Takahē

Once thought to be extinct, then rediscovered in 1948. The South Island takahē is the largest living rail in the world.

English name: South Island takahē

Māori name: Takahē

Scientific name: Porphyrio hochstetteri

New Zealand status: Endemic (only found in New Zealand) momo taketake

Conservation status: Nationally vulnerable

Kaitiaki: Ngāi Tahu

Threats: Predation from stoats, competition for resources with deer. The biggest natural threat when chicks are young is predation by Australasian harriers (kāhu) or pūkeko. That's why takahē parents keep young chicks well hidden in dense vegetation until they are big enough to venture out into more open areas.

I mōhio rānei koe? Did you know?: There are now 500 takahē. Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari has contributed a total of 24 chicks to this growing national population.

Other name: Notornis

Takahē at Sanctuary Mountain® Maungatautari

We are privileged to have two breeding pairs of takahē and their chicks living behind the safety of the Xcluder® pest-proof fence. A dedicated team of volunteers and staff keep a close eye on both families of takahē several times per week and offer them supplementary feeding to ensure they are in good condition throughout the year.

One family of takahē live in the Tautari Wetland. This area is only accessible by guided tour. You can come and visit them by joining us on a Wetland Guided Tour. Join our knowledgeable and keen guides who will take you on an adventure to observe these stunning birds.

Book a Guided Tour

The other family of takahē live in an area of the mountain called ''Cooper's". This area is only accessible to our rangers via four-wheel drive access around the mountain.

References:

New Zealand Birds Online

Department of Conservation

Takahē Recovery Programme

The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand

They're social! @takahērecovery

Ka tū te moho
Kia ora ake anō
The takahē stands, in order to live again.

Visit the Tautari Wetland by Guided Tour.

Learn more Book a tour

What our visitors say

A beautiful and peaceful place.

Tony Nicholls

All of us had such an amazing time! The children were exhausted on the way home but they had such an amazing time! They have been talking about it constantly and have been remembering all sorts of details from the things that they remember.

Korakonui School

The guides are what makes this so special. We had such a fabulous day!!! The guides were wonderful...we asked lots of questions which they patiently engaged with and gave us SO much information as we trotted around. It was like a nature story book.

Archers Homeschool Group

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari has a beautiful array of native New Zealand birds. The tracks are well signposted and easy to navigate I would highly recommend for any nature or bird lover or photographer.

Lydia Gillies, Auckland, New Zealand

The team's knowledge of the sanctuary's work, the culture of the land, bringing in Maori myths about the birds, the way they interact with the children. Our kids where engaged the entire time - ages from 5-12yrs old. The programme was brilliant!

Kio Kio School

Brilliant experience - looking forward to next year!!

Kings School

An awesome project done solely by the community. Many thanks! Our friend from Switzerland and we hiked for more than 6 hours on parts of Te Tonga and Werere Traverse tracks and encountered many beautiful birds and scenery. After the hike, we had a rest at the visitor center with a great view and...

Jeffrey Ke

We absolutely love visiting Maungatautari, we have been several times over the years, often visiting the Southern Sanctuary and once doing the over the mountain hike from very early in the morning. We visited the southern enclosure today and spent six hours watching, walking and photographing...

Nikki Jean

Extremely organised, with clear communication. Tali and Sue were really engaging, working at an appropriate pace for the children. Lots of fun things to see and do. We also really appreciated having sanitizer and a tarpaulin already there for us. We really appreciated our day there and how well...

Horsham Downs School

Saw kaka, robin, saddleback, fantail and other birds. There was bird activity even though it was raining. I love the 'jurassic park' style forest, 500yr+ old trees and informative signs. The viewing tower is great. I think if you stay up there long enough you will always see something....

Elise Cooper