Welcome to The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary – an extraordinary part of New Zealand.
Just minutes from Nelson’s city centre, the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary is the South Island’s largest fully fenced eco-sanctuary—690 hectares of protected native forest alive with rare and threatened species. This is a place where you can reconnect with nature, breathe deeply, and experience the mauri (life force) of Aotearoa’s unique environment.
Home to iconic species like the kiwi, tuatara, and kākāriki, the Sanctuary offers self-guided exploration across 15km of walking tracks, as well as guided day and night tours.
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🟠🟡 When Did Kākāriki Karaka Arrive at the Brook Sanctuary — and How Are They Protected Here? 🟡🟠
After more than a century away from the Nelson region, kākāriki karaka returned home in November 2021. Twenty critically endangered parakeets — raised at The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust in Christchurch — arrived by plane and helicopter, then spent a couple of nights in on‑site aviaries before being released into the forest.
More birds followed in 2022 and 2023 from Isaac’s, Orana Park, and Auckland Zoo, building the genetic diversity and resilience of our founder population. And it’s working: recent surveys estimate at the very least 214 birds now live within the Sanctuary, with some models predicting more than double that amount, making this the largest population in the country.
Protecting them is a round‑the‑clock job. Our pest fence, an intensive biosecurity regime - including rapid responses to breaches and ongoing pest surveillance keeps the Sanctuary pest free. Volunteers help track sightings, report banded birds, and share photos so we can follow their progress.
Kākāriki karaka produce many offspring in quick succession as a breeding strategy. Even with inevitable losses, the population here remains strong, thriving thanks to community vigilance, science‑led conservation, and aroha for one of Aotearoa’s rarest birds.
📸: Photos taken by Sean McGrath @aptenodytes42 right here at the Sanctuary
#BirdOfTheYear2025 #KākārikiKaraka #BrookSanctuary #BringingBirdsBack #SaveOurNatives #BOTY2025 #TaongaSpecies #PredatorFreeNZ #NgahereWhānau #ForestAndBird
Aug 7
🍄 Ngahere Neighbourhood – Waxgill (Gliophorus)
Sticky, slimy, and surprisingly beautiful — Gliophorus is a native waxgill fungus
🟣 Species of Gliophorus are distinguished from other waxgills by their extremely slimy or glutinous caps and stems — giving them a distinctive, wet-look appearance. They can sometimes be confused with members of the similar genus Gloioxanthomyces.
🗺️ In Aotearoa, waxgills are often found in the bush, and New Zealand is home to a proportionally large number of Gliophorus species. While some overseas species are now threatened, our native waxgills still thrive in healthy forests like the Brook.
🌿 Ngahere Neighbourhood
There’s more to the Sanctuary than birds! This series celebrates the rich biodiversity thriving in the Brook — a connected community of unsung flora and fauna making the Sanctuary their home.
#NgahereNeighbourhood #BrookSanctuary #Waxgill #Gliophorus #FungiFriday #NZFungi #ForestLife #SlimyButBeautiful #BiodiversityNZ #NgahereJewel
Aug 6
🎥 Kiwi Pukupuku Caught on Cam:
Not every kiwi moment is majestic – sometimes it’s just nature, doing its business. 💩
This kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) left us a very clear sign they were here, before strolling off into the darkness of the ngahere.
💡 Fun fact: It’s the start of breeding season for kiwi pukupuku (July–Feb). These monogamous pairs use burrows and hollow logs to nest, and the male takes on the 65–75‑day incubation duties. Chicks emerge after just 4–5 days but stick close to home for a few weeks before heading off on their own.
Here at the Sanctuary, 10 of our kiwi wear tiny radio‑tracking transmitters, weighing no more than 10 grams (the same weight as the New Zealand two-dollar coin and is of similar size), strapped gently to the leg, so we can monitor their territories without disturbing them. Most have now settled into their chosen patch, complete with a favourite selection of burrows, reliable food, and often a partner.
📍 Safe, happy, and thriving — just how we like our residents.
#BrookSanctuary #KiwiPukupuku #LittleSpottedKiwi #BringingKiwiHome #SanctuaryStories #NgahereWhānau #BirdOfTheYear2025 #KiwiConservation
Aug 5
🟠🟡 Why Are Kākāriki Karaka So Rare? 🟡🟠
Once found across Aotearoa, kākāriki karaka are now one of our rarest forest birds, with just a few hundred left. Why?
