​Why you should try ‘forest bathing’
 
It’s undeniable that getting out and enjoying nature has an amazing effect – it’s simply hard not to feel great when you’re walking amongst beautiful scenery, away from the rush of the city, and in the presence of chirruping birds and rustling leaves.
 
But did you know that the Japanese have a name for it? And not only that, it became part of their national public health program in the 80s.
 
It’s called ‘forest bathing’, and it’s simply the act of being in the presence of trees.
 
There has even been a number of scientific studies to determine the effect of being amongst trees and nature. In one Japanese study from the Chiba University, researchers looked at a number of physiological factors from study participants who spent time amongst trees.
 
They found that forest environments lowered blood pressure, the pulse rate, concentrations of cortisol and more. Basically, those who participated in the study were less stressed and more relaxed.
 
As well as being less stressed, it appears that being amongst trees can actually improve your immune system. This is thanks to the essential oils, known as phytoncide, emitted by trees and other plants to protect themselves from insects and harmful germs.
 
Although, we hardly needed science to convince us that being amongst the beautiful kauri trees, lancewoods, and beech trees simply feels incredible. It’s not just that you’re getting away from the city, it’s also the stillness and freshness of the forest that makes it so special. 

How Forest & Bird defended New Zealand conservation
 
New Zealand conservation group Forest & Bird has recently celebrated a major win in the Supreme Court. The new ruling states that the country’s publicly owned conservation lands and forest parts are safe from being disposed of for the interests of private developments.
 
The case stems from an earlier decision from August 2016 when the Department of Conservation decided to downgrade the conservation status of a section of the Ruahine Forest Park in Hawke’s Bay. The change would have meant that this part of the park would have been swapped for private land and flooded, but Forest & Bird managed to successfully challenge the move.
 
This new win is a continuation of that case, after the Minister of Conservation went to the Supreme Court to overturn the 2016 decision and allow the downgrade of status in the park. Forest & Bird once again successfully defended the conservation land.
 
The section of land in question was a 22-hectare plot that is home to the New Zealand falcon, long-tailed bats, the fernbird, and other species. By keeping the land out of the hands of developers, these species, and the rare wetlands they live in, can continue to flourish.
 
Forest & Bird Chief Executive Kevin Hague was at the forefront of the fight to defend the conservation land.
 
“This decision is wonderful news for Ruahine and all Forest Parks around the country. New Zealanders have fought for generations to defend our conservation land and now we have legal confirmation that are protected from private development interests,” he explained.
 
Fortunately, the Supreme Court acted on behalf of all those who love to get out and enjoy the country and its wildlife, whether that’s with us on New Zealand nature tours or with friends on a hike through any of our stunning landscapes. 

The 5 best things about New Zealand in spring
 
It’s springtime in New Zealand, and it’s hard to imagine a better place to be.
 
From the weather to the scenery to the food, there are countless amazing things to enjoy in New Zealand at this time of year. If you’re lucky enough to be visiting in spring, you can be sure to look forward to a few of these sights and experiences! 
 
1. The cute lambs
 
It’s a quintessential sight around New Zealand from August through to October – fluffy white lambs frolicking around fields all over the country.
 
No matter where you’re headed, it’s likely you’ll drive past countless cute lambs during your travels. Even for locals, it’s a special sight every single year. Of course, you may also spot calves and foals in fields up and down New Zealand.
 
2. The new ferns in the Waitakere Ranges
 
Spring is a huge time of excitement and growth in the plant world, and one of the most gorgeous sights is that of the tiny new ferns popping up all over the Waitakere Ranges.
 
Come with us on a New Zealand eco tour to the Waitakere Ranges and we’ll help you find some of these vibrant new ferns, including the iconic ponga – the silver fern.
 
3. The gorgeous weather
 
The rainy and cold months are over, but it’s not yet the height of summer – springtime in New Zealand brings with it fresh and crisp mornings, warm and sunny days, and the perfect conditions for getting out and exploring.
 
In Auckland, the temperature will usually sit around the high teens (Celsius) most days, so you can get out on a walk or an adventure without getting too hot or too cold.
 
4. The fresh produce
 
With a new season comes a new crop of fresh fruits and vegetables, and it doesn’t get much better than locally grown produce.
 
