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Zealandia Small Group Eco Wildlife Night Tour
4.8
98 Ratings
Wellington
Explore Zealandia by torchlight, discover nocturnal wildlife, and learn about New Zealand’s natural history on this award-winning night tour.
Explore Zealandia by torchlight, discover nocturnal wildlife, and learn about New Zealand’s natural history on this award-winning night tour.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- ZEALANDIA Ecosanctuary - The tour begins with a short film and introduction inside the Visitor Centre’s interactive exhibition. Afterwards, the guide leads the group on an exciting walk through the sanctuary in search of wildlife.
- ZEALANDIA Ecosanctuary - The tour begins with a short film and introduction inside the Visitor Centre’s interactive exhibition. Afterwards, the guide leads the group on an exciting walk through the sanctuary in search of wildlife.
What's Included
- Torches/flashlights supplied
- Guided walking tour of Zealandia: The Exhibition and Sanctuary Valley
- Torches/flashlights supplied
- Guided walking tour of Zealandia: The Exhibition and Sanctuary Valley
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
Explore the sanctuary by torchlight as your guide leads you in search of some of the more distinctive sights and sounds of New Zealand’s native forest. 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…
Explore the sanctuary by torchlight as your guide leads you in search of some of the more distinctive sights and sounds of New Zealand’s native forest. 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. Witness firsthand why Zealandia has been named the top tourism operation in Aotearoa New Zealand 2023, winning the prestigious Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award. This is an unforgettable Wellington experience not to be missed!
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Wear sturdy footwear, bring extra layers of clothing and a waterproof jacket. Torches (flashlights) are supplied
- Minimum age is 12 years
- Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour start time
- To get to ZEALANDIA at night we recommend you book a taxi via your hotel concierge team or call Wellington Combined Taxis Ph: (04) 384 44 44
- Not recommended for travelers with limited mobility, or difficulty walking for 2 hours in low-light conditions
Location
53 Waiapu Road
Waiapu Road
The ZEALANDIA Visitors Centre is located at the end of Waiapu Road.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(98 Ratings)
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David_t
Dec 7, 2024
Great value for money - your best possible chance of seeing kiwi out and about - Make sure this is on your list. The night tour gives you the best possible chance of seeing kiwi out and about (and having the ticket to Zealandia also gives you free access to the sanctuary the following day, so you can go back and experience anything you think you may have missed in the daylight). Ellis, our guide, was super fun, insanely knowledgeable and passionate, and really went out of his way to make sure the group got to see what it wanted to see. Obviously there’s no guarantees with nature, but this tour gives you the best possible chance of seeing the big ticket bird, and with 24 hours to go back during the day, I reckon it’s seriously good value for money too.
Review provided by Viator
Linda
Nov 25, 2024
Fabulous Zealandia - Wow! We absolutely loved this tour. Oliver led us and Amanda and Sharon went ahead of us to spot the animals. We were fortunate to be able to see the spotted kiwi, tuatara, and pateke and we were surprised to see glow worms. Friendly, knowledgeable staff and a nice gift shop. They even served us tea made from the leaves of a pepper-like plant after the tour. They are passionate about their mission and do an excellent job of explaining the natural history of NZ and their 500 year vision for the future. Well worth a visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Excursion396591
Nov 4, 2024
Great, informative tour - Very informative tour. We saw and heard a number of New Zealand birds and plants. It was so helpful to learn more about the different species. We were fortunate enough to see a kiwi on two different occasions. While there's no guarantee, it's nice that there was a ranging guide ahead of us besides the guide giving commentary who was on the lookout for spotting opportunities. The gift shop is also lovely and it's great that they keep it open after the evening tour concludes so we could still make our purchases :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flyingclog
Oct 19, 2024
Incredible experience - A must do ! - Came for a nite tour and had an extremely knowledgeable guide. Given "red lights" to help guide on the paths and to not scare the wildlife.
Was able to see many types of birds, lizards, plant / tree life and the highlight of the night - a kiwi.
The sanctuary do amazing work to preserve the natural flora and fauna of NZ and this was a great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nchristos
Sep 6, 2024
Great up-close experience to see NZ wildlife! - What a great, educational experience! When learning about NZ wildlife, this is a great experience to get up close and learn from the great tour guides! We did the night time tour and although we weren't able to 'see' everything that you see during the day, it was interesting as we got to see the kiwi bird several times in their natural habitat, which is the whole reason we did this tour. The tour guide was great - she kept us informed throughout the tour and educated us on the NZ wildlife. Great family or couple experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shirley_v
Aug 4, 2024
Worthwhile jaunt to support Bird Sanctuary - Orbell takahe
Kaka birds
Kiwi male calls
History of sanctuary
Passion of guide for conservation
All round good experience. Cold.
Review provided by Viator
Elise_s
Jun 24, 2024
Must Do! - Our tour was awesome and even more than we hoped for. Will loves his job and is very evident. We saw what we wanted- A kiwi! Actually, four! This was one of our highlighted activities in Wellington!
Review provided by Viator
Maura_h
Jun 20, 2024
I saw a Kiwi! What more could you want? - We had excellent guides and some excellent up close encounters with some Kiwis! I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn and see some native New Zealand birds!
Review provided by Viator
200leighj
May 21, 2024
This was my favorite thing in New Zealand! - We had an absolutely fantastic night tour in Zealandia and I would say it was the highlight of the month I spent in New Zealand. Staff were very accommodating and communicative from the time of booking. We arrived fairly early for the tour and it was a little bit confusing to figure out where to go for entry, but it was really neat just waiting in the parking lot and hearing all the bird calls. There was a guide taking us through the park as well as a Zealandia volunteer that went ahead to try and find wildlife for the group to see. If you have any interest in New Zealand wildlife or conservation I think this is an absolute must-do, and if you do the night tour you can come back in the day for free (which we did, futher solidifying Zealandia as the best thing I did in New Zealand - it's a very different place in the daytime but just as full of life as it is at night). My only two frustrations were that our guide made a couple of anti-zoo comments which stung since zoos are absolutely on the front lines of animal conservation and share the same goals as Zealandia. The other frustration was the behavior of the group, which I realize can be difficult for the guide to control, but it might be helpful if the guides repeatedly emphasized that everyone will have better wildlife viewing if everyone stays as quiet as possible. That said, the guide coincidentally spoke Hindi and was able to provide a bilingual tour for some guests who otherwise seemed to be struggling a bit with the information and instructions, and I was extremely impressed by that. Overall, I couldn't have enjoyed the tour much more. At Zealandia I was able to check off nearly every NZ critter I wanted to see, all in one place. It's truly magical there.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wstravelers
Apr 28, 2024
Night Tour - amazing! - Go, just go on the night tour! We had a fantastic night tour experience recently with Caitlin (sp?) and Louise. We learned so much about the facility and the wildlife residents. We did the night tour and returned the next day to explore on our own and this was a great way to do it. Our night tour group was very fortunate to see a kiwi and takahae. Loved this experience, a highlight.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
