Sanctuary Guided Walks

The Glenfern Sanctuary guided walk begins with a ride in the Unimog, a 4WD all terrain army vehicle, up to Sunset Rock and a view of the 60 hectare (150 acre) sanctuary. An old bridle trail, now a well formed track, continues along the ridge top. The extent of nine years of replanting natives trees amongst the regenerating kanuka and manuka scrub is evident now with over 9,000 trees of over 40 species. This is also the perimeter transit of a 100m x 50m grid of rat bait stations, which combined with cat traps, forms the predator protection screen across the whole Sanctuary. Now in its 4th year of continuous operation it has provided the birds and lizards with three breeding cycles without predators.

kauri tree

The ridge track turns off onto 'Kauri Tree Walk', passing through a plateau area of second stage regeneration where the native plants have been identified with descriptive plaques. A short stretch of boardwalk leads into mature coastal lowland forest where an old fallen puriri has re-sprouted into five trees and become host to other trees, ferns and epiphytes. A few steps further on and the suspension bridge into the crown of a 600-year-old kauri tree stands before you. A short ladder climbs from the bridge to a platform 10m above the forest floor with a view down the valley to Port FitzRoy.

On the way back down the valley there is a black petrel nest where a chick has fledged in 2000, 2002, 2003, and now 2006. The black petrel, a seabird endemic to NZ, formerly found across the North Island and north-western South Island ranges, is now restricted to Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands, the only known breeding places in the world. This Category A endangered species, once safely fledged, will head for South America to live off the sea for the next four to five years before returning to the very same area where it was born and look for a mate. Continuing down the valley over extensive boardwalks and steps there are age-old nikau, kohekohe and taraire trees and one remarkable old puriri with a face in the trunk. The steps finish at the floor of the valley where they meet the stream and the upper end of a quadbike track. A gentle walk criss-crossing the stream over nine bridges and you have returned to the start point again.

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photo photo of a Kaka bird sitting on someones head photo of group, releasing the robins into th wild photo of a skink