1 / 3Punanga Manu o Te Anau / Te Anau Bird Sanctuary
📍 Te Anau, Southland
A small, free-entry bird sanctuary in Te Anau where you can see takahe up close, including chicks. Easy flat paths make it manageable with prams and little legs.
💬 What Families Are Saying
View all reviews →1,596 Google reviews
G Reviews from Google
TheChicken Again
10 months ago
“A lovely little sanctuary, the Takahe chick was so cute! It was awesome to get to see the Takahe up close, such beautiful birds. It's awesome to see such a successful captive breeding program. The antipodes parrots were also very friendly and great to see up close. It seems some of their collection has been taken by the DOC against the sanctuary's wishes. It was especially sad to hear about their Kaka Charlie Girl, it's so unfortunate how hard it can be for small sanctuary's like this. I made a donation to show my support and hope they can bring her home soon. Entry is free and the birds, although few right now, are well taken care of. This little sanctuary is well worth a visit and a donation!”
Jennifer Paterson
10 months ago
“We had a lovely little walk around the bird park here! It is quite sad that they have had some birds taken away from them by the department of conservation! We were lucky enough to see a takahe family with there baby! The parrots were also very friendly!”
Ross Herring
8 months ago
“I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to see a live Takahe. You have really easy access to see them. When I went, the birds were very active, and all seven even came up to the fence as if they were curious.”
📊 Commonly mentioned in Google reviews
Based on Google review tagsBird watching
83 reviews
Free admission
83 reviews
Bird sanctuary
47 reviews
Endangered birds
44 reviews
Parakeets
30 reviews
Overview
One of the few places you'll get eye-to-eye with a takahe, and the kids will be delighted when the whole family wanders right up to the fence. The loop is short and flat with pram access, so it's an easy stop for tired little legs, and the successful captive breeding program means there's a decent chance of spotting a fluffy chick. Free to visit and quiet enough for a gentle stroll before you head off into Fiordland.




