Heritage Area
Immerse yourself in the rich human history of the Sanctuary. Check out the 19th Century Governor's boatshed and the iconic Valve Tower and the interpretation signage within.

Ara Kawau electric boat
All aboard! Take a peaceful and scenic trip on our unique electric boat. Operates during peak visitor periods in the weekends and public holidays and is part of the Sanctuary Escape tours. Fees apply.

Biosecurity & Lizard Displays
Find out why the Sanctuary is like Fort Knox, then learn all about our native lizards and see how many Wellington green geckos you can spot!

Bird Cam & Pontoon Walkway
Get up close to the wildlife as they nest, breed and feed! Then take a closer look at the lower lake and shag roosts from the floating pontoon walkway.

Birdsong Gully
Get acquainted with the birdsong of the Sanctuary. Push the top of each listening station to hear the call of each bird.

Weta Hotels
Be a guest at the Weta Hotels. Visit the large prehistoric creepy-crawlies that take up residence behind the windows in their natural-looking hidey-holes. 

Morning Star Goldmine
Discover a Ninteenth Century goldmine and its resident cave weta! The gate inside the goldmine is open during peak visitor periods at weekends and public holidays so you can go right inside. Outside these times you can venture about a third of the way in. Path to the goldmine is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.

Wetland & Native Fish Display
A great place for a picnic. Get a close-up look at native fish, and learn about freshwater ecosystems. Keep an eye out for rare brown teal, scaup, shags and weka. 

Research Area
Keep your eyes peeled. These banks are home to the mainland's only wild tuatara. They're well camflouged, but not that shy, so a bit of patience should be rewarding. Also look at the signs where we note where tuatara have been seen that day.

Tui Terrace
Another great spot for a picnic on the lawn while watching birds flying overhead.

Hihi & Bellbird Feeders
The nectar diet of hihi (see right) and bellbirds is supplemented at these feeding stations. Stop, look and listen - a bit of patience of usually rewarded!

Kaka Feeders & Nest Display
The kaka feeders are often a hive of activity with kaka stopping by for a snack. Follow the loop track from the feeders near the dam to see our display of native birds' nests.

Upper Dam & Binoculars
The concrete, gravity dam was built 1906-1908 to provide water for Wellington. The dam has since been decommissioned and the lake provides a suitable home for scaup, shags and rare brown teal - check them out with the powerful binoculars.

Discovery Area & Viewing Tower
Learn about the construction of our historic Upper Dam and get a bird's eye view over the forest canopy from the viewing tower.

Wetland & Viewing Hides
The upper lake wetland was created to provide suitable habitat for native waterfowl. The hides enable you to get up close to birds like brown teal and scaup.