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Have you ever seen a kekeno New Zealand fur seal basking on a rock or a flock of kākā flying overhead? You can find these and more in the ‘natural capital’ of Aotearoa New Zealand: Wellington.
You can see kākā and tūī in city parks, kororā little blue penguins swimming in the harbour, and kiwi during night tours of Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne in Karori. But what about toroa albatrosses and manaia seahorses?
Environmentalist, journalist and author of Wild Wellington Michael Szabo describes the city as New Zealand’s nature restoration capital, leading the way with a critical mass of conservation projects, from single sites like Zealandia to larger-scale projects like Predator Free Wellington and the Capital Kiwi Project.
Zealandia is bringing back rare and threatened native species to the capital and Wellington City Council is working with the Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust and Te Ati Awa to restore the best example of the original lowland podocarp forest in the capital at Ōtari.
The multi-stakeholder Capital Kiwi Project is returning kiwi-nui North Island brown kiwi to a 20,000-hectare pest-controlled area on the western side of the capital. Predator Free Wellington (PFW) is working to control and ultimately eradicate invasive predators across the whole city.
It’s an ambitious plan, but is already well advanced now that rats, mustelids (ferrets, stoats and weasels) and possums have been eradicated from Miramar Peninsula to Lyall Bay. Predator-free groups now extend the trapping network into the other southern suburbs and Matairangi Mt Victoria. Next, it will be extended into the rest of the city.
More than 10,000 households have signed up to the project, trapping invasive predators in their gardens, and teams of volunteers maintain a buffer system around the area. The pioneering efforts of PFW mean it can now share its “Urban Eradication Blueprint” with like-minded groups elsewhere so they can learn from the PFW experience.
The latest council survey found 98% support for the project. Wellington-based Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro also supports the project and recently told PFW Wellington has already demonstrated it is the greenest city in the world.
“It is a wonderful vision for New Zealand, being predator free.”
But it’s not without challenges.
Government funding via Predator Free 2050 Ltd was cut this year, so the number of projects supported by the government has dropped from 18 to just five, of which Predator Free Wellington is one.
The amount that PFW gets from Predator Free 2050 Ltd also dropped from $2 million per year to $500,000. Despite this, Greater Wellington Regional Council and Wellington City Council are still staunch supporters and funders, and PFW still aims to meet its goal of a predator-free capital city by 2030.
Szabo’s Wild Wellington is a new guidebook that shows where, when and how to look for the wildlife that, once again, is thriving in the capital. Here, he recommends four places.
Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne
Zealandia in Karori was the first fully fenced, pest-free urban ecosanctuary in the world, and now ranks as one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s flagship ecological restoration projects. Since it was launched in 1995, it has become one of the most popular wild places in the country to see taonga bird species in their native habitats.
It is located in a 225ha valley of lush regenerating native forest within an 8km predator-proof fence. Eighteen rare or threatened native species have been reintroduced there, which makes it an excellent place to see kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi), kākā, takahē, tīeke (saddleback) and hihi (stitchbird). The remarkable diversity of native birds also includes tūī, korimako (bellbird), toutouwai (North Island robin), kārearea (New Zealand falcon) and ruru (morepork).
Taputeranga Marine Reserve coast
Middle-earth and Hogwarts may have computer-generated dragons but Taputeranga Marine Reserve has real fantastic beasts, from maki (orca) to manaia (seahorses). Established in 2008, it is the only no-take marine reserve in a capital city and is notable for its remarkable diversity of marine life.
The wild coast here has scenic sandy bays and spectacular views south to the Kaikōura Ranges in Te Waipounamu. Some 600 species of marine seabirds, fish and marine mammals have been recorded in the vicinity, from kororā little blue penguins to aihe common dolphins. The diversity of marine habitats supports a unique and varied community of plants, including underwater forests of amber-brown giant rimurapa (kelp) that are havens for wheke (octopuses) and manaia.
Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Reserve and Native Botanic Garden
A visit here is an amazing experience, thanks to the rich diversity of native plants and birds in its old-growth lowland broadleaf podocarp forest. It is the only place where you can see such a variety of Aotearoa New Zealand’s native plant flora. More than 1200 species are growing within the 100ha reserve and its 5ha of native botanic gardens.
This is about half the total number of native vascular plant species found in Aotearoa. With its 800-year-old rimu and other big old trees, such as mataī, miro, tōtara and northern rātā, this is an ideal place to discover some of the taonga native plants of the wider Te Upoko-o-te-Ika area. There is an alpine tarn and rock garden near the entrance where kōtare (sacred kingfishers) are sometimes seen and blue damselflies dart about over the water in summer.
Matiu Somes Island
Like a giant shard of dark green pounamu framed by the silvery green sea, 24ha Matiu Somes Island lies about 3km south of Pito One Petone Beach. The island has big views of the harbourside landscapes and is a great place to see red-crowned kākāriki, tuatara, Cook Strait giant wētā, skinks and geckos.
Ferries regularly depart from Queens Wharf on the 8km trip to the island. From the other direction it is 4km from Ōtuamotoro Days Bay Wharf to the island. On a still, clear day when the sea can be glassy smooth, the surface reflects the sky like a mirror and the blueness seems to stretch forever, above and below. These are perfect conditions to watch for kororā little blue penguins swimming at the surface and any aihe common dolphins or maki orca in the vicinity.