You can look forward to Hass avocados, juicy strawberries, tasty asparagus, mounds of boysenberries, and sweet tangelos. If you’re in town, you’ll find these tasty treats in the supermarkets, but one of the best ways to buy them is from honesty boxes on roadsides, where people leave bags of produce at the gate, and you simply pay by leaving the cash in the box.
 
5. The wildflowers
 
When the sun comes out in springtime New Zealand, so too do the wildflowers. The scenery around the country is already some of the best in the world, but a smattering of brightly coloured blooms just makes it all the more spectacular.
 
The pink and purple lupins in Tekapo are some of the most well known, but you’ll be able to spot wildflowers up and down the country. In west Auckland, you can see South African wildflowers at the Waikumete Cemetery, and if you get the chance to visit the Chatham Islands, you might even spot forget-me-nots in bloom. 

Conservation roadmap released for the next 20 years
 
The New Zealand government has recently released its roadmap for conservation and environment science, which will cover the next 20 years.
 
Its main purpose is to identify areas of scientific knowledge that the government needs that will help with decision making in the areas of environmental policy and conservation. Long-term, it is hoped that it will help address any current policy gaps, reduce duplication between departments with similar goals, and improve research coordination throughout the country.
 
There are six themes to the roadmap, each of which will play its role in the future of New Zealand. These are; environmental monitoring and data management, Matauranga Maori, climate change, biosecurity, integrated ecosystems and processes, and social and economic factors.
 
Conservation Minister Maggie Barry spoke about the road map at the recent annual Bluegreens forum, saying “we need to focus our research efforts on innovative technologies and take the long view if we want to improve New Zealand’s sustainability and resilience in the face of increasing conservation challenges”.
 
The map was created by taking account of a number of factors such as existing policies, international obligations, government objectives, as well as public feedback on future research policies from a formal consultation process last year.
 
Of course, New Zealand has set some challenging and exciting goals, such as one to become predator-free by 2050, and another to grow the population of kiwis to 100,000 by 2030. Initiatives such as this roadmap are essential to help such goals come to fruition, and to keep conservation a main driver for policy decisions.
 
You can read more about the road map on the website for the Ministry of the Environment here. 

NZ warned penguins in peril
 
New Zealand conservation group Forest & Bird has released a dire warning for the government, saying that the country’s penguins are “in crisis”.
 
It’s not just our penguins that are in trouble, either. As many as 10 of the 18 penguin species around the planet are currently at risk of extinction. Sadly, five of those species live in New Zealand.
 
Forest & Bird have already joined an international campaign to help these at-threat penguins, and has called on the New Zealand government to create a plan to protect them.
 
“We are urging the New Zealand government to establish a national Penguin Recovery Group,” explained Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague.
 
The group would function in the same way as the Kiwi Recovery Group, which has been very successful. Essentially, the group’s main focus would be to facilitate and coordinate a collaborative effort for penguin conservation.
 
Currently, there are just 1,700 breeding pairs of the yellow-eyed penguin, which is the second-rarest species in the world. They have already seen significant drops in population figures over the past few years, largely due to disease, introduced predators, and trawl and set nets.
 
As for the Fiordland crested penguin, there are an estimated 3,000 breeding pairs remaining. In the past year alone, an entire colony of 150 pairs were wiped out at Jackson Head on the West Coast by stoats.
 
New Zealand has recently set a goal to eradicate pests completely by the year 2050, which should help improve the numbers of penguins around the country, as well as a large variety of other species that you would see on NZ nature tours.
 
However, Forest & Bird is looking for a more direct approach to penguin conservation. The group has joined 120 other BirdLife partner organisations with 10 million members around the world, and hopes that the government will also commit to a strategy that will benefit our penguins’ survival. 

​The pros and con of touring in winter
 
As we approach winter in New Zealand, some people are struggling with the decision of whether or not to book in a day tour from Auckland given the weather and the possibility of a cooler day or rain.
 
If that’s you, take a look at our list of pros (and one con) when it comes to our nature tours through winter, and see if the trip is worth it for yourself!
 
First of all, the term ‘winter’ doesn’t mean quite the same thing in Auckland as it does anywhere else in the country. If you take a look at a map, you’ll notice that the City of Sails isn’t much further south than Sydney, and if you take a look at a weather forecast, you’ll see that the average low in Auckland is still double digits at around 11 degrees Celsius (52 degrees Fahrenheit). While that’s certainly cooler than summer, it’s still far from freezing. Plus, as we do some walking on our tours, the movement helps keep you that much warmer, too.
 
