Spend the night in our Education Centre to extend your time on the maunga and immerse yourself in the environment.
Guests: 27
Have you visited the maunga before and not wanted to leave? Well with this option you don't have to (for a bit longer anyway). Fall asleep in our Education Centre to the calls of ruru and maybe even kiwi. Then wake up to the dawn chorus.
The "Full Experience"
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Our overnight stay at Sanctuary Mountain was an absolute highlight! The youth are still buzzing. The experience is truly immersive - from the daytime beauty of the native birds to the magic of the mountain after dark. The night tour was a standout; getting to see bats and hearing the call of kiwis echoing through the trees was surreal. We even spotted a massive eel in the mountain pond!
Te Awamutu Scout Group
Suitable for: Scout and Guide groups, single school classes
Minimum number of students: 15 (minimum charge is for 15 paying students, groups smaller than 15 can be accommodated)
Maximum number of students: 27 people in total (including adults)
Approximate Duration: To be discussed with our team. Check in will be no earlier than 3pm and check out time will depend on other bookings on the day.
Cost of Teachers and Teacher Aides / Group organisers: Free
Cost for Parent Helpers: TBC
Along with access to the Education Centre, your booking will also give you:
- Access to Te Tui a Tane (the Southern Enclosure) during daylight hours.
- Access to the Over The Mountain track during daylight hours.
You can also pay to add any of the following onto your booking:
- Guided tour of Te Tui a Tane (the Southern Enclosure) during daylight hours.
- Night tour of Te Tui a Tane (the Southern Enclosure).
- Tautari Wetland guided tour during daylight hours.
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
Experience our Maunga
Other Experiences

Kiwi ExperienceDiscover the magic of New Zealand's national icon. FROM $120.00 per person

Ancient Forest Guided TourJoin one of our guides on a gently graded walking track! FROM $68.50 per adult

Day Pass into the SanctuaryExplore Te Tui a Tane (Southern Enclosure) at your own pace. FROM $32.00 per adult

Sanctuary Mountain Snapshot TourThe perfect snapshot tour introducing you to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. FROM $47.50 per adult

Secrets of the Tautari WetlandOne of our knowledgeable guides will take you through our wetland. FROM $65.00 per adult

Annual Explorer Pass MembershipEnjoy access to Te Tui a Tane Southern Enclosure for an entire year! FROM $70.00 per adult

Rongoa rakau - Maori herbal medicineJoin one of our knowledgeable and engaging local rongoa practitioners! FROM $68.50 per adult

The Moa Hunter TourExplore Maori bush lore with the Moa Hunter - a sensory forest journey. FROM $95.00 per person

Private Guided TourA guided tour tailored for you! FROM $136.50 per person (45 min)

Sanctuary Mountain at NightJoin us in exploring the magical night-time world! FROM $352.00 per group of 1-4 people

Living Connections Team ExperienceTake time away from work demands and immerse the team in nature. FROM $100.00 per person

Your Sanctuary at Our SanctuaryComplimentary Sanctuary Explorer Passes included with your stay.

Mirimiri Traditional Maori MassageAvailable the last Saturday of every month. FROM $60.00 for 30 minutes

Come to the sanctuary and learn!Conservation Education Programme. FROM $11.50 per student

Night Walk EducationBring your akonga along to see the maunga in a totally different light. FROM $37.00 per student

Virtual EducationBringing the sanctuary to the world in our virtual classroom! FROM $210.00 per hour, per class
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