Kiwi fans rejoice at chance to get up close and personal at Maungatautari

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Fans of New Zealand’s iconic flightless bird now have the chance to get up close and personal as part of a new “immersive” Kiwi Experience Tour at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.

The tour aims to give visitors a taste for “what it takes” to protect and help the threatened species to thrive.

Maungatautari is New Zealand's largest fenced eco-sanctuary at 3,400 hectares, and is home to several species of endangered wildlife, including the North Island brown kiwi.

For a cost of $95 per person, visitors on the one-and-a-half hour tour get to witness a kiwi health check, and get the rare opportunity to see a kiwi up-close and take photos.

Participants will also learn about the sanctuary, the ngāhere, and kiwi conservation efforts.

The new offering celebrates 20 years since kiwi were successfully reintroduced to the mountain.

Four kiwi chicks were gifted by Tongariro Iwi Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro to Waikato Iwi Ngāti Koroki Kahukura to start a founding population in 2005.

Ngāti Koroki Kahukura representatives Ted Tauroa and Poto Davies say the iwi will “never forget” the act of ‘tono’ or gifting of the birds, and continue to acknowledge the iwi and community who gifted the kiwi to the maunga.

Since the initial translocation, the population has flourished.

The sanctuary is now a valuable source population for translocations to other places, with the population of kiwi in the sanctuary estimated to be close to 3,000.

It’s now the country’s largest translocation programme, with birds from Maungatautari being relocated to reserves with suitable habitats across the motu.

To date, 346 kiwi have been moved from the sanctuary to other spots within the North Island as part of the national re-population strategy.

Just last year, the sanctuary moved 222 kiwi to other conservation projects around the North Island, making it the biggest movement of North Island brown kiwi in the country, and a world first in terms of scale and complexity.

Kiwi were moved to Tongariro (88), Capital Kiwi in Wellington (65), and Taranaki (69).

In 2019, 13 birds were moved to Waimarino in the Bay of Plenty, and in 2023, 111 birds were moved to Tongariro and Capital Kiwi in Wellington.

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari manages the programme in partnership with mana whenua and Save the Kiwi.

Michelle Impey, CEO for Save the Kiwi says it has been “heart-warming” to see the impact the arrival of these kiwi have had on local communities.

She says it’s “exciting” that members of the public will now have the chance to experience this at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.

Chief executive Helen Hughes said they are “incredibly proud” of the success of the kiwi translocation programme.

“Each kiwi we help relocate represents a step forward in our mission to restore and protect New Zealand's unique biodiversity.'

“The programme and critical work our team is doing is being recognised globally as world-leading and we are thrilled to be able to help elevate New Zealand on the international conservation stage in this way,” she says.

Hughes says education and engagement are “key” to successful conservation, and the experience will give visitors a taste for “what it takes” to protect and help threatened species to thrive.

“The new tours are designed to inspire and inform our visitors, fostering a deeper connection to these incredible birds and the importance of protecting them and their habitat for future generations.'

Tours are available from March until mid-April, with all proceeds going directly the sanctuary’s kiwi programme and ongoing conservation efforts.