Tawharanui Wild Kiwi Bird Spotting Encounter
Description
Découvrez le parc régional de Tawharanui à la tombée de la nuit lors d'une rencontre guidée d'observation d'oiseaux kiwis sauvages, où la forêt s'anime avec les bruits et les mouvements de la faune indigène. Loin des lumières de la ville et de la foule, ce sanctuaire offre les meilleures opportunités près d'Auckland pour observer l'emblématique kiwi brun de l'île du Nord dans son habitat naturel. À la tombée de la nuit, nous explorons tranquillement une forêt côtière exempte de prédateurs à l'aide de feux rouges spécialisés et de techniques de suivi Expertes. Écoutez le bruissement des feuilles et les cris distinctifs lorsque le kiwi cherche sa nourriture dans le sous-bois, souvent étonnamment près. En chemin, vous pourrez également rencontrer d’autres espèces nocturnes telles que le ruru (porc de morue), le wētā, les geckos et les vers luisants, révélant une face cachée de l’écosystème néo-zélandais. Entre deux observations, arrêtez-vous pour apprécier la quiétude de la nuit et les rythmes naturels de la forêt, tandis que votre Guide partage des idées sur le comportement des kiwis, les efforts de conservation et la biodiversité unique qui fait de Tawharanui un sanctuaire si spécial.
Options de l'excursion
Itinéraire
Découvrez le parc régional de Tawharanui à la tombée de la nuit lors d'une rencontre guidée d'observation d'oiseaux kiwis sauvages, où la forêt s'anime avec les bruits et les mouvements de la faune indigène. Loin des lumières de la ville et de la foule, ce sanctuaire offre les meilleures opportunités près d'Auckland pour observer l'emblématique kiwi brun de l'île du Nord dans son habitat naturel. À la tombée de la nuit, nous explorons tranquillement une forêt côtière exempte de prédateurs à l'aide de feux rouges spécialisés et de techniques de suivi Expertes. Écoutez le bruissement des feuilles et les cris distinctifs lorsque le kiwi cherche sa nourriture dans le sous-bois, souvent étonnamment près. En chemin, vous pourrez également rencontrer d’autres espèces nocturnes telles que le ruru (porc de morue), le wētā, les geckos et les vers luisants, révélant une face cachée de l’écosystème néo-zélandais. Entre deux observations, arrêtez-vous pour apprécier la quiétude de la nuit et les rythmes naturels de la forêt, tandis que votre Guide partage des idées sur le comportement des kiwis, les efforts de conservation et la biodiversité unique qui fait de Tawharanui un sanctuaire si spécial.
Points forts
Ce qui est inclus
Avis des voyageurs
Informations importantes
- Déconseillé aux voyageurs avec des problèmes cardiovasculaires
- Convient à toutes les conditions physiques
Avis(38)
I met this company at the Skytower for their Kiwi-Cab bus which was great. I found the overall experience value for money and the guide was informative. We did indeed spot the elusive kiwi, saw 4 in fact!
Thank you for your review. We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the experience and found it great value for money. Seeing even one kiwi is special, so spotting four is an exceptional night at Tāwharanui! We're pleased our guide helped make the evening both informative and memorable. We hope to welcome you on another Social Nature Movement adventure soon.
Really sad this didn't happen as I was really looking forward to it, unfortunately this was cancelled due to low numbers, obviously not the company fault! These things happen! Good initial communication of this to myself via email, and really worked to make it happen by providing me with appropriate alternatives or a refund with a request for me to reply with my choice. I replied the following day but unfortunately the email was sent from from a noreply email address (no-reply@bokun.io) so I sent an email with my choice to the 'support@snm.nz' - which to be fair is quoted as the main way to contact on the booking system (I asked for a refund not a rearranged date as didn't fit with my itinerary) but I received no reply/confirmation. I then just received a further email from the noreply email stating "As we have not received a reply to our email and have not reached our minimum numbers for tonight's tour, we are unfortunately having to cancel your reservation. You will receive a full refund" So review is largely so the company is aware that the emails sent out asking questions of clients come from an address we cannot reply to. So in future perhaps ensure the support@snm.nz email is on the bottom of all correspondence to ensure things are smoother and that this mailbox is responded to (although appreciate it is probably very busy)... Would be excellent if wasn't for the above email frustrations.
Thank you for the honest and constructive feedback and also for recognising that the cancellation itself was simply due to minimum numbers not being reached. We genuinely appreciate your understanding, flexibility, and the effort you made to respond promptly. We are very sorry for the frustration caused by the communication process afterward. You have highlighted an important issue with the no-reply email workflow, and we are currently looking into our reservation management system and why guest responses are not being handled more clearly when correspondence is sent from the booking platform. Your feedback is extremely valuable in helping us improve this. While we are disappointed we could not deliver the experience for you this time, we truly appreciate the fair and thoughtful nature of your review and hope we may have the opportunity to host you on a future visit to Auckland.
This tour was amazing! We some various kiwi and the walk was very easy and accessable. It was a very enjoyable and pleasant walk. Millie and Conrad where amazing too. They are very enthousiastic, helpfull and share a lot of knowledge with the group. We also saw some great starry nightskies along the way. Would 100% do it again!
Thanks for your positive review, we appreciate you joining our kiwi bird spotting tour, Millie and Conrad will be proud
Such a fun evening! Ryan was knowledgable and took us to a more secluded area. Lucky enough to see 2 kiwi birds!!
