29 Apr 2025
Our guide, Roy, took us on a fascinating walk around Zealandia, setting out the aims and achievements of the sanctuary and bringing them to life. His knowledge of flora and fauna seemed limitless, and was explained in a way that suited all ages and nationalities on the tour. The walk was well-paced and included a dam and suspension bridge, which added to the variety of the activity and even brought a degree of exhilaration. (Not ideal for people who are very scared of heights, and also NB that some of the tracks are quite steep and/or rough, so this tour wouldn't suit those using walking aids). There was more focus on trees/plants than animals/birds, probably due to the fact that it was daytime and some of the wildlife is nocturnal (so you won't see a kiwi on this tour), but the undoubted personal highlight was seeing tuataras of several ages up close. This was really special and something that can't be done in many other places around the world! The cafe was good too (though had run out of the daily special before 1pm), and there is a decent shop. Highly recommend overall, and will return for a night-time visit next time I'm in Wellington