Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre

Hello sun friends, 

I’m back again. Unfortunately, there has been quite a bit to take care of here, as my phone has given up the ghost, and I had to take care of quite a bit of organization. 

In addition, I’m also planning a few cool trips for the coming weeks, which is why I am a bit more tied up there as well. 

However, I definitely want to report on my layovers towards the northwest of the North Island. One of those layovers was at the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre. It was more of a spontaneous stop, because while I was driving towards Palmerston North, I discovered this little nature and bird oasis, and since I had nothing special planned for the day anyway, I spontaneously decided to take a little tour here. 

The Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre is a closed reserve, where Kiwis and New Zealand birds are rescued, cared for, and if possible returned to nature. The reserve has various enclosures, and a path leads from enclosure to enclosure. The path is also decorated and there are artworks and sculptures placed everywhere. 

Additionally, the reserve also has a few eels in the adjoining river. So I wandered from station to station and looked at Kiwis, Geckos, eels, and various birds (including some nearly extinct species). 

The weather was getting colder and colder, and therefore I was very glad to have my scarf, so I only walked a shorter loop - well, more of a stroll than a walk. The advantage of strolling is that you notice smaller things more easily. Like the cool tree dinosaur:

After the little stop, I also had a coffee at the café there and did a bit of blogging. After the break, I headed to Palmerston North for the night, and from there continued towards Mount Taranaki and the west coast of the North Island. 

More on that in the next post. 

Your Britta