Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne

“There are places in the world you get lucky to visit & will always hold dear in your heart- and Zealandia was it for me!! A absolute MUST visit while in Wellington hands down. ABSOLUTE must. You will never forget it. A place where nature & humans live together in peace. This eco sanctuary is so cherished & special to NZ. It is a fully enclosed eco system letting New Zealand nature heal & flourish. Your ticket entry grants you two day visit. We went the first day which much anticipation & loved it so much we came for the second day AND bought the Twilight night tour after our second day pass ended. Upon entering the sanctuary, you are whisked away from the hustle of Wellington & enter beautiful forest. Lots of trails of varying levels or you can stay on the paved walkway. Stunning nature, endless bird calls, & you get to see so many native New Zealand birds. We loved the parrot feeders area because it was so peaceful to just watch the parrots feed in front of you in the wild. We enjoyed multiple trails & each section had endless beauty to witness. The sanctuary was peaceful & felt untouched by humanity. We loved it so much we snagged a last minute opening for their night tour. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable & passionate for the Zealandia by Twilight tour. We learned all about Zealandia’s mission to restore Wellington’s native wildlife & bring native species back to the region. The tour started at dusk as the birds flew around & sung before the night began. We ventured around learning so much from the guide as the night got darker. A highlight was enjoying a cup of delicious kawakawa tea in the dark of the Forrest. It was out of this world experience! Zealandia is so unique & worth visiting. From the passion of everyone working there, to the stunning untouched nature. Beautiful trails. Endless birds to see. Endless peaceful nature & love for the Earth here: You really don’t feel like you are in such a large city in this enclosed sanctuary. Nature & protecting native wildlife is so important to New Zealand’s culture- and you can witness it in person at Zealandia. 🦜🌿”

“If your visiting Wellington, Zealandia is a place I would most definitely recommend! Children would be extremely fascinated and excited over the animals! After I came here, I wish I could literally come here everyday and see those beautiful animals! ❤️Bring binoculars to see better as sometimes birds are on the other side. Views are amazing, birds are so cute and staff are really kind. Booking tourists would be a good idea as they could show you a lot more stuff around Zealandia, but you can still discover lots alone too. If you would like to see the kiwi's, you need to book a tour guide and it would be at night as the kiwi's only come out at night. This sanctuary is really the best! The Keruru is sometimes not in the sanctuary by the way. We just found it on the tree leaves on our way out! It's so cute! 🥺”

“It was a windy day in Wellington so we took the Electric Shuttle bus from outside Takina Centre to Zealandia. Once inside we followed the map and explored as many paths as we could (although some were shut after the awful storms in February). We managed to see, hear and photograph animal and plant life and the paths were quite sheltered from the wind. We enjoyed the exhibition inside in visitor centre where you can watch a film and see many displays. We also liked the cafe for coffee and cake. The admission allows you to come and visit over two days if you want so great value for money. I definitely recommend.”

“Wonderful sanctuary in Wellington. It felt a little Jurassic park like with fences and a gate to pass through upon entry. Worth taking a guided tour to get a better experience and understanding of the property and goals of the project. We saw about 7 varieties of NZ birds. They seemed comfortable with humans. Wonderful pathways and views of the valley and dammed up ponds.”