Zealandia Eco-Sanctuary in Wellington

Who has visited Zealandia Eco-Sanctuary in Wellington? Worth it or skip it?

Depends what your interests are. You have to be a walker and into nature to enjoy it. We have visited Zealandia many times and we still love to go there when we visit Wellington.

The exhibition is interesting and well done, teaching you about the nature and some history of New Zealand.

We love walking in the valley, watching the variety of birds - tui, kaka, bellbird, fantail, hihi, kakariki, kereru, putangitangi, tieke, takahe, we have seen plenty of all of these. There are also tuatara, which can be hard to spot in the undergrowth, but they are always there.

We have found it is best in spring (about September to November) on a sunny day, when the birds are most active.

Easy to get to. We usually walk from central Wellington (we are big walkers and usually have the time to allocate most of a day), but they do run a shuttle from near the info centre or the top of the cable car, or you can catch a bus.

How long you want to spend there depends on whether you want to do the exhibition as well as the valley, and which walking route you want to do. We have been right around most of the walks in the valley, but I would recommend the "red" route as being about the best to see the most.

They do have a cafe, but we usually take a picnic to have somewhere in the valley where we can sit and watch the birds.

See their website with info, including the map of walking trails.

http://www.visitzealandia.com

Declaration of interest - I live very close to the Zealandia valley and am benefitting from the amazing conservation programme. Last night I sat and watched five kaka parrots bounce on our nikau palm (and tv aerial!) We had none of that birdlife around the city even three years ago. Zealandia is probably the most ambitious conservation project underway in the world right now - a 500 year plan to restore the valley back to the way it was before humans lived in NZ!

If you're interested in New Zealand's nature and natural history (why don't our birds fly, why do NZers hate possums?) then Zealandia is a great visit. There's an indoor exhibition area and lots of easy walks. You're completely immersed in nature, and only 10 minutes away from port. Is it worth it? Depends on your interests and there's plenty of other things to do in the city, but I'm grateful every day we have this amazing place in Wellington.