWood pigeon
- You hear the wingbeats before anything else. Big, slow and unmistakable over the valley.
- RuruMorepork
- The night shift. A two-note call across the valley once the spa pool lights are the only ones on.
- KōtareKingfisher
- A flash of blue along the farm edges and a sharp, repeated call from a fence post.
- PūkekoSwamp hen
- Loud, blue and busy in the damp ground and paddocks below the house.
When to listen
The dawn chorus is the reason to leave the bedroom door ajar. From the first grey light until the sun clears the ridge, tūī and bellbird take turns, and the grey warbler fills the gaps. It is at its fullest in spring, from September through November, when the bush is in flower and everyone is singing for a mate.
Dusk is the second show, quieter and lower. Bellbird again, then the kererū coming in to roost, then, once it is properly dark and you are in the spa pool, the morepork.
For the bird-minded, nearby
If a weekend of listening turns into a weekend of looking, the north west has two of the best bird spots in the Auckland region within half an hour. The gannet colony at Muriwai Beach, 20 minutes away, has thousands of tākapu nesting on the cliffs from August to March, close enough to watch without binoculars. The Kaipara Harbour, 10 minutes away, is one of the largest harbours in the world and a summer home to godwits and other wading birds that fly in from Alaska each spring.
Bring binoculars, bring a thermos, and bring the people who will happily sit still on a deck for an hour. The valley does the rest. See our Nearby page for the full list of what is within reach.
Black Barn Valley Retreat sleeps up to 8 in the native bush near Helensville, 45 minutes from Auckland. Check availability and book your dates.