zealandia sanctuary

Thanks for the great review. I'm glad you made it to the sanctuary and enjoyed your visit. We've recently made improvements to the cafe - it's the perfect place to relax after a walk :)

Hi Karen, thanks so much for the wonderful review. It sounds like you have annual membership and are making the most of it. I'm really glad to hear your family has found the mobility scooter so useful and that you've also encountered the valley wildlife at night. We really appreciate your ongoing support and hope you continue to enjoy the peaceful and restorative character of the sanctuary.

Hi Fiona. Thank you for your review, I’m glad you enjoyed your visit to Zealandia. Our eco-restoration programme is achieving great results returning the birdsong to Wellington and providing a vital lifeboat for our endangered species. By showing what difference the exclusion of mammalian predators makes on our native flora and fauna we’re helping to spread awareness of conservation and providing a wonderful place to explore, appreciate and treasure.Charging to enter Zealandia helps fund our conservation and education efforts, which do incur cost. We aim to be as accessible as possible - that’s why we also offer an annual membership programme which gives people unlimited access for a year, among other benefits. We also offer reduced prices for students and seniors, discounted entries at certain times of the year and join in with Wellington's annual "Open Day" so people can check out what we have to offer for just $2.

Thanks for the great review. We like to keep our Zealandia by Night guided tours small and friendly; it's lovely to hear you enjoyed sharing the nocturnal sights and sounds of the valley.

Thank you for the nice review. It's good to hear the whole family enjoyed exploring and seeing the wildlife.

A beautiful sanctuary in the city. Enjoy the birds and walk slowly to hear them all. Take a tour to learn more if you can. Great food in the center.

This is a beautiful attempt to restore some of the endangered native birds and keep them free of predators. It is a nice undemanding walk but take time to seek out the birds and lizards. Also take time to look at the exhibition in the entry building. One possible complaint. It would have been nice to have a few iconic birds like the kiwi in a place where they could be viewed by visitors but I suppose that Zealand a is not about this

Brilliant! We saw so many beautiful birds out feeding and tuatara basking in the sun. The staff were very helpful, giving advice on which tracks would be best to use to see more birds.

Booking a night walk is highly recommended! We went into the park together with 2 excellent guides and a group of just 8 people shortly after nightfall (just after the first morepork called). We ended up seeing 4 kiwi, some takahe and a lot of other native birds. The bird sounds were abundant. It's a very special place so close to a big city like Wellington. Highly recommended!

Tried to see some birds. Nice little hike but too pricey for what we didn't get to see. And if you want to see a kiwi you have to come back for a night tour which isn't guaranteed either. I'd say pass on this one.

This is an amazing sanctuary, like a lost world with so many species and birds that you don't find in the wider world. The Takahe are absolutely amazing and well worth studying for a while, so beautiful. Take in some of the wonderful walks and look around at the ancient environment all protected in its own valley.

We did this tour at night as Kiwi birds are nocturnal. The museum was interesting, but the best part is going into the sanctuary to see all the animals! We heard many birds and saw 2 Kiwis, a ton of lizards and parrots! It is really great to see what they are doing for these endangered animals!

A great way to identify the birds of New Zealand by both sound and sight. The tracks around the sanctuary were beautifully laid out.... exploring in a forest. We saw a Tuatara (like a gecko), Kakas, Fantails, Saddlebacks ,Takahes, North Island robins and loads more. Brilliant!

Sadly only spent 2 hours here. A full day could not have done justice to this magnificent facility. The vegetation is lush, the wildlife terrific to observe. Nothing more to say. Just fantastic!

We went to Zealandia at night because I wanted to see an live Kiwi. You can almost always see the various birds represented in the Sanctuary during the daylight but, to go at night is a Kiwi treat! They don't guarantee you'll see a Kiwi, but you will have some fine opportunities. On the night my groom and I visited Zealandia, we saw 4 Kiwi.At the beginning of the tour we watched a short film and our guide talked about the history of birds in New Zealand. We were given a flashlight (torch) with a red lens so we could see the birds as we discovered them. Then, our small group of people went outside. Various birds were identified as we walked through the enclosed sanctuary. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about birds and their habits. She even knew the names for some of the various inhabitants of Zealandia. We tramped all over the place and time went by very quickly. I was surprised that it was almost 11 pm when we turned in our flashlights and left.