Day 23: Today we’re going to Sanctuary Mountain / Mount Maungatautari to check out some New Zealand native wildlife in this protected area.

About this video:

After a night in the Arapuni Backpackers in the Waikato, it’s just a short drive to Sanctuary Mountain, also known as Mount Maungatautari. This is a pest-free wildlife sanctuary surrounded by a predator-proof fence in order to protect some of New Zealand’s most endangered species. What’s more, Sanctuary Mountain is open to the public to come and enjoy the unique wildlife of New Zealand.

We join a tour of one of the enclosures holding beautiful takahe birds and tuatara, a native New Zealand lizard that is a living descendent of the dinosaur era. After seeing and learning about these amazing creatures, we head off into the forest with a conservation team to release some kokakos – some of New Zealand’s most melodic songbirds.

Sanctuary Mountain / Mount Maungatautari has walking tracks within the boundaries of the predator-free area so it’s a great place to spot birds in New Zealand. An awesome New Zealand wildlife experience!

365 Days: 365 Activities

New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year is the challenge we’re getting ourselves to do 365 Days: 365 Activities. Every single day we have to do something awesome in New Zealand as a backpacking and travel New Zealand experience. What’s more, we’re filming the entire thing! That way we can bring you the best New Zealand travel guide at BackpackerGuide.NZ and now on Daily Motion!

Read more about Sanctuary Mountain / Mount Maungatautari on New Zealand’s biggest guide for backpackers: http://www.backpackerguide.nz/blog/2016/06/rare-wildlife-encounter-maungatautari/