Zealandia

"ZEALANDIA is the world’s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary, with an extraordinary 500-year vision to restore a Wellington valley’s forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to their pre-human state. The 225 hectare ecosanctuary is a groundbreaking conservation project that has reintroduced 18 species of native wildlife back into the area, 6 of which were previously absent from mainland New Zealand for over 100 years."

Pied Shag, drying its wings

Tuatara (not a lizard, but related to dinosaurs)

One of my tours in Wellington was a visit to Zealandia, an extremely ambitious project in ecological restoration.  This is a 500 year project since it will take that long to regrow the trees destroyed by settlers who wanted farmland.  It is an impossible task.  Some of the animals  like the moa, an 8 foot tall flightless bird, are extinct.  Other species which were thought to be extinct have been found on remote islands and brought to the reserve and are successfully breeding in an area where they are protected from introduced predators.  Our volunteer guide was knowledgeable and passionate in support of the project.  Imagine trying to build a fence that will keep out cats, possums, dogs, rabbits and any other animal which was not found in New Zealand 1000 years ago.  Here are a few of the species which reside in the the sanctuary.

Pied Shag

Takahe

Karakara - New Zealand Parrot

Giant Weta (Harmless, they say)