The Karori Sanctuary Experience is breaking new ground in the areas of conservation and eco-tourism with the opening of a state-of-the-art visitor and education facility.
The award-winning eco-sanctuary was the first of its kind in the world and is the most accessible of New Zealand’s celebrated mainland conservation islands. Its range of walking trails, visitor experiences and guided tours provides an unrivalled opportunity to see and learn about some of New Zealand’s rarest and most unusual animals – all just a few minutes drive from the city centre.
Fully-guided tours run day and night to give visitors the best possible chance of seeing birds and reptiles that were extinct in the wild on mainland New Zealand for hundreds of years. The two-hour Night Tour is an unforgettable experience, and an absolute must do for anyone spending the night in Wellington. ZEALANDIA has New Zealand’s most accessible population of little spotted kiwi and, with the help of experienced night guides, there is a good chance of seeing our national icon. Day tours include a scenic cruise across Roto Kawau – ZEALANDIA’s picturesque lower lake, and offer almost guaranteed sightings of New Zealand’s famous ‘living fossil’ the tuatara; our playful native bush parrot the kaka; and our fearsome (but harmless) weta!
A world-class Visitor & Education Centre, due to open in April 2010, will be the place to learn about New Zealand’s native wildlife past, present and future. Using state-of-the-art interactive exhibitions, the Centre will tell our unique story from ‘the day before humans arrived’ and the catastrophe that came in our wake through to the present day when, thanks to groundbreaking conservation projects like Karori Sanctuary Trust which manages ZEALANDIA, we are finally shaking off our reputation as the ‘extinction capital of the world’ and giving our unique wildlife a future.
As soon as you step through the doors of the exhibition hall it will be like arriving on another planet: New Zealand 1,000 years ago. A totally immersive sound and light show heralds the arrival of humans and the 700 years of devastation that followed. Upstairs you see the fragments of old New Zealand that remained, and what New Zealanders are doing to make them whole again. Visitors will then be invited to walk through the world-first mammalproof fence and experience ZEALANDIA first-hand.
More information on Eco-Tourism:
Travel info: Wellington Karori Sanctuary Tours