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. 🦜🌿

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.

Great place! Amazing conservation effort! If you like nature, hiking and wildlife its a must when visiting Wellington. They do informative group tours or go off on your own free range. Take binoculars, so many bird species. They have feeding stations where you can see many of the birds easily. Great for kids and adults alike.

A beautiful forest with great tracks. When you buy a ticket, you can also come the next day for free. Lots of birds (and tuataras!), although on some areas you might not see many. Very nice walks, perfect for a 2-3 hour bird watching party!

We got gifted a year pass and it’s been the best thing ever. Such a lovely tranquil area with lots of native wildlife and birds to look at. Tuatara are just causally on the path where you are walking. A beautiful conservation for native animals in NZ ! So worth the visit. Love how they look after the native insects. Membership perks are great !! Had a lovely hot chocolate at the cafe!

Far exceeded my expectations! I absolutely loved it! So serene. Just stunning. And the birdlife incredible. I went back for a second day as I loved it so much! If I was in Wellington longer I'd go again to explore more trails that I didn't do in the first two days. The volunteers are so helpful and knowledgeable and the staff so friendly. Can't recommend it high enough!

100% recommend doing a guided tour and asking all kinds of questions. The conservation efforts done are incredible. We saw many animals in the brief time we were there. Could explore the large forest freely and enjoy many species. Recommend taking an extended camera lens or binoculars. Also, parking is very limited so be sure to plan accordingly. Toilets available on site.

Today’s 10:00 am day tour was amazing. Our guide was very knowledgeable about birds and plants, and I learned a lot from her. I also had a really great time after the tour—I walked as much of the track as possible to see more places. The area is quite big, and I would love to come back one day with my family. 10/10, highly recommend!