When to visit?
Our Manu Tioriori visitor centre is open daily from 9.00am. Last entry is at 4.00pm. For the heath and safety of all, we recommend visitors exit the sanctuary before dark, or join us on a Night Tour. Closed on Christmas Day only.
When's the best time to come and experience our incredible environment?
The short answer is any time of year! As long as you're adequately prepared for the weather, you're all set for a fantastic day in the sanctuary. We run a winter and summer programme for guided tours to make the best of the seasons. The links below will also help you get a better idea of what to expect at different times of the year.
Generally speaking, birds tend to be louder in the morning and late afternoon, though can be active throughout the day. Tuatara tend to be more active mid morning (our wetland tour is timed on this basis) and are far more likely to be seen in summer than in winter. Night tours are the best way to hear the call of kiwi, although there are no guarantees that this will be the case. And the trees... well the trees are happy for you to arrive at anytime!
Last entry to the sanctuary at 4pm
Sanctuary Explorer Day passes to the sanctuary, either purchased online or at our visitor centre reception need to be collected from our visitor centre by 4pm. You can still enter the southern enclosure visitor showcase area of the sanctuary using your pass, after 4pm. For your safety, we recommend exiting the forest before dark. Day pass cards can be returned to the visitor centre via an after-hours slot.
Check out our Guided Tours on offer too! All guided tours include a complimentary Sanctuary Explorer Day Pass.
Experience our Maunga
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.
FAQs
Interested in our Education Programme? Questions about lunch options? Find out the answers to the most frequently asked questions!
Our Wildlife
With the fence now in place and all mammalian predators eradicated from the maunga, the native bird life is flourishing.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
A beautiful and peaceful place.
Tony Nicholls
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
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)
Get In Touch
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