Kiwi and more in Whanga¯rei
Kiwi North: Whanga¯rei Museum, Kiwi House and Heritage Park is the only place in Northland where you are guaranteed to see kiwi going about their business.
In an indoor enclosure where the seasons and temperature are carefully controlled to mimic the outside world, but where time is upside down, you will see a couple of kiwi out foraging for food, convinced that it’s night.
If your visit coincides with feeding time, they will come close to the glass so you will get a good view of these iconic birds, and the keeper will tell you all about them.
It’s not just the captive-bred kiwi that live there. There’s a tuatara, and 12 geckos of which even the bright green ones are well enough camouflaged to make spotting them feel like a triumph.
Why go?
Because there’s plenty more to see besides the native creatures.
Upstairs is Whanga¯rei Museum, where well-presented displays tell the story of the area, from 2000-year-old moa skeletons, to Ma¯ori artefacts and early settler exhibits.
Outside, the 25-hectare grounds feature a picturesque selection of buildings, including a tiny octagonal chapel made from a single kauri log, and an even smaller hexagonal hut that was used by novelist Jane Mander as her study. There’s a school house, a smithy, a women’s jail, and a railway station beside tracks still in use by one of the heritage enthusiast clubs in the park. These also include amateur radio, steam and model railway groups, a medical museum, and rockhounds, and they open to the public on special days.
Insider tip
If you visit during the week, you can enter the adjoining Native Bird
Recovery Centre. On Wednesdays, there will often be club action around the grounds, including vintage cars, machinery and stationary engines. A planetarium runs Saturday evening tours, with telescope viewing on clear nights.
On the way/nearby
On the way back to town, stop at Raumanga Scenic Reserve for a bush walk, a picnic in the park, or even a dip in the river, where there’s a pretty waterfall.
At nearby Quarry Gardens, you’ll find a 24ha subtropical jungle, where the sheltering walls of the old quarry encourage the lush growth of native and exotic species. There’s a cafe, a lake, waterfalls, and a variety of gardens, all nurtured by enthusiastic volunteers, as well as sculpture to appreciate. For more art, pop along to the Quarry Arts Centre, where you will find exhibitions, artists at work, and the materials to create your own masterpieces.
How much?
The Charitable Trust’s entry charges are adults $20, students and seniors $15, children over 5 $5, and a family pass $45. Opening hours are 10am to 4pm daily.
It’s 10 minutes’ drive from the town centre.
Best time to go
Feeding times are at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, but try to catch the first feed, when the kiwi are most active, prodding for the titbits the keeper places around the enclosure.