Ngā Manu Nature Reserve is a nature and wildlife reserve in
Waikanae, New Zealand, on the
Kāpiti Coast of the
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
. In addition to offering a sanctuary for native birds and other animals, the reserve preserves the largest remnant of coastal lowland swamp forest on the Kāpiti Coast.
Ngā Manu contains aviaries housing native birds such as
kākā,
kākāriki,
scaup
Scaup is the common name for three species of diving duck:
* Greater scaup, or just "scaup", ''Aythya marila''
* Lesser scaup, ''Aythya affinis''
* New Zealand scaup, ''Aythya novaeseelandiae''
External links
{{Animal common name
Birds by co ...
,
whio
The blue duck or whio (''Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos'') is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae endemic to New Zealand. It is the only member of the genus ''Hymenolaimus''. Its exact taxonomic status is still unresolved, but i ...
and
kea, enclosures with
tuatara, and a nocturnal house with
kiwi and
morepork.
Bird life in the reserve comprises up to 60 different bird species,
the most visible being common local birds such as
kererū,
tūī,
black swan
The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...
,
paradise duck
The paradise shelduck (''Tadorna variegata''), also known as the paradise duck, or in Māori, is a species of shelduck, a group of goose-like ducks, which is endemic to New Zealand. Johann Friedrich Gmelin placed it in the genus ''Anas'' with ...
and
pūkeko
The Australasian swamphen (''Porphyrio melanotus'') is a species of swamphen (''Porphyrio'') occurring in eastern Indonesia (the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands), Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand, it is known as the puk ...
. The reserve is not surrounded by a pest-exclusion fence, and as a result the native bush area of the reserve does not host any critically endangered animals, however, Ngā Manu is regularly involved in wider conservation efforts and breeding programmes.
History
Ngā Manu has been managed by the charitable Ngā Manu Trust since 1974 and opened to the public in 1981.
The site was chosen as it had a large remnant of coastal lowland swamp forest and was purchased by founding trustees
Peter McKenzie, Prof. John Salmon and David Mudge with part of an inheritance from the late
Sir John McKenzie. The well-known geologist and naturalist
Charles Fleming later joined the project and extensive planting and additional landscaping was completed in the late 1970s.
The nature reserve had a tūī, named Keko, that could mimic human speech. Phrases included "I'm Keko", "I'm hungry", "fe fi fo fum", "bloody kids" and could also count. Keko died in 2020.
In 2023, Ngā Manu received a Qualmark Silver Sustainable Tourism Business Award.
Today, Ngā Manu also serves as an important "stepping stone" for birds travelling between the native forests of
Kapiti Island and the
Tararua Range. Visitor numbers have been helped by easier access and signposting on the
Kāpiti Expressway built in 2017.
Visitor facilities
Closer to the visitor centre, the reserve offers lawn areas and an
arboretum
An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...
of native trees. An education centre building was added in the 1990s, which is a popular destination for school trips and also available for hire as a venue.
The reserve also offers small tours and individual experiences.
A wheelchair-friendly loop track circles through the native bush home to some 700 native plant species, taking in some small lawn clearings and skirting the three small lakes and ponds in the reserve. The largest lake contains several small bush-covered islands connected with small wooden bridges, and there is a side track leading to a lookout tower overlooking the native bush.
References
External links
*
{{Kāpiti Coast District, state=collapsed
Nature reserves in New Zealand
Tourist attractions in the Wellington Region
Wetlands of the Wellington Region