Orokonui Ecosanctuary

Just north of Dunedin is Orokonui Ecosanctuary. A predator fence surrounds 307 hectares and pests have been removed and the reserve is continually monitored just in case a few sneak in. Volunteers help with planting, weed removal and maintenance and rare species of plants and animals have been introduced.

Orokonui Ecosanctuary

The cafe and information centre made from shipping containers.

Walking track lined with many species of ferns.

We slowly walked for several hours on tracks through the forest with fern understory and several open areas with grasses and tussocks. There are feeding stations for birds in several places. It's an amazing experience and we only saw a fraction of the property.

We were delighted to find a notoriously shy Fernbird family and watched the parents feeding a young family with a moth, a caterpillar and a spider. And it was a real pleasure to see the Tui and the Bellbird up close on a feeding station. These two birds in particular have provided a sound backdrop to our travels in the south island. Both are in the honeyeater family.

Bellbird

Tui

Fuschia Tree, the world's largest fuschia.

At the sanctuary they have built a rocky enclosure for the Otago skink and another one for the Tuatara, an ancient reptile related to lizards and snakes, and we were lucky to find both species basking in the warmth of the rocks.

Tuatara

Otaga Skink

I was delighted to find three species of orchids, some Greenhoods, tiny bird orchids and a white finger orchid.

Bird Orchid Simpliglottis cornuta

White finger orchid

White finger orchid

Greenhoods

Greenhoods

Orokonui is the type of place you could visit many times at different times of the year and still find something new.