When I received an invitation to visit the Karori Sanctuary today to see the current re-development taking place and have a walk around the bush I jumped at the opportunity. Wellington put on a perfect sunny day today for some bird and wildlife spotting.

The Karori Sanctuary is unique and is one of Wellington’s true assets. The Sanctuary is just ten minutes from the city centre and provides a wonderful opportunity to see New Zealand birds, insects and lizards in their natural environment of New Zealand native fauna. On my trip this afternoon I saw amongst other things three Tuatara sunning themselves on rocks, some very well camouflaged green geckos and a number of different birds including Saddlebacks, Fantails, Hihi and Bellbirds.

Nancy, the Chief Executive of the Karori Sanctuary Trust was a wonderful tour guide and started the visit off by showing me around the building which will become the new visitor centre. All guests will pass through the centre on arrival at the Sanctuary and have the opportunity to view displays and a movie from multiple levels. I was impressed with the thought behind the new development, with exhibitions planned to highlight not only Wellington region’s conservation efforts but other New Zealand sites serving to protect our native wildlife such as Codfish Island and Kapiti Island. Visitors will also be able to learn about the story behind New Zealand’s native birds and the evolution from Gondwana to the New Zealand we live in today.

The Sanctuary is still open to the public during the renovations and summer is a great time of year to take a look around so I highly recommend a visit while the sun is still shining – overseas visitors in particular will be impressed with the variety of unique wildlife New Zealand has. I’m definitely planning another visit to see the new facilities and exhibitions when they open at Easter this year.

More on the Karori Sanctuary can be found at http://www.visitzealandia.com/Site/Zealandia_Home/Default.aspx