🌲 Habitat reduction
Deforestation has played a significant role, but introduced deer and possums have also degraded the beech forests these birds rely on, limiting food sources in the middle tier of the forest. This may have forced kākāriki karaka to compete with their yellow-crowned cousins, who are better adapted to the upper canopy.
🐀 Predators
Kākāriki karaka didn’t evolve with mammalian threats. Nesting in tree hollows puts them right in reach of ship rats, stoats, and possums. Fledglings, who often explore the forest floor, are easy prey for cats.
⚠️ Rat plagues
Rat Plagues occur when all the beech trees seed in unison, providing a glut of rat food. This seeding, known as masting, occurs regularly every three or four years when conditions are right. In 2001, a single rat plague wiped out 85% of one population.
🕳️ Competition for nest sites
Introduced wasps and starlings also compete for food and nest hollows, adding more pressure during the crucial breeding season.
🧬 A delayed start in conservation
For years, scientists debated whether kākāriki karaka were truly a separate species or just a colour morph of the yellow-crowned kākāriki. This uncertainty delayed critical conservation work.
But there’s hope.
Predator control, forest sanctuaries, and a world-leading breeding programme are helping bring this taonga back — including right here at the Brook Sanctuary.
📸: Pictures taken by Sean McGrath @aptenodytes42 right here at the Sanctuary
#BirdOfTheYear2025 #KākārikiKaraka #WhySoRare #BrookSanctuary #SaveOurNatives #PredatorFreeNZ #BeechForestBirds #BOTY2025 #BringingBirdsBack #NgahereWhānau #ForestAndBird
Jul 31
🦋 Ngahere Neighbourhood x Moth Week (a little belated!) — tutu green spindle (Tatosoma lestevata)
A flash of vivid green in the ngahere might just be the tutu green spindle — a striking moth found only in Aotearoa.
First described in 1862 based on specimens from Nelson, this endemic moth is a local treasure. Adults are easily recognised by their bright green forewings marked with wavy black lines and sharp, tooth-like markings near the edge. Despite their brilliance, these moths are masters of camouflage among the leaves.
Like many of Aotearoa’s moths, the tutu green spindle is vulnerable to habitat loss. Over 1000 moth species are endemic to New Zealand — and unlike places of similar size, such as England (which has only one), our forests are home to a rich and irreplaceable moth fauna.
The Sanctuary has recorded 83 moth species so far, many endemic to New Zealand or this region alone — and we’re certain there are more waiting to be discovered. Protecting these tiny wonders means protecting the ecosystems they call home.
📍Seen at the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, where native biodiversity has a fighting chance.
🔎 We`re not aware of a specific te reo Māori name for this species — if you know of one or have kōrero to share, we’d love to hear from you.
#NgahereNeighbourhood #BrookSanctuary #TutuGreenSpindle #NZMoths #ForestInvertebrates #NativeSpecies #EndemicToNZ #ConservationMatters #SanctuaryStories #InvertebrateInspo
Jul 30
🪵 Ngahere Neighbourhood – Reticulated Stag Beetle
Meet one of our forest’s lesser-known residents: Paralissotes reticulatus, the reticulated stag beetle. Like all beetles, it has two pairs of wings — the outer pair (elytra) form a tough protective shell, while the inner flight wings are vestigial: tiny and nonfunctional. This common trait among New Zealand beetles means P. reticulatus is completely flightless, well suited to life in the damp decay of rotting native wood..
Glossy black and beautifully patterned, its name comes from the net-like (reticulate) pattern of depressed scaly areas and non-scaly areas. Males and females look similar, with modest mandibles and a stocky frame that ranges between 13–22 mm.
🕯️ Mostly nocturnal, these beetles are sometimes spotted during the day if it’s wet enough — so keep an eye out near decaying logs or leaf litter when you`re walking through the ngahere.
🪱 Their larvae live deep inside rotting wood
A true forest recycler, quietly doing the mahi beneath your feet.
🌿 Ngahere Neighbourhood
There’s more to the Sanctuary than birds! This series celebrates the rich biodiversity thriving in the Brook — a connected community of unsung flora and fauna making the Sanctuary their home.
#NgahereNeighbourhood #BrookSanctuary #StagBeetle #ParalissotesReticulatus #NZInvertebrates #ForestFloor #BiodiversityNZ #InsectConservation #NocturnalNature #DecayingWoodEcosystem #FlightlessBeetles
Jul 26
