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Manawatia a Matariki ki Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari

Join us at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari to celebrate Matariki over the upcoming long weekend with friends and whānau

What better way to celebrate the Māori New Year than by joining us on the maunga for a selection of family friendly activities, toi Māori demonstrations and special tours? From guided experiences to hands-on fun designed for all ages, there’s something for everyone – we look forward to seeing you then!

Free Rongoa Rākau tours*


Free Manawatia a Matariki tours* 


Free Snapshot tours*


Taonga Puuoro Artist Ben Whittaker (10am - 1pm on Sunday)


Raranga (weaving) demonstration and interactive putiputi harakeke (woven flax flower) creation


Kids colouring competition 


Whakairo (carving) demonstrations & kōrero 


Free kawakawa tea tastings

*Note: Standard pricing may show on the selected tour booking page but the price will total $0 if you select Fri 10th, Sat 11th or Sun 12th July.

*Limited availability. Ts & Cs apply

Plus don't forget we have a range of other activities happening as part of our regular visitor experiences:

  • Kids Go Free for the School Holidays*

  • Ancient Forest Tours

  • Wetland Tours

  • Shuttle Service for mountain traverse tracks

  • Delicious refreshments at our visitor centre including barista coffee

*Into the Southern Enclosure. Ts & Cs apply

What our visitors say

We were a group of 8, Sue was our guide. Would so recommend having Sue to guide. We would not have noticed or learnt anything by ourselves, noticed birds and plants with understanding the importance of sanctuary. Will be bringing the grandies next.

Helen Bingham

1 / 10

The team are still absolutely buzzing about their time at Maungatautari! We all learnt SO much — about Rongoa, about the forest and how different plants can heal our ailments — but also how the forest as a whole can heal our inner-selves too. Everybody took something of great value...

Huka Honey Hive, Taupo

2 / 10

I wanted to email you and tell you how literally amazing our day was and that we were absolutely blown away by the whole experience. You and your team are fantastic. All of the parents who attended raved about the whole day.

Ohaupo School

3 / 10

A truly spectacular day for me thank you, and trust me I've done some really cool things before but this was right up there. The passion, the pride, the service beyond self and the truly intergenerational and transformational work you and the team have done and are doing is inspirational...

Simon

4 / 10

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Because one THANK YOU is not enough! We felt very honoured and privileged to witness the health check and transfer process of two kiwi yesterday. To be so close to our iconic bird was very surreal for many of our team. Many photos were taken and I'm sure...

Nicola Greenwell

5 / 10

I'm honestly still smiling after my afternoon on the maunga yesterday, so I had to write and thank you SO MUCH. The team is doing extraordinary work with the whole sanctuary, and to see the kiwi team, volunteers, dogs, it was absolutely amazing. It was very moving to see the kiwi close up....

Katy Scoullar

6 / 10

I've hiked many, many forests around New Zealand, but this one hits differently. You just know you're in as native of an NZ forest as it can get, thanks to the predator-proof fence that takes a lot of work and money to maintain. The forest is alive with the beautiful songs of many...

Meggie Tran

7 / 10

A beautiful and peaceful place.

Tony Nicholls

8 / 10

My wife and I live in Miami and visited Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari during a trip to New Zealand a month ago. Our guide was Jenny. We were very impressed with her sincerity as well as your organization and the success of your work.

Anonymous, Miami, USA

9 / 10

If you want to see New Zealand's nocturnal animals, go here. Of course, there are day tours as well as night tours. I went on a night tour and it was great. I was happy to see glow worms, go up to the observatory, and see many stars in the night sky! This is not a zoo, but a conservation...

HyoJin Yang (YY)

10 / 10

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