Nga Manu Nature Reserve
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Nga Manu Nature Reserve
Discover "A Real KIWI Nature Experience" on the Kapiti Coast, within easy reach of Wellington. A diverse range of native birds & over 700 plant species.
Nga Manu Nature Reserve offers a unique opportunity to have a hands-on experience with nature and combines education with a great day out.
See the iconic New Zealand kiwi in the nocturnal house and meet native birds in the walk through aviaries. Feed endangered long fin eels, spot frogs and native lizards and get up close to tuatara. Explore Kapiti’s largest remaining remnant of coastal lowland swamp forest and idyllic bird sanctuary. Over 50 different bird species come and go around the wetlands, bush and surroundings.
There are over 13 hectares of unique flora and fauna to discover and many paths are wheel chair and pushchair friendly. The more adventurous can climb to the top of the lookout tower for a wonderful view of the reserve. Nga Manu is a botanist’s treasure trove with approximately 700 different species of native plants, ranging from native grasses and ferns, through to 400 year old Kahikatea trees.
Book a ‘Feed Out Tour’ at 11am and see the native birds fed by informative staff and learn about the Kereru recovery and Kiwi programmes. Many birds come down to feed, providing fantastic photo opportunities and close encounters.
Nga Manu Nature Reserve provides the perfect setting for a picnic or you may wish to hire their BBQ Island for your group or function. Ice cream, snacks and drinks are available in the Nga Manu Information Centre or you may choose to head over to one of the cafes at Waikanae Beach before or after your visit.
The purpose built conservation and education centre with its deck overlooking the main pond, provides a class room away from school or makes the perfect venue for weddings, celebrations or functions and you can book Theo’s Cottage to enjoy a special overnight stay at the reserve.
Details
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Organisation |
Nga Manu Nature ReserveCommercial organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Waikanae |
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Operating Season And Hours |
Open 364 days of the year from 10am - 5pm. Closed on Christmas Day.
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Bird Watching
Reviews
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Thank you for scoring us 10/10. We are glad you enjoyed your visit.
ngamanu
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5.0/5
Want to see a living Kiwi?
Then this is a perfect spot for it! Nice and well grown area with some nice birds like ducks, Tui and of course a Kiwi. Perfect for families.
Thank you Frank - we are glad you really enjoyed your visit to Nga Manu and got a good view of a kiwi. Happy travels :)
ngamanu
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Thank you for giving us the high score Erik.
ngamanu
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4.5/5
We took the kids up here for a day trip out of Wellington and it was a super place to spend the day with the family.
Lots of ducks and animals (friendly ones) roaming free, some cool walking tracks for the kids that weren't too long....heaps of picnic areas. All in all if you are looking at a cool place to take the family for the day I'd recommend for sure.
Thank you for your review and recommendation. We are glad that your family enjoyed your visit from Wellington and hope to see you again in the future. You may enjoy following our Facebook page to keep up with news and events at the reserve: https://www.facebook.com/NgaManuNatureReserve/
ngamanu
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5.0/5
Really cheered us up on a rainy day.
Great to see a place devoted to conservation. Very imaginative project - watching the eels being fed was pretty gruesome!
Thank you - this is great to hear. 6 years on we are still very much devoted to conservation and preservation and the eels still provide a huge thrill for visitors at our 2pm daily eel feed. There have been many changes at Nga Manu since your last visit and we hope that you come back to visit us again in the future. You may enjoy following our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NgaManuNatureReserve/ and we shall soon have a new website up and running.
ngamanu
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2.0/5
Birds like Tui, Woodpigeon, Kea and Kaka can be observed here, many of those in cages.
Nocturnal house for Kiwi. The park is nice, but too expensive and not as spectacular as the brochure says.
Thank you for your feedback and we shall take your comments on board as we move forwards with developments at the Reserve. We are currently in the process of developing a new, image rich, informative website where it will be really clear all that is on offer at Nga Manu and we hope that will prevent others in the future having similar feelings to your own.
We try to remain competitive with our pricing in line with the other Nature Connections partners (including Wellington Zoo, Zealandia, Pukaha Mount Bruce and Staglands Wildlife Reserve), while also supporting our running costs. As Nga Manu Trust is a charitable trust we rely on generous donations and admission fees to cover our operation costs. For a more intimate experience with nature, visitors can book one of our close encounter experiences (our Bird Feed Out Tour (70 minutes) is $25 and our Ranger for the Day Experience (9am-3pm) is very reasonable at $62 and is suitable for visitors aged 7+. We also offer huge discounts for school groups.
We really appreciate your feedback, we are reviewing our pricing structure as we get ready to launch the new website and we will look into offering special promotional days with a discounted entry fee to make Nga Manu more accessible to all. The details of these will be posted on our Facebook page which you can choose to follow here: https://www.facebook.com/NgaManuNatureReserve/
ngamanu
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Thank you for giving us the high score Erik.
ngamanu
-
Thank you for scoring us 10/10. We are glad you enjoyed your visit.
ngamanu
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5.0/5
Want to see a living Kiwi?
Then this is a perfect spot for it! Nice and well grown area with some nice birds like ducks, Tui and of course a Kiwi. Perfect for families.
