Nau Mai, Haere Mai!
Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre welcomes you to an Aotearoa first: a purpose-built facility named Te Whare Taiao o Manukura, dedicated to educating and inspiring New Zealanders to be true guardians of Te Taiao (the environment) & connect with the mauri (life force) of the forest.
We run education programmes, overnight stays, community events, business meetings, and conferences.
Te Whare Wānanga Taiao o Manukura
We have catering facilities for schools, community and business organisations.
Education at Pūkaha
Day Education Sessions
OVERVIEW
Experience all the ngahere has to offer during the day at Pūkaha with a range of different education sessions. Grounded in local knowledge, history and information on the living world, tauira of all ages can see aviary and wild birds, the kiwi, tuatara, and lizards in our Nocturnal House, and experience a tuna feed up close while on their visit, and more! Room hire included.
Duration: 4 hours
Price: $6 per student
Maximum numbers: 45 students per session
Recommended age: Year 0 – 13
SESSION OPTIONS
- Standard Education Session
- Te Hīkoi o Pūkaha
- Custom Session
RESOURCES
OVERNIGHT Education Sessions
OVERVIEW
Experience the ngahere coming alive at night with our new overnight sessions! Stay in our education facility Te Whare Taiao o Manukura and spend your evening listening out for the calls of ruru (morepork) and kiwi, searching for glowworms and moths and if you’re lucky – spying geckos in the trees. Keep an eye out in our waterways, since our tuna, ika and kōura are always most active at night!
Each overnight experience comes with a guided dusk and dawn session. You can select from a range of session focuses, including our standard guided session, tracking, and trapping, nocturnal creatures and invertebrates, and custom sessions. Room hire included.
Te Whare Wānanga Taiao o Manukura Facilities
Hold your business meeting, community event, or conference at Te Whare Taiao O Manukura .
Te Whare Taiao o Manukura is available to hire for visitor groups from educational institutions, community and business organisations and others to come and experience, and/or stay overnight in a native ngahere (forest) from dawn to dusk.
We can work with you to create the perfect event in this stunning and sacred location.
Full Facility Hire
Day Capacity: 200
Night Capacity: 90
For larger conferences and group events, you can opt to hire the whole facility for a day. This hire includes the wharenui and wharekai
more information
Accommodation amenities include the use of a commercial kitchen, dining space, showers, toilets, a drying room and a lounge area with a beautiful log fire! The perfect place to wind down in the evenings after a day of activities in the forest.
Overnight Accommodation
If you are looking to add overnight accommodation to your full facility hire, options are:
- 50 mattresses, at $40 per person per night
- 32 bunk beds, at $45 per person per night
- 4 twin rooms, at $120 a room per night
WHARENUI
Starting from $400
Day Capacity: 100
Night Capacity: 50
The cultural focal point of Te Whare Taiao o Manukura is the wharenui a place of ceremony, and of meeting that can also be used for overnight stays, sleeping 50 people.
more information
Overnight Accommodation
If you are looking to add overnight accommodation to your wharenui we offer up to 50 mattresses, at $40 per person per night.
WHAREKAI
Day Capacity: 120
Night Capacity: 40
A beautiful dining hall area seating 150 people, with a commercial kitchen. Also includes a stunning log fire and an open-plan lounge area for unwinding. A great space for daytime conventions or evening receptions.
more information
Accommodation amenities include the use of a commercial kitchen, dining space, showers, toilets, a drying room and a lounge area with a beautiful log fire! The perfect place to wind down in the evenings after a day of activities in the forest.
Overnight Accommodation
If you are looking to add overnight accommodation to your wharekai hire, options are:
- 32 bunk beds, at $45 per person per night
- 4 twin rooms, at $120 a room per night
GUIDED TOUR WITH Campervan site
Each campervan booking includes your choice of a night or dawn tour of Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, a peaceful escape, and the perfect opportunity to get out and explore New Zealand’s native wildlife during your road trip.
Take your visit to the next level!
When hiring one of our amazing facilities, guided tours of Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre can be booked as an additional request:
• General conservation tour
• Dawn Tour
• Night Tour
• Cultural Tour
An Experience just for you
We can offer unique experiences:
Kai & Beverage Options
- Commercial kitchen for self-catering
- Barista Coffee
- Organised Catering (our own team or from a list of preferred local caterers for more restaurant style options)
Activities
- Facilitated Professional Development Workshop
- Facilitated Team Building
- Tikanga-led welcome (Māori guided welcome onto Te Wānanga Taiao from a local iwi guide)
- Wedding Facility Hire
Pūkaha also offers
two extra on-site rooms to hire for your event
The Rangitāne Room is a natural light-filled space that’s perfect for formal meetings and can accommodate up to 14 people boardroom-style.
Huia Room
The Huia Room is a larger room that overlooks the takahē enclosure and is suited to workshops, events and conferences. It can comfortably fit up to 150 guests standing or 60 guests in a classroom or theatre-style layout.
Support Te Whare Taiao o Manukura
Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu
[ Adorn the bird with feathers so it may soar! ]
We have opened the doors to Te Whare Taiao o Manukura, but we still need community support to really make it soar!
Make a donation towards Te Whare Taiao today!
We are so grateful for your support.
He waka eke noa
[ We are all in this together! ]
How to get here
We’re on State Highway 2 (SH2) in the middle of the lower part of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
It’s about 2 hours to drive north-east from Wellington, a little longer heading south-west from Napier, or an hour south from Palmerston North.
