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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🟢💛 Learn the story of the kākāriki karaka (orange-fronted parakeet) through art 🎨🦜
We’re excited to share this beautiful cartoon series by local artist @sarahmaylittle — bringing to life the journey of one of Aotearoa’s rarest taonga species.
From spotting the differences between parakeet species, to where kākāriki karaka live, to the threats they face from introduced predators — these illustrations tell the story of why they became endangered, and why their survival matters.
Every image is a reminder that predator-free forests give species like kākāriki karaka the chance to thrive once more. 🌿
👉 Swipe through the carousel to explore the full story.
🗳 Don`t forget to vote for kākāriki karaka in the @forestandbird - Bird of the year competition
📸 Cartoons by @sarahmaylittle
#KākārikiKaraka #BirdOfTheYear #PredatorFreeNZ #Conservation #BrookSanctuary
Sep 17
🟠🌿✨ Voting is OPEN! ✨🌿🟠
It’s here — Bird of the Year 2025 has begun! We’re backing the kākāriki karaka (orange-fronted parakeet), one of Aotearoa’s most precious taonga species.
Once found across the motu, kākāriki karaka now survive only in small, fragile populations. They are taonga because they carry the mauri (life force) of our beech forests — feeding on seeds, flowers, and insects, and spreading the ngahere’s abundance as they move. Their survival is woven into the health of the forest itself.
Less than a few hundred remain in the wild, but thanks to translocations, captive breeding, and predator-free sanctuaries like ours, there is hope.
💚 Cast your vote for the kākāriki karaka — the rarest parakeet with the biggest fight.
💚 Share this post to spread the word.
👉 Vote: Link in our bio
👉 Search for kākāriki karaka and click “click here to vote for me”
Together, we can give this taonga a future.
#KākārikiKaraka #BirdOfTheYear #BOTY2025 #BrookSanctuary
Sep 15
🚨💥BREAKING NEWS💥🚨
Remember Floyd — the kākāriki karaka poster boy of summer 2021/22? 🦜✨
After a storm wrecked his nest and his trail went cold, he vanished… whispers spread, hope faded… many thought we’d never see him again. 😱
But guess what? In a jaw-dropping comeback worthy of a wildlife soap opera…
FLOYD. IS. BACK. 💛🌿
Older. Wiser. Hotter. And living proof that predator-free forests = survival + surprise comebacks. 🌳🔥
Read the full story here on Sean McGrath`s blog: Link in our bio
#FloydLives #KākārikiMystery #KakarikiForBirdOfTheYear
Sep 12
💚 Aotearoa Icons: Kererū keep the ngahere growing
Kererū are more than forest gardeners — they’re essential to the health and regeneration of the Sanctuary. As the only birds in Aotearoa able to swallow large fruits whole, they disperse the seeds of tawa, miro, mataī, nīkau and many broadleaf plants like Coprosma species. Without them, many of these trees would struggle to thrive.
But kererū do more than spread seeds. Alongside extinct moa and now-rare kōkākō and parrots, they are also native browsers. Here at the Sanctuary, they feed on leaves and buds of kōwhai in late winter and spring, as well as browsing on introduced species like brooms and lucerne.
This work is vital for the one-third of the Sanctuary that was historically felled and is now regenerating. Kererū play a key role in shaping these young forests back into rich, resilient ngahere for future generations. 🌿
📸 Photo by @henry.__.hart, taken here at the Sanctuary.
🌿 Aotearoa Icons — celebrating the beloved species that shape our identity, from the backyard to the Sanctuary.
#AotearoaIcons #Kererū #BrookSanctuary #Conservation #ForestGardeners
Sep 10
🥔✨ Ngahere Neighbourhood: velvet potato fungus (Gallacea scleroderma)
Nestled in the leaf litter of our beech forests, the velvet potato fungus is one of Aotearoa’s more eye-catching truffle-like fungi. Its velvety purple-brown surface gives it a potato-like look — but its colour may have once had a bigger purpose, thought to attract moa to help spread its spores.
Endemic to New Zealand, it lives in partnership with southern beech trees, helping them absorb water and nutrients while taking in sugars from their roots.”
As its name suggests, this fungus produces small, tuber-like fruiting bodies, usually 2–5 cm across, with a thick, velvety outer skin. Inside, the flesh is a rich brown, packed with tiny spores ready for dispersal.
Look closely next time you’re in the ngahere — you might just spot a velvet potato fungus tucked among the leaves..
🌿 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 #NZfungi #ForestConnections
Sep 9
🟠 Why Do Kākāriki Karaka Need a Pest-Free Habitat — and What Threats Do They Face? 🌿
Kākāriki karaka may be bright, bold, and full of personality — but they’re also incredibly vulnerable.
🔸 These tiny forest dwellers nest in tree hollows, which makes their eggs and chicks easy targets for ship rats, stoats and possums. When beech forests` mast and predator numbers explode, entire populations can be wiped out.
🔸 Their beaks and feathers can also be affected by Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD), a virus that has recently spread into parts of the South Island.
🔸 Habitat degradation from browsing deer and possums, together with competition for nest sites from invasive species like starlings, makes survival even harder. Competition with wasps and chaffinches for food is another challenge, though this has less impact where predation is the main threat.
That’s why predator control and pest-free sanctuaries like ours are so important. Our secure beech forest habitat, combined with careful monitoring and translocation efforts, gives these manu the best chance at survival — and a future.
📸 Photos by @aptenodytes42 Sean Mcgrath taken right here at the Sanctuary
💛 Back the kākāriki karaka! - Head to our Bird of the Year page for FAQs, our translocation story, and a sign-up link so you’ll know the moment voting opens:
Link in our bio
🧡 Vote kākāriki karaka for Bird of the Year 2025
#BirdOfTheYear2025 #KākārikiKaraka #BackFromTheBrink #PredatorFreeNZ #BOTY2025 #BrookSanctuary #SaveOurNatives #NgahereWhānau
Sean McGrath taken right here at the Sanctuary
Sep 4