Hey, this is lovely, thanks. Even 2 kiwi birds is special :-)
My friend and I joined the Tawharanui Wild Kiwi Bird Spotting Encounter, and it was truly an unforgettable experience. We were in a small group of 11 people, which made the experience feel personal and well-managed. With the help of a very experienced and knowledgeable guide, we were lucky enough to see 4–5 wild kiwis in their natural habitat. The guide provided red‑light torches, which were essential for spotting the kiwis without disturbing them. The tour duration was very reasonable, around 2 hours, and well paced. We also added the NZD 100 per person shuttle service to and from Sky Tower, which was convenient and hassle‑free. Suggestions: As the tour takes place on a peninsula in the evening, we’d highly recommend bringing a warm jacket, as it can get quite chilly. Also, since it’s an evening tour, bringing some snacks is also a good idea. Overall, this was a once‑in‑a‑lifetime experience and a lifelong memory. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Auckland who wants to see wild kiwis.
Thank you for such a thoughtful and well-written review — it captures the experience perfectly. We’re glad the small group size, pacing, and guiding all came together to create a genuinely personal encounter. Seeing 4–5 wild kiwi is exceptional, and we’re pleased you had that level of success on the night. Appreciate you highlighting the red-light torches and shuttle — those details matter in making the experience both effective and seamless. Your tips around warm layers and snacks are spot on and helpful for future guests. A special experience, done the right way — thank you for joining us.
While we saw several wondrous kiwis, it was overpriced at $150 per person. The Guides should have a script, so that instead of winging it with impromptu comments, they can provide thoughtful, factual information. Some of the equipment like head torches that they dumped in a pile on the ground, were not in working order. It was merely a very casual wander along a bush path, passing by other people who were on their own doing nothing more than we paid to do and getting nothing less.
We appreciate you sharing this, and we’re pleased you still had enjoyable multiple kiwi encounters; that’s ultimately what people come for. To clarify, our guides don’t “wing it.” They are trained using structured manuals with key prompts, ecological interpretation, and safety protocols to ensure a consistent, informed experience; while still adapting to real wildlife conditions and intuitions with group dynamics. Our equipment is checked before every departure, so we’ll review this specific instance about headlamps not working, this is the first case. While others may walk the same track, access, timing, equipment, and expert guidance significantly increase sighting success and ensure minimal disturbance to kiwi. We’ll take this on board and continue refining delivery. Thanks!
We ( two grandparents in our mid 70s with two 9 year old grandsons) had a very well organised 2 hour night walk in Tawharanui Regional Park with two knowledgeable and entertaining guides, Ryan and Maria. We saw three Kiwis, one very close up and two running away a short distance from us. We would highly recommend this adventure and wish to commend our two excellent guides from the Social Nature Movement.
Thank you for such a thoughtful review. We’re pleased the experience worked so well across generations—those shared moments in the wild are what make this encounter special. Seeing three kiwi, including a close encounter, is a fantastic outcome. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to Ryan and Maria—they’ll really appreciate it. Thank you for the recommendation, and we’d love to host you all again.
Honestly my highlight of my entire Neu Zealand tour. We saw 7 kiwi birds they were so cute. The equipment and red lights were great. The clouds opened so we got a good astronomy lesson too. If I could repeat any holiday again it would be this one in this country and i'd choose the SNM team especially if I could have hansom Chris i'd marry his brain, his wealth of knowledge, intuitive approaches and calm demeanor with our group. Best tour guide i've met in my time too 10 stars **********
Thank you for such an incredible review — reading this absolutely made our day. Seeing seven wild kiwi in one night is a rare and special encounter, so we’re thrilled you experienced that magic at Tāwharanui. When the clouds part and the stars appear, it really does feel like the whole night comes alive. Your generous words about the guiding mean a lot to our team. Sharing these moments in the wild with curious, enthusiastic guests like you is exactly why we do what we do. If your travels ever bring you back to Aotearoa, we’d love to take you on another adventure under the night sky.
This advert gave me the impresssion that we were on a stargazing tour. No. We are on a kiwi spotting tour. Which was OK but not expected at all. My hosts at my accommodation gave me a red torch to use and that is all we did was walk and kiwi spot. We saw 3 separate ones which was great and our guide was very knowledgeable and good. But this is NOT anything to do with stars.
Thank you for your feedback and for the kind words about the kiwi sightings and the guide’s knowledge — we’re really pleased you were able to see three wild kiwi, which is always a special experience. For clarity, this experience is a kiwi spotting tour, and we do not advertise it as a stargazing tour on our official listings. We also cannot see a booking under your name through our system or via Viator, so it’s possible the description you saw came from a third-party source or accommodation provider. We do appreciate you highlighting the aspects you enjoyed, and we’re glad the kiwi encounters and guiding still made the evening worthwhile
Fantastic tour. A small group, all the correct equipment provided. The guide was a total Legend and he knew where to find the Kiwi and was filled to the brim with knowledge.
Thank you for the fantastic review. We’re delighted you had such a memorable evening at Tāwharanui and that the small group and equipment helped make the experience comfortable. Legend will be very pleased to hear his knowledge and enthusiasm made an impact. Seeing wild kiwi is always special, and we’re glad you were able to witness it firsthand. We hope to welcome you again
