ZEALANDIA: Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

Phone: +64 4 920 9200
Website: www.sanctuary.org.nz

when: Daily, 10am-5pm
where: Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
cost: Adults - $28, Children (5-14 yrs) - $14, Family (2 adults & up to 3 children) - $70

Night Tour: Adults: $75, Children (12-14 yrs) $35

Karori Sanctuary Trust has an extraordinary 500-year vision: to restore a corner of New Zealand as closely as possible to the way it was the day before humans arrived.

A wildlife reserve for endangered species is not the kind of attraction you expect to find in a country's political and cultural capital, but this is New Zealand and the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary is just two kilometres from the country's Parliament complex in Wellington.

Established to create an ecosystem for New Zealand's rarest and most endangered flora and fauna, including saddlebacks, kaka and the little spotted kiwi, it also harbours a 19th-century gold mine disappearing into the hillside, a historic dam, lakes, wetland and natural bush.

Take some time out from sightseeing and bring a picnic before walking the scenic trails. It is also possible to come for a nocturnal tour to see a kiwi-bird or to arrive in time for the dawn chorus - ask at the visitor centre for details.

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