Name: Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary Tour by Torchlight
Price: 120.00 NZD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.7 (9 reviews)

Highlights

Wildlife sanctuary tour by torchlight
Rare native NZ animals

Explore the sanctuary by torchlight in search of some of the distinctive sights and sounds of New Zealand’s native forest. A must do when you're in Wellington, a night tour is your best opportunity to see kiwi, glowworms, tuatara and a host of other rare wildlife in their natural habitat!

What's included?

Night time entry to the wildlife sanctuary
2.5 hour guided tour

This wildlife sanctuary only a few minutes drive from Wellington CBD is one of the best places to see rare and endangered New Zealand wildlife in their native environment. With the help of a specially-built predator-proof fence, you can see threatened species once again thriving in our the sanctuary.

See unique native New Zealand species such as weta, glow worms, and tuatara. Your group may see some of the 180 little spotted kiwi who call Zealandia home - sightings of kiwi are common on these tours (circa 80%), but are not guaranteed. Gain insights into New Zealand’s natural history and the significance of the unique species within Maori culture. The tour will end with a replenishing cup of hot kawakawa (bushman’s tea) in the Visitors Centre.

Important information

Session Length

This experience is 2.5 hours long, starting just after sunset at times to be confirmed when booking.
Tours operate 7 days a week, every day except Christmas Day

Tour start times vary throughout the year depending on sunset, below is a rough guide to the start times of the tours to be confirmed directly by the provider at the time of booking:

January: starts between 8.15 - 8.30pm
February: starts between 7.45 - 8.15pm
March: starts between 6.30 - 7.30pm
April: starts between 4:45 - 5.15pm (weekends) - 7.00pm (weekdays)
May: starts between 4.30 - 5.00pm (weekends) and 7pm (weekdays)
June: starts at 4.30pm (weekends), 7pm (weekdays)
July: starts between 4.30 - 4.45pm (weekends), 7pm (weekdays)
August: starts between 5.00 - 5.30pm (weekends), 7pm (weekdays)
September: starts between 5.30 - 7pm
October: starts between 7.00 - 7.30pm
November: starts between 7.45 - 8.15pm
December: starts between 8.15 - 8.30pm

Restrictions

Must be age 12 and up. A moderate fitness level is recommended, as this is an outdoor walking tour that takes place on uneven surfaces in low-light conditions.

Guidelines

Adult: 18 years old and over
Child: 12 to 17 years old

Cancellation

Change your booking up to 7 days before the start time of your experience
Changes are not permitted within 7 days of your experience
Late arrivals or no shows may result in you forfeiting your experience

Weather

In the event of rain or inclement weather this experience will still go ahead. In cases of severe weather events, Zealandia may cancel the tour in which case a re-credit will be provided.

Dress Code

Please wear warm clothing, sturdy footwear and bring a waterproof jacket. In the colder months, we recommend a warm hat.

Other Info

No flash photography is allowed on the tour. Torches with red light filters are supplied.

Location

This experience takes place in Karori, Wellington.

Reviews

4.7

9 reviews

5 stars 6

4 stars 3

3 stars 0

2 stars 0

1 star 0

A jewel for Wellington

duffer 1 February 2020

The twilight tour of Zealandia was excellent. We had a very informative guide and saw many birds, tuatara and a Little Spotted Kiwi. Experiencing both day and night was very good and we even sampled Kawakawa tea. We visited Zealandia in the very early days and were amazed at the work that has gone into this project.

A fun informative tour

jj 19 November 2018

The night tour was great, got to see some interesting creatures and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. I think it would be especially suited to tourists who don’t know much about the NZ ecosystem

This was an awesome experience!

Mike 28 January 2018

If you would like to see "Animals at Dusk" then this is the tour for you. It is informative and entertaining. Our Tour Guides had great in depth knowledge. I was fascinated by the Glow worms as had a close up look at their silky threads.It was nice to see a Kiwi and Takahe plus many more creatures.

Fantastic!

Sally 14 January 2018

Twilight/Night tour was great. Saw birds we had never seen before, Tuatara and even saw a kiwi in the wild. Great experience that lasted well over 2 hours.

Very enjoyable and educational

Peterson s1 21 February 2017

Tour guide very good relaxed and enjoyable tour. And we saw Kiwis in the wild. Thank you

Wonderful experience

Andrew 28 March 2016

Thoroughly enjoyed our evening walk around the sanctuary. Special highlights were seeing the Takahe, Tuatara and Kiwi.

Fantastic evening

Craig 10 March 2016

Friendly knowledgeable guides made this a great experience. The weather was perfect for our visit and we managed to spot two Kiwis as well as many other native critters.

Great time!

tili20 6 February 2014

Had such a great time at Zealandia tonight! Awesome, informed staff, and beautiful wildlife and scenery.

Alicia0 30 March 2012

It was awesome. Really enjoyed it.

Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary Tour by Torchlight