Gurveer, Pavan and Shamsheer (10), who are on a holiday weekend trip around Otago, were delighted to be the one millionth group to take a tour at the Royal Albatross Centre yesterday.
To celebrate the occasion, the centre organised a rare opportunity to go inside the colony to see albatrosses from a few metres distance. Usually, those taking tours viewed the birds from inside an observatory.
"We are very privileged. We feel royal," Mr Benepal said.
Department of Conservation ranger Colin Facer took the family close to the birds and explained their life cycle.
For Shamsheer, who attends school in India and is president of her school's ecological club, the visit was very special.
Mrs Benepal said it was very exciting to see the birds so close up and in their breeding area.
Centre manager Mark Jurisich said more than three million people had visited the centre since it opened in 1972. One million had taken a tour to the observatory.
The 500,000th visitor went on a tour in January 2000 but it had only taken 11 years to reach the one million mark, Mr Jurisich said.