For the birders, it will be important to note that our local birds don’t go anywhere during winter. Our tours to Tawharanui, for example, are still packed with many of our favourite species.
 
Another of the big benefits of a tour during winter is that there are far fewer tourists around. New Zealand’s busiest travel season is through summer, so if you’re visiting anywhere in the country (apart from the skifields) during the colder months, you’ll likely have the place just to yourselves, or at least with hardly anyone else around.
 
For another pro, consider a tour during winter something completely different. Many people may take this time to stay still or visit indoor attractions such as museums. Why not take this opportunity to get off the beaten track (literally) and do something new during winter? As well as this, a tour where you get out and walk for part of the experience is a great way to fit some extra exercise into the winter months, as usually this is when our fitness levels drop as we stay indoors more often.
 
The only con: Alright, so you might encounter a day where Auckland sees some rain or is on the cold side. The answer to that is simply to rug up warm and wear your wet-weather gear. Because, as you can see from all the pros above, it’s really still worth going! That said, a lovely sunny day on tour is also wonderful, so perhaps you can catch us during summer, too!
 
Of course, it’s entirely possible that even though you book a tour for winter, you might still catch a sunny day in Auckland for the experience!
 
New Zealand winters run through June, July and August, and Habitat Tours take visitors out to see our wonderful flora and fauna throughout this time, rain or shine. 

Bird of the month: The weka
 
The New Zealand weka is a small flightless bird that could be confused for a kiwi to the untrained eye. This month, we’ve chosen the weka as our bird of the month!
 
Here’s a little more about this sweet little bird that will help you learn more about it and perhaps even identify one if you see a weka in the wild.
 
This fantastic native species can be found in sub-alpine grassland areas, forests, sand dunes and even rocky shore areas around the coastline. They’re known to have cheeky natures, and will take the chance to steal food and/or shiny objects from you if you’re not careful.
 
As mentioned, the weka can look similar to the iconic kiwi. While they are shades of brown, small and flightless, the main giveaways are their size as they are larger than the kiwi, and their beaks, as they are short unlike the kiwi. And in fact, they are much closer to the banded rail species, which is considered their closest relative.
 
You might hear one before you see one, as they have a characteristic ‘coo-eet’ call that you’ll usually hear at dawn then again half an hour after sunset.
 
There are a number of spots around New Zealand where you might see a weka in the wild, such as on the Russell Peninsula, in Kawakawa Bay, in the Marlborough Sound, in Fiordland and on a number of islands around the country. They face threats such as predation and droughts and are listed as being ‘nationally vulnerable’.
 
Finally, the weka will eat pretty much anything it can find! This includes everything from insects and slugs to lizards, mice, small birds as well as berries and seeds.
 
As the weka don’t live around Auckland, we don’t tend to see them on our nature tours. However, you will still see plenty of other exciting New Zealand birds on a Tawharanui tour from Auckland! 

How to find a kiwi in the wild
 
The kiwi is New Zealand’s gorgeous, flightless icon, but very few New Zealanders can actually claim they’ve seen one anywhere but in a zoo.
 
If you’re looking to spot a kiwi in the wild, try these tips!
 
Go to the right places
 
For a start, you’ll need to be in an area where kiwis are known to live. They prefer remote forest areas where they can scurry around looking for food, and nest in areas hidden away from plain sight.
 
Near Auckland, one of the best places is the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary, as this fenced-off area contains no pests or predators that will harm kiwi or other endangered wildlife. You can also try the Trounson Kauri Park in Northland, Aroha Island in Kerikeri, Okatiro in Franz Joseph, Tuatapere in Southland or on Stewart Island to name a few.
 
Don’t scare the kiwi away
 
Even when you’re in an area with kiwis all around you, you might never know it, as these birds are notoriously shy and hard to spot. Therefore, the trick is to not scare them away before you get a chance to see one.
 
Firstly, go at night-time as this is when the nocturnal kiwis are active. You may bring a torch (flashlight), but keep it off as much as possible and cover the light with red cellophane to avoid shining too much brightness into the bushes. Wear clothing that doesn’t make too much noise when you move, and walk extremely slowly and quietly, looking into the bushes around you for movement.
 
Take a tour
 
If you’re really keen to see a kiwi in the wild, one of the best (and easiest) ways is to take a tour. The day-night eco tours to Tawharanui with Habitat Tours often include kiwi sightings – roughly 70 per cent of the time in fact.
 
