Kiwi North: Whangarei Museum, Kiwi House & Heritage Park

At Kiwi North you can learn about the unique kiwi and observe natural behaviour in the purpose built state-of-the-art enclosure.  Also see New Zealand's living dinosaur the Tuatara, an ancient species from the time of the dinosaurs, over 250 million years ago, and found only in New Zealand. There are also several species of beautiful native gecko cleverly camouflaged within their environments. They are well worth the few minutes it can take to spot them. 

 

Northland’s only nocturnal house we turn day into night, even replicating seasonal temperatures, to create a living, natural environment for New Zealand’s elusive iconic bird, the Kiwi. Watch them foraging for the live food and interacting in their enclosure just as they would in the wild. Cameras provide excellent viewing when they are inside their burrows preening, napping or simply doing the housework.

 

Kiwi feeding accompanied by a talk by the keeper is three times daily at 11am, 1 and 3pm.

 

At Whangarei Museum you will gain a sense of place through the stories told in the early settler history, beautiful taonga Maori and natural history displays.  How was our local environment formed, what was its native flora and fauna, who lived here and why and how is this reflected in the city and its inhabitants today?

 

One of these stories tells how many skeletons of the now extinct Moa were recently discovered by a private landowner in a cave on his property.  These have lain undiscovered for over 2000 years, with their finder being presumably the first human to ever set foot in that cave.  See the magnificent kauri waka (canoe), over 200 years old, that bridges and links cultures and eras through varying utilization by different peoples.

 

The Heritage Park at Kiwi North is home to the 1886 “Glorat” Clarke Homestead. The Homestead sits on its original site with magnificent views over the harbour to distant Mount Manaia. It is a grade 2 listed Heritage NZ building, a museum in its own right, and occupies a significant place in the history of Whangarei. 

 

Other heritage buildings moved onto the park include the unique octagonal c1860s Oruaiti Chapel, the original jail cells for the women of Whangarei c1900, Riponui Pah School c1898, and the roof turret of another early Whangarei homestead, “Pukenui”, built by ‘timber king’ Francis Mander in 1906. His daughter, the renowned early New Zealand author Jane Mander, used this as her study.

 

The Heritage Park is also home to many vintage restoration clubs and societies who welcome visitors on the days their workshops are open.