KAPITI ISLAND NATURE TOURS

This service provider offers a wide range of packages, from half-day round-trips to a two-day stay on the island with a night tour to try and spot kiwis. If you don't have your own transport, you can even arrange a return trip from Wellington city. The full-day and half-day packages are calculated by the minute, leaving you just enough time to walk the groomed paths leading to the viewpoints (without rushing too much, though), which can be a little frustrating if you like to wander and explore.

The island is very beautiful, and birdlife is obviously flourishing: kākā, kiwi, takahē, korimako, tūī, tīeke, hihi, ruru, kākāriki...there's plenty to see and hear, and the guides will know how to efficiently direct your observations so that we don't miss a crumb. The lucky ones may even be able to hear or observe the rare kōkako, which currently survives on only a few of these sanctuary islands.

Spending the night on the island and having the opportunity to hear the songs of dusk and dawn in such paradisiacal surroundings is a magical and incredible experience.

This expedition isn't cheap, however, and prices can be a bit prohibitive if you're on a tight budget. For the less fortunate, the Zealandia eco-sanctuary in Wellington is an excellent alternative for birdwatching and strolling through a "forest of times gone by".