Northern enclosure

The northern enclosure is located at Hicks Road and there is a 1.5km walk before getting to the entrance gate, sections of this walk are steep and the journey between where you park (outside the Maungatautari marae) and enter includes having to walk on a public road. There are minimal facilities (toilets), and no on-site cafe.

The northern enclosure located at Hicks Road is able to be accessed by public. Parking for this area is located directly in front of Maungatautari marae. Follow signs and do not park on private property near the entrance.

The entrance is surrounded by private farmland, so please use the available track and keep to the path. The path to the northern enclosure is roughly 1.5km and includes some very steep areas.

Dog's are not permitted in the sanctuary at any time to protect the native species living within the sanctuary.

There are outdoor (long-drop) toilets available which are not maintained daily.

The loop track within the northern enclosure is roughly 1.5km and takes an estimated 35 minutes to complete the track.

Please help us to maintain the sanctuary by providing a donation in the box inside the fenceline, or if you are like many of us and don't carry cash then click the Donate before you go button below.

Donate before you go!

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FAQs

Interested in our education programme? Questions about lunch options at our Maunga? Find out the answer to the most frequently asked questions!

Location

The Manu Tioriori visitor centre is open from 9:00am to 4:00pm daily (closed 25th December). Entrance to the southern enclosure is available during Manu Tioriori visitor centre opening hours.

Gallery

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is all about its native environment and inhabitants! Have a look at some of our birdlife and spot a takahe during your visit!

What our visitors say

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

It was so cool to finally meet you in person and the experience you gave us was just so amazing! You know what, I haven't stopped smiling today. I am still buzzing from the trip and so are the kids! It's just so incredible to get out and see firsthand what we have been learning about...

Aberdeen School

Great experience and wonderful staff so friendly and helpful. The bush and birdlife are amazing, have to go back to do the wetland tour to see the tuatara.

Gary Chapman

Thank you so much for putting in tremendous effort to reserve this beautiful forest and native animals! As a tourist, I had the most wonderful memory with our guide - Kate. She has taught us so much!

Javier

A really great sanctuary, with some incredible birdlife. If you’re slow and quiet enough you may get a little show from the Piwakawaka.

Jack Howe

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

Really cool place to see some unique birds and enjoy a beautiful peaceful nature walk. Extremely friendly staff as well.

Kelly Kaufman

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

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

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)