Although hatching from the egg fully feathered and able to feed themselves, kiwi often require a little help from their human friends to make it to adulthood. Programs such as the National Kiwi Hatchery play an important role in kiwi conservation by incubating eggs and hatching chicks at centres around New Zealand.

Despite their relatively small numbers, manuhiri (visitors) can see this bird in real life at a number of kiwi houses and sanctuaries. If your clients are really lucky, they might even catch a glimpse of one in the wild.

• Rotoroa Island, Auckland (opens in new window)– Auckland’s Rotoroa Island is found in the Hauraki Gulf and is home to over 25 North Island Brown kiwi. With an illustrious past, it is now a serene wildlife sanctuary. There is accommodation on the island so stay the night for your best chance of seeing or hearing a kiwi.
  
  
• Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, Waikato (opens in new window) – Rare and endangered New Zealand wildlife – including takahē, kiwi and tuatara are thriving on Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, a unique eco sanctuary near Cambridge in the Waikato. Sanctuary Mountain offers private night-time tours and the opportunity to be a part of a kiwi release.
  
  
• Ōtorohanga Kiwi House, Waikato(opens in new window) - The Ōtorohanga Kiwi House has been supporting kiwi and other New Zealand natives since 1971. Visitors can learn about their active brown kiwi breeding program from the friendly and knowledgeable guides. The not-for-profit wildlife and conservation centre displays kiwi birds all day in specialised moonlit nocturnal houses complete with burrow cameras.
  
  
• National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa, Rotorua(opens in new window) – The hard work of kiwi experts at the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua has led to being the most successful kiwi hatchery in the world! Visitors can view the incubation and hatching work on their National Kiwi Hatchery tour.
  
  
• Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, Wairarapa(opens in new window) – Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre in the Wairarapa, pioneered captive breeding techniques for some of New Zealand’s most threatened birds. Located in a pocket of ancient forest, spot kiwi poking through the leaf-litter in their nocturnal house. 
  
  
• Zealandia, Wellington(opens in new window) – Just a few minutes by car from downtown Wellington and nestled in a forested valley, Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne is an outdoor haven for some of New Zealand’s rarest native birds and animals and a living monument to world-leading conservation efforts. On a night tour, you may just spot one of the 150 little spotted kiwi who call Zealandia home.
  
  
• Kāpiti Island Nature Tours, Wellington(opens in new window) – The Kāpiti Island Nature Reserve, 5km off the west coast at the southern end of the North Island, is one New Zealand’s most important sites for bird recovery. The little spotted kiwi, now extinct from the mainland forests, thrives on Kāpiti Island. Kāpiti Island Nature Tours offer return ferry transfers, day trips and overnight kiwi spotting tours.
  
  
• Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, Christchurch (opens in new window)– Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch incubates eggs for up to four species of kiwi – Ōkarito Rowi, Haast Tokoeka, Great Spotted and North Island Brown. Visit the reserve to see the dedicated team in action as they continue to hatch and re-release kiwi back into the wild.
  
  
• Orokonui Sanctuary, Dunedin (opens in new window)– The 307ha Orokonui Eco-Sanctuary, 20km north of Dunedin, is restoring an entire forest ecosystem to its pre-human state. Visit the kiwi crèche where the team raise the rarest of all kiwi, the Haast Tokoeka
  
  
• Rakiura/Stewart Island (opens in new window)– Stewart Island Wild Kiwi Encounter is one of the ultimate kiwi experiences. Join an expert guide as you enjoy a short boat ride, followed by a walk through coastal forest, before reaching Ocean Beach. Here in the darkness you will get to see the Southern Brown kiwi (Rakiura Tokoeka) in the wild as they search for their dinner.