Orokonui Ecosanctuary

“We were lucky enough to visit the Eco sanctuary on a drive north from Dunedin to Oamaru. It has been a very wet start to the day but thankfully the weather broke giving us the chance to visit. The sanctuary provides a predator free area for native birds to thrive in. There are many walks through the centre providing so many chances to get close to the birds. The walks vary in difficulty and duration. We had a couple of hours which gave us the chance to see many varieties and enjoy their interaction. It would have been good to have had the whole day to explore more. The cafe is great with good food and a huge glass frontage looking out over the sanctuary. My only regret was not having more time there :)”

“I only had 1h 30 mins here and it was totally worth it! I’ve visited a few sanctuaries around NZ now, and this one was probably my favourite! The Takahe family were my personal highlight, my aim was just to see them, and they were hanging around their area! Got to hang out with them for 20 minutes on my own as the sanctuary was so quiet. Kaka at the feeding stations, a few friendly South Island robins following me, eastern rosella far away, Kererū in the trees, bell birds high up, and lots of Tui! Definitely recommend even if you only have a couple of hours. There’s trails that take about 45 mins and you’ll hopefully see lots of birds!”

“Wow! What a magical place. Today three of us spent a lovely two hours meandering along the ecosanctuary's pathways through native woodland. It was only a matter of minutes after starting our walk before we got to spend some time watching a pair of magnificent Takahe. Before departing we had a good chat with the lovely Victoria in the visitors centre and will certainly visit again in the summer to explore some of the other walkways. Highly recommended 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟”