When to visit?

When's the best time to come and experience our incredible environment?

We are open every day 9.00am to 4.00pm except Christmas Day.

(we are open later if there is a night tour on)

We run a winter and summer programme for guided tours to make the best of both seasons.

Depending on what you are hoping to see and experience the time of day can make a difference.

Tuatara tend to be more active mid morning and our wetland tour is timed on this basis.
Birdlife tends to be louder in the morning and late afternoon, though can be active throughout the day.
Night tours are the best way to hear the call of kiwi.
And the trees... well the trees are happy for you to arrive at anytime!

Book a tour

FAQs

Interested in our Education Programme? Questions about lunch options? Find out the answers to the most frequently asked questions!

Location

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

What our visitors say

Incredible what has been created to protect the animals in this area. Ample parking and a bit of an uphill walk to get to the office, followed by a really awesome walking trails. Lucky to get a video of a kingfisher bird at the entrance. A must do walk!!

Rene Lind-Steyn

Impressive Magical Inexpensive

Gerhard Markus Beckmann

Thank you so much for an excellent trip yesterday. I am still buzzing from it and have been telling a lot of people about it and the new learning I got from it.

Raglan Area School

A great morning activity for our family. Our mountain buggy terrain was easily able to navigate the trails.

Emma Southall

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)

A beautiful and peaceful place.

Tony Nicholls

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

This place is special. Heaven for the nature-loving ornithologist. Gentle walkways, a viewing tower, and a clearing with kākā. Please respect and take care of this precious maunga.

Knixi

There are great hiking trails that can easily be walked in one visit. You can see many native birds and look at local plants. It's worth a visit!!!

Linea Matheis

Incredible project and will only get even better with time.

Andy Williams