aiakar
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Karori ▷
Zealandia Eco-Sanctuary
5.0/5
What a place to have right in the middle of a capital city.
The fact that you can't expect to see certain birds on demand makes the sightings you do have even more special. You know you're not in a zoo when you come here. There's plenty to see anyway. You can stay on the flat if you don't have long or feel like an easy walk, or you can set off down some of the longer tracks out the back.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Kapiti Island ▷
Kapiti Island Nature Tours
2.0/5
Having read the other reviews of Kapiti Island Alive, I'm sorry to rain on the parade a little.
I had much higher expectations of this operation given the publicity and the price paid. There are a number of things that could be improved, e.g. the information given before landing regarding what you could and couldn't bring, and the tracks that are closed during certain times of the year. Also, it should be mentioned that weather conditions could mean the boat will pick you up early and you may miss out on one of the long walks. The 'lodge' is a family bach. The food is filling but ordinary for the price. While the wildlife is around and quite visible, I couldn't call the guides 'highly trained' or 'expert' based on the talk given before the night tour.
The island is a beautiful place and the lodge is a great idea but it needs to work harder to live up to its pricing and publicity.
Addition 29/1: Perhaps janets (who refers to my review) could rethink her assumptions that I have not been to more expensive places than this and bear in mind that people are entitled to their opinion and may have had a different experience to the one she had. Perhaps an ego reduction is in order for her.
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North Island ▷ Manawatu - Wanganui ▷ Whanganui ▷
Bushy Park Tarapuruhi
3.5/5
Lovely place with a relaxed atmosphere.
The hosts were knowledgeable but not intrusive.
The food was very nice but I was a little stunned to see hoki on the menu because of the way it is fished. It didn't really match the conservation ethos of this place.
The flocks of kereru were delightful.
I was surprised that the bedrooms were open to the public when they were not being used and that there were no individual keys for each room meaning that you had to lock your valuables in the wardrobe before you left each time. The hosts stated that this was being attended to but it should be a priority. The park has been operating for some time now.
Signage on the tracks is informative but the tone is a little outdated. I imagine some people would find it less than capturing.