Thank you Frank - we are glad you really enjoyed your visit to Nga Manu and got a good view of a kiwi. Happy travels :)
ngamanu
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4.5/5
We took the kids up here for a day trip out of Wellington and it was a super place to spend the day with the family.
Lots of ducks and animals (friendly ones) roaming free, some cool walking tracks for the kids that weren't too long....heaps of picnic areas. All in all if you are looking at a cool place to take the family for the day I'd recommend for sure.
Thank you for your review and recommendation. We are glad that your family enjoyed your visit from Wellington and hope to see you again in the future. You may enjoy following our Facebook page to keep up with news and events at the reserve: https://www.facebook.com/NgaManuNatureReserve/
ngamanu
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2.0/5
Birds like Tui, Woodpigeon, Kea and Kaka can be observed here, many of those in cages.
Nocturnal house for Kiwi. The park is nice, but too expensive and not as spectacular as the brochure says.
Thank you for your feedback and we shall take your comments on board as we move forwards with developments at the Reserve. We are currently in the process of developing a new, image rich, informative website where it will be really clear all that is on offer at Nga Manu and we hope that will prevent others in the future having similar feelings to your own.
We try to remain competitive with our pricing in line with the other Nature Connections partners (including Wellington Zoo, Zealandia, Pukaha Mount Bruce and Staglands Wildlife Reserve), while also supporting our running costs. As Nga Manu Trust is a charitable trust we rely on generous donations and admission fees to cover our operation costs. For a more intimate experience with nature, visitors can book one of our close encounter experiences (our Bird Feed Out Tour (70 minutes) is $25 and our Ranger for the Day Experience (9am-3pm) is very reasonable at $62 and is suitable for visitors aged 7+. We also offer huge discounts for school groups.
We really appreciate your feedback, we are reviewing our pricing structure as we get ready to launch the new website and we will look into offering special promotional days with a discounted entry fee to make Nga Manu more accessible to all. The details of these will be posted on our Facebook page which you can choose to follow here: https://www.facebook.com/NgaManuNatureReserve/
ngamanu
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3.0/5
Hard to see some of the birds, lots of empty displays, not very expensive only $15, bird enclosures somewhat small.
Thank you for your feedback. A lot has changed at Nga Manu since 2012 and we hope visitors will enjoy the improvements. Please have a read of our many positive reviews here:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attraction_Review-g2156360-d2162163-Reviews-Nga_Manu_Nature_Reserve-Waikanae_Kapiti_Coast_Greater_Wellington_North_Island.html#REVIEWS
or take a look at our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/NgaManuNatureReserve/
We have kept our prices in line with the other Nature Connections partners (including Wellington Zoo, Zealandia, Pukaha Mount Bruce and Staglands Wildlife Reserve) and try to remain competitive while also supporting our running costs. Our admission price is now $18 for adults and $8 for children and we do a discounted ticket for families - $38 and discounts for larger groups and schools. We also offer reasonably priced tours and experiences. It is now rare for us to have empty displays although some aviary birds are going through a rehabilitation process and are released into the wild once fully rehabilitated. Our Tuatara retreat underground on cold or overcast days, but there is always one on display in the warmer nocturnal house.
ngamanu
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2.5/5
Overpriced, not that exciting for children, relatively nice bushwalk with explanation on endemic vegetation.
Thank you for your feedback. A lot has changed at Nga Manu since 2011 and we hope visitors will enjoy the improvements. Please have a read of our many positive reviews here:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attraction_Review-g2156360-d2162163-Reviews-Nga_Manu_Nature_Reserve-Waikanae_Kapiti_Coast_Greater_Wellington_North_Island.html#REVIEWS
or take a look at our Facebook page for pictures, posts and reviews:
https://www.facebook.com/NgaManuNatureReserve/
Young children love feeding the ducks and people of all ages enjoy feeding the eels at 2pm. Children can explore the bush walk and climb up to the lookout tower and then spot a monster hiding in the forest on their way back (2016 Summer 'Bring your Wild Things Out' promotion). There are seasonal displays in our visitors centre (we post about these on Facebook) and children have enjoyed many different nature experiences at Nga Manu. Our Ranger for the Day Experience is perfect for children 7 years+ and is a really immersive day.
We have kept our prices in line with the other Nature Connections partners (including Wellington Zoo, Zealandia, Pukaha Mount Bruce and Staglands Wildlife Reserve) and try to remain competitive while also supporting our running costs. Our admission price is now $18 for adults and $8 for children and we do a discounted ticket for families - $38 and discounts for larger groups and schools. We also offer reasonably priced tours and experiences.
ngamanu
-
5.0/5
Really cheered us up on a rainy day.
Great to see a place devoted to conservation. Very imaginative project - watching the eels being fed was pretty gruesome!
Thank you - this is great to hear. 6 years on we are still very much devoted to conservation and preservation and the eels still provide a huge thrill for visitors at our 2pm daily eel feed. There have been many changes at Nga Manu since your last visit and we hope that you come back to visit us again in the future. You may enjoy following our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NgaManuNatureReserve/ and we shall soon have a new website up and running.
ngamanu
