A fully fenced, not-for-profit ecosanctuary at the end of Waiapu Road in Karori, Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne is home to native birds, reptiles and a regenerating forest, just minutes from Wellington city.
Visitors can book general admission or join a guided tour, and download a map to plan their route. More than 40 species of native birds have been recorded in the valley, 24 of them found nowhere else. Tuatara and Hamilton's frog live there, and the dawn and dusk choruses are loud. The sanctuary also has a wetland in the valley, and its website reports H5 bird flu detected in three birds in Wellington, so check track updates before you go.