New kiwi chicks bring Christmas cheer to Rainbow Springs

One of the two chicks that hatched on Tuesday evening. Photo / Supplied

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Rainbow Springs' Kiwi Encounter – with two brand new chicks bringing an extra dose of seasonal cheer.

The two chicks hatched on Tuesday evening, bringing the total number of hatches at the facility this season to 86.

Husbandry manager Emma Bean said the two chicks hatched slightly quicker than expected but both were in perfect health. They take the total number of chicks staying at the facility for the Christmas holidays to 38.

The new chicks, from Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust and Tongariro, will spend their Christmas in the facility's brooder room - learning to feed and getting big and strong.

One of the two chicks that hatched on Tuesday evening. Photo / Supplied

Bean said it was work as usual for the Kiwi Encounter team who will be working every day through Christmas and the holiday season to ensure the chicks and unhatched eggs were looked after.

"The birds definitely don't stop hatching for the holidays. Both eggs and chicks need constant care and attention. But that's all part of the work we do here, and we love it.

"We'll be here on Christmas Day celebrating with the chicks. They may even get a few extra bugs for their Christmas lunch," she said.

Bean said the facility was well on track to achieving a record number of hatches for the 2017-18 hatching season.