Punanga Manu o Te Anau/Te Anau Bird Sanctuary

Location and getting there

Punanga Manu o Te Anau/Te Anau Bird Sanctuary is set on the shores of Lake Te Anau, and is an easy 20 minute walk or 2 minute drive from the Te Rua-o-te-Moko/Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre.

How to get to the 20 minute walk.

Open times and cost

The sanctuary is open to the public from dawn to dusk.

Public tours of the sanctuary run daily at 10.30 am for around 45 minutes.  

Tickets cost $10 per adult (no charge for children) and can be purchased at the DOC visitor centre.

On Wednesdays and Sundays, when the visitor centre is closed, go to the bird sanctuary directly to meet the ranger. If there is space on the tour, secure your spot by making a donation via the New Zealand Nature Fund QR code on the sign or by depositing cash into the donation box. Tickets cost $10 per adult and there is no charge for children.

General entry

Entry is free for self-guided visitors. However, donations are essential to the continued running of the sanctuary. You can contribute to the sanctuary through donation boxes on site. Donations can also be made in cash or Eftpos at Te Rua-o-te-Moko/Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre or online via the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary New Zealand Nature Fund webpage.

There are public toilets, picnic tables and a spring water tap.

Birds you can see at the Sanctuary

Takahē

Takahē are the stars of the show at Punanga Manu o Te Anau and meeting these prehistoric-looking characters is a 'must do' for Fiordland visitors. The Te Anau Bird Sanctuary’s takahē pairs support the Takahē Recovery Programme by raising chicks which are released into predator controlled wild homes at around one year of age.

• Takahē Recovery Programme.
• More about takahē.

Kākā

Kākā are related to the rarer kea or mountain parrot. They are absent from many New Zealand forests due to predation and competition from introduced pests.

The sanctuary supports the South Island kākā recovery programme. Birds bred here are released into predator-controlled areas to help re-establish wild populations.

More about kākā.

Antipodes Island parakeets

Antipodes Island parakeets are not native to mainland New Zealand and found here only in captivity.

Our parakeets are part of a very small ‘insurance’ population which was established in case harm befell the isolated wild population.

Pateke/Brown Teal

Pateke are small members of the duck family which previously had the conservation status ‘Nationally Endangered’. Habitat restoration, predator control and captive breeding for release have helped populations to recover.  

Birds held at the sanctuary are part of a breeding programme that has contributed to an improved conservation status for this species.

More about pateke/brown teal

Kōwhiowhio/whio/blue duck

Kōwhiowhio thrive in the clean, cool, highly oxygenated water of our mountain streams and rivers, but are unfortunately vulnerable to attack by introduced mammals like stoats and possums.

The sanctuary’s pair are part of a successful captive rearing programme which aims to restore wild populations. This programme is kindly sponsored by Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park.

More about Kōwhiowhio/whio/blue duck

Other birds you might see

• Touhou/silvereye
• Riroriro/grey warbler
• Tūī
• Korimako/bellbird
• Kererū/New Zealand wood pigeon
• Pīwakawaka/fantails
• Putangitangi/putakitaki/paradise shelduck
• Papango/scaup
• Kāmana/crested grebe
• Kōau/little shag

The abundance of birdlife makes Punanga Manu o Te Anau/Te Anau Bird Sanctuary the perfect place for practicing wildlife photography. If you can’t see many birds during your visit, look out for kārearea, the beautiful and rare native falcon who may be paying the sanctuary residents an unwelcome visit.

Things to do with kids 

Punanga Manu o Te Anau/Te Anau Bird Sanctuary is a great place to visit with families.  There are lots of kid-friendly activities including bird and butterfly wings to take your picture with, kids picnic tables and a mini-shelter with story-stones and artwork. 

You can also send the kids off on a scavenger hunt created by rangers for local and visiting tamariki. Before you go you can download the scavenger hunt sheet (PDF, 1037K).

Or you can pick up a laminated copy to borrow from the little green hut beside the children's shelter.  If borrowing a sheet, bring a whiteboard pen so you can write down your answers or a notepad.

There are 15 different things to find around the park, including hidden kiwi and a takahē chick. Keep an eye out for the giant-wētā and takahē footprints.  Happy searching.