The evening is the best time to spot rare hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) waddling along Otago Peninsula beaches. Photo / Getty Images
The evening is the best time to spot rare hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) waddling along Otago Peninsula beaches. Photo / Getty Images
Wrap up warm and see a whole new side of nature on a guided night-time tour, writes Jessica Wynne Lockhart.
Listen up for New Zealand's only native land mammal
Trivia time: What's New Zealand's only native land mammal? Hint: It only comes out at night, it's about as big as your thumb, and it's the stuff folklores are made of. If you guessed bats, you're right. Relying on echolocation, long-tailed bats (one of two bat species endemic to Aotearoa) were once common in Dunedin, Invercargill and Christchurch, but are now critically threatened, making them difficult to see. However, there are a few areas where they are still known to fly over at night, including in the Catlins. On a two-hour adventure ($65) with Owaka-based Earthlore Nature Tours and Activities, you'll have the chance to hear and see these small creatures, with the help of bat detectors, binoculars and even night vision goggles. earthlore.co.nz
Penguins may not be nocturnal, yet the end of the day is the best time to see them. As the night falls, these unusual birds make their way back from fishing at sea to their nests. Although penguins can be found across the country, the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin is the best place to head for the opportunity to see both rare hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) and kororā, the world's smallest species of penguins.
On a behind-the-scenes tours at Takiharuru (Pilots Beach) with Blue Penguins Pukekura, you'll see little penguins up-close in their natural habitat, within a reserve that is also a highly significant site to Māori. Tours start at $20 for children and $45 for adults, with family passes available. bluepenguins.co.nz
Search for things that glow
On a three-day guided comfort camping trip with Abel Tasman Guides, you'll have the opportunity to see bioluminescence in the water and on land. During the day, you'll hike pack-free (luggage transfers are included) and during the night, guides will show you the wonders of Abel Tasman National Park. The packages — which include transportation, meals, and accommodation in tents on thick mattresses with proper duvets — are $1779 per person.
See New Zealand's most famous bird
Every Kiwi needs to see a kiwi at least once in their lifetime. But the birds are just as elusive as they are iconic, which is why it's best to rely on the experts to help you spot one.
Wellington's Zealandia runs nightly guided tours, and visitors often encounter kiwi. Photo / Getty Images
During one of Wellington's Zealandia's nightly guided tours (adults $85; children $40) you may encounter one of the 150 little spotted kiwis who call the sanctuary home, alongside wētā, glow worms, and tuatara. Not wild enough for you? Try the Whakatāne area. Until July, the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust will be running night tours (adults $23; children $10.25) where you may hear kiwi calling to one another and find tunnel web spiders and glow-in-the-dark fungi. visitzealandia.com and whakatanekiwi.org.nz
Take a forest journey back through time
Departing from Hokianga at 5pm, the unforgettable Twilight Tours with Footprints Waipoua will leave your spine-tingling as you listen to your Māori guide sing as you watch the day transition to night. Over four hours, you'll hear traditional stories and learn more about kauri dieback disease as you visit two of the world's largest kauri trees: Tāne Mahuta and Te Matua Ngāhere. The tour costs $105 for adults and $45 for children. footprintswaipoua.co.nz
Hokianga's Waipoua Forest, home of Tāne Mahuta, is spectacular by day and magical at night. Photo / Getty Images
Witness an explosive site
Do geysers go off at night? The only way to find out is to follow one of the guides from Te Puia through a secret passageway and down a dark tunnel. Even if you've visited the Rotorua attraction during the day before, witnessing the geothermal valley at night will give you an entirely different perspective on the Pōhutu Geyser and surrounding bubbling mud and native bush.
This new tour (adults $70; children $35) includes a leisurely three-kilometre walk, during which Indigenous guides will share history and stories of the valley, including those of the Māori iwi who made this spot their home 170 years ago, and you'll also have the chance to sample snacks cooked in the geothermal pools. tepuia.com
