British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has arrived at Zealandia to get a lesson on plants and NZ wildlife from Conservation Minister Maggie Barry. Footage from Mediaworks
How did conservationists stop a gang of unruly possums infiltrating Zealandia? This and other things you’ll learn on a visit, including why it’s one of Wellington’s premier — and award-winning — attractions, writes Melissa Nightingale
In the shadow of lush, native trees, as kākā swoop past overhead and the songs of other native birds echo through the valley, it’s hard to believe you’re minutes away from suburban Wellington.
It’s one of the upsides of living in the capital, where locals can look out their windows and see native wildlife perched in their backyards, thanks to the hard work of the Zealandia team in building the country’s first mainland ecosanctuary.
The conservation project has introduced 18 species of native wildlife back into the area, some of which were previously absent from mainland New Zealand for over 100 years.
With 225ha of land surrounded by an 8.6km wire mesh fence, there’s plenty of space for visitors to explore and enjoy the nature around them.
He shows us a sample of the specially designed predator exclusion fence, explaining how some possums were clever enough to figure out that they could piggyback on each other to climb over an earlier rendition of the hood that covers the top of the fence during trials.
A mesh skirt at the base of the fence is sufficient to keep out the burrowing pests and predators because it doesn’t occur to them to start burrowing from a bit further back, he says. I’m struck by the simultaneous cleverness and stupidity of some of Aotearoa’s introduced pests.
Tuatara can be spotted at Zealandia. Photo / Zealandia, Karori Sanctuary Trust
One of my favourite parts of the tour is a visit to the kākā area, where the parrots perch on self-feeders and use their long claws and beaks to crack open nuts for a snack.
Nearby, a pair of baby ducklings cuddle in a sleepy pile on the grass. They’re a common species, but the aww factor is enough to drag my attention away from the kākā for a while.
Soon we gather under a canopy of green, peering up into the branches above in hopes of seeing more elusive native birds. As we wait and listen, more kākā wing past, some flying nearly at head height as they pass.
Wellington's Zealandia is the world's first fully fenced urban ecosanctuary. Photo / Judi Lapsley Miller
A real highlight is a visit to the takahē area, where one of Zealandia’s two resident takahē is quietly pottering about near the bushes, seemingly unperturbed by the crowd of onlookers pointing phone cameras at it from a distance.
A chunkier version of its cousin the pūkeko, the takahē looks huggable, but I’m assured it’s definitely not. Best not to try.
In another section of the sanctuary, we spend time perusing the trees and bushes for a glimpse of a tuatara, a couple of which we see perched in small holes in the ground under the cover of leaves.
Zealandia was the first site to establish a wild population of tuatara on the mainland after the species was driven nearly to extinction in the North and South islands.
There are two takahē at Zealandia.
Our tour is about two or three hours and takes us through all the main attractions of the site, but for anyone on a self-guided visit, it would be easy to lose a day wandering amongst the bush, relaxing by the water, or simply birdwatching.
The effort that has gone and continues to go into keeping the wildlife in Zealandia safe from predators will restore your faith in humanity.
Volunteers travel the fenceline several times a week to make sure it is intact and safe from overhanging trees and branches that predators could scale to get in.
A hole was cut in the Zealandia fence in 2020. Photo / Zealandia
Some of these checks occasionally turn up surprises, such as a hole deliberately cut in the fence in 2020. Thanks in part to the diligence of fence checkers, no evidence of predators was found after that incident.
Next time you’re sitting in Wellington and spot a kākā soaring past, remember the extraordinary work of volunteers and staff who have made it possible.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
