Enjoy a night discovering New Zealand’s evolution and natural history at Zealandia, located just minutes from central Wellington. The discovery begins with a guided tour through Zealandia: The Exhibition, a state-of-the-art indoor exhibition showcasing New Zealand’s natural history and world renowned conservation movement. As darkness falls, your guide will lead you into the Sanctuary Valley, the world’s first fully fenced urban eco-sanctuary in search for little spotted kiwi and the many other nocturnal animals that call the sanctuary home. This is an unforgettable Wellington experience not to be missed!
A night at Zealandia will transport you back in time to a world yet discovered, when prehistoric beasts roamed free. Be amazed by lifelike models of the majestic moa and fearsome Haast’s eagle, the long lost giants of the bird world, and uncover the unique natural history of New Zealand through an enthralling sound and light show.
It is then time to step through the predator-proof fence into the Sanctuary Valley, a beautiful 550-acre (225-hectare) eco sanctuary home to some of the rarest native animals and birds in New Zealand that are found nowhere else in the world. By the light of the glowworms search for the kaka, weta, tuatara and the elusive kiwi foraging in the leaf litter.
Zealandia by Night is a fascinating and interactive look into the history of New Zealand’s wildlife over the past 1000 years, it's a fascinating and educational experience.
Could not have asked for more. Mary did an excellent job of finding us 3 kiwi closeup. Well worth the money as we learnt a lot that night. Thank you.
Review by: Ralph G, March 2017
The guide had a lot of interesting information for us, but don't go expecting to definitely see a kiwi - they are shy and rare. I enjoyed the vegetation, wildlife we saw and the information we learned.
Review by: Will, January 2017
Definitely worthwhile. We were lucky with perfect weather and saw two kiwis! The guides were great. Seeing you have to arrive well before dark, it is a shame that the ticket price does not include the ability to spend an hour or so to see the park before dark. You need to arrange your own travel home after the tour - but the guides are happy to call a taxi for you which we needed when our pre-arranged cab did not show.
Review by: Robert, December 2016
We saw three semi wild kiwis on the tour. Provided with red light torches so as not to disturb the animals. Although told not to us flash, a number of ignorant BRITISH tourists did which scared the kiwis off.
Review by: Sandy C, September 2016
Even though it was raining during our tour, we still learned a lot about the wildlife here. Our guide was awesome keeping things fun and interesting as we all looked and found things to look at. We saw wetas yuk!, a tuna eel, a takahe. We were about to give up hope of seeing a kiwi...but then our guide spotted one 10 minutes before the end of the tour! We watched the cute little kiwi for a good 2 minutes, and then the kiwi came out on the path and walked/waddled down the trail giving us a show! It was AWESOME!
Review by: faten a, August 2016
It was tooo dark and we couldn't see anything and the red light that was given to us was very low and of no use. We saw nothing, none of the animals and birds mentioned except of the blue bird that was with us from the beginning of the tour. I really do not recommend it, it is just a waste of time.
Review by: karenyu, June 2016
Hard to explain how much I appreciated this tour. The 500-year vision of Zealandia is amazing and I truly hope that they will achieve it. Our guides were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what they do and what they believe! Great tour!
Review by: tehmina, January 2016
If you do one thing - do this tour if you visit Wellington. It is memorable, inspirational and very stimulating whether you manage to spot a kiwi or not. I was bowled over by the variety of NZ bush wildlife we heard and saw. In fact just enjoying our night senses was a thoroughly thrilling experience and our guide was fabulous. You will not be disappointed. Do wear good shoes and wrap up, though.
Review by: Richard R, November 2015
Great evening tour. Saw several birds including a kiwi and glow worms, eels etc. this is a wonderful project for all of NZ.
Review by: Vicki L, June 2015
We saw 4 kiwi. I work with a girl from NZ, she hasn't even seen that many in real life! Great experience.
Review by: mike.gordon, April 2015
Would highly recommend if you want to see Kiwi's. That was what I was going for and it worked out quite well! Saw some other birds and stuff as well but you could also see them during the day I guess. Also got a discount for the day time after doing the tour!
Review by: esrae045, April 2014
Super tour. We had a fabulous guide, very knowledgeable. So thrilled to see 4 Kiwi!
Review by: Eric M, February 2013
This was a wonderful experience. We only met one kiwi but to see one in the wild was amazing! Have already recommended toe trip to several travellers that we have met along the way!
Review by: Catherine V, August 2012
The vision for Zealandia is superb. I found the introduction and film a trifle long, being keen to get into the valley among the birds. I would liked to have been able to sit down and listen quietly to the sounds of the bush sounds at some point(s). Otherwise it was an amazing experience; after 67 years I saw a kiwi hunting in the wild.
Review by: Suz, April 2012
We loved our visit to Zealandia. There were only a few in our group and the guide was wonderful. We learned about their efforts to preserve the unique species of the island. We saw kiwis in two different areas plus tuatara, Takahe, and many others. Would highly recommend the night tour of the sanctuary.
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