Your experienced guide will help give you the best chance of seeing a kiwi, and will tell you all about this wonderful bird as well! 

Bird of the month: The albatross
 
What’s not to love about the albatross?
 
The albatross is the largest sea bird on the planet, and they spend as much as 85 per cent of their lives away from land. In New Zealand, there are fourteen varieties of this bird, the most famous of which is arguably the Royal Albatross, as this is the largest of them all.
 
Due to their time spent at sea, it’s likely that the only time you’ll get a chance to spot an albatross of any kind is when it returns to land to breed and hatch their young. Most albatross only breed once every two years, making them both a special sight – and a reasonably rare species due to their low productivity!
 
While they’re away, an albatross flies an estimated 190,000 kilometres every year. To put that in perspective, it’s approximately 2,200 kilometres from Cape Reinga to Bluff, so an albatross would cover that distance roughly 86 times every 12 months. What’s even more incredible is that a young bird will spend the first three to five years of its life out at sea, not once touching land for that time.
 
With a wingspan of up to 3.3 metres across, it’s hard to miss one of these magnificent birds. They are almost completely white, but the top sides of their wings are black. Should you see one walking around on land, it may look decidedly clumsy, but in flight they are something truly spectacular.
 
Additionally, many albatrosses live to be in their 40s, making them some of the longest-living birds on the planet.
 
One of the most common places to see an albatross is on the headland at Taiaroa Head on the Otago Peninsula, where breeding birds arrive in September to nest. If you happen to be in the South Island around this time, a visit to the Royal Albatross Centre there is a must! 

5 things to do in Auckland during the World Masters Games
 
The World Masters Games are coming to Auckland in April from the 21st to the 30th, and bringing with them 28 of the most exciting sports on the planet. With more than 25,000 participants and their slew of supporters and crew, it’s going to be one of the biggest, busiest and best events Auckland has ever seen.
 
If you’re in town for the games and are looking to see more of the city, here are five great things to do in Auckland during your stay!
 
1. Experience the Sky Tower
 
The Auckland Sky Tower is arguably the most iconic structure in New Zealand – and at 328 metres tall, it’s definitely the highest!
 
You can take the elevator up to the two viewing levels for unbeatable 360-degree views of the city. For something special, enjoy a dinner in the rotating restaurant at the top and dine in style as your table literally moves around the edge of the floor. Or get adventurous and try the SkyWalk outside the building 192 metres up, or go the whole way by leaping off the edge with the adrenalin-pumping SkyJump!
 
2. Spend a day at Mission Beach
 
Mission Beach is a short drive from Auckland city along the waterfront, and it’s a favourite spot for locals and visitors alike. Here, you can shop at the small stores, pick up an ice cream to enjoy on the beach, or grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants and cafes that line the shore.
 
Or, simply bring a book and settle down on the golden sands for a relaxing day at the beach with the magnificent Mt Rangitoto in front of you.
 
3. Visit the wineries of Waiheke
 
Waiheke Island is a 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland, and while the trip to get there is stunning in itself, this destination is truly something to write home about.
 
There are countless wineries on the island, and you could easily spend many days touring all of them. The island also boasts phenomenal beaches, art galleries, and a laid-back culture that will quickly make you feel at home.
 
4. Climb the Auckland Harbour Bridge
 
Adventurous types will love the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the chance to cross it on foot, climbing through the internal structure and over the very top of it with an experienced guide.
 
Normally, the bridge is closed to foot traffic, so this experience gives you a rare view of the inside of the bridge and from the top of the railings. Plus, your guide will talk you through some of the most interesting aspect’s of its history and engineering!
 
5. Take a tour with Habitat Tours
 
Take a break from the city life and discover the real New Zealand with an eco tour from Auckland that will introduce you to some of the most fantastic plant and bird life in the country.
 
Due to New Zealand’s geographical isolation, we boast a large variety of native and endemic species that you won’t see anywhere else in the world, and with an experienced and knowledgeable guide, you’ll learn all about them. Of course, one of the country’s most special inhabitants is the iconic kiwi, and you’ll have the chance to meet one outside of the zoo and inside its own native habitat on a Tawharanui day-night tour, where we encounter one of these birds approximately 70 per cent of the time.
 
No matter what you do, be sure to experience as much of Auckland as possible and enjoy every minute of it during your stay!