On tour: Tawharanui after dark

On tour: Tawharanui after dark
 
While there is something special about every eco tour in New Zealand, there’s just one that will introduce you to some of the country’s nocturnal creatures and critters in Tawharanui.
 
The Tawharanui Day-Night Tour from Auckland starts in the afternoon, then spends the next few hours heading out of the city and stopping at a few incredible locations on the way to the Tawharanui Regional Park. Here, you’ll enjoy a stunning beachside picnic dinner and a rest as the sun goes down.
 
After dark, the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society (TOSSI) becomes a different world of nocturnal beings – which is why it’s the perfect time for a nature tour of a different sort!
 
Here are a few of the night-time creatures you might expect to see on an after-dark eco tour in Tawharanui:
 
The morepork
 
Also known as the ruru, the morepork is one of New Zealand’s only owl species, and is the only one native to the country. While they can be found throughout the country, they can be tough to spot due to their night-time habits and camouflage appearance.
 
The weta
 
The weta is a spindly, surprising large known for their large bodies and long, curved tusks. As an endemic species, they’re one of the country’s most iconic creepy-crawlies, and it’s always fun to introduce visitors to this invertebrate. While they might look a bit scary, they won’t harm humans and are perfectly safe to be around. 
 
The long-finned eel
 
The long-finned eel is New Zealand’s only endemic eel species, and it also happens to be the largest. They can usually be found in rivers and lakes, although their decline in population numbers has made it increasingly difficult to spot one of these underwater creatures.
 
The centipede
 
There are thousands of species of centipede in the world, and in New Zealand they can be something of a pest for home gardens. A night-time tour in Tawharanui might introduce you to one, and you may even spot a Giant Centipede, which is a species native to New Zealand. 
 
The kiwi
 
Perhaps most exciting of all possible encounters on a night-time eco tour is the chance to spot a kiwi. This iconic flightless bird is endemic in New Zealand, and it’s extremely rare to see one outside of zoos in their native habitat. We see kiwis approximately 70 per cent of the time on our tours to Tawharanui, and it takes a lot of skill and knowledge to know just where to look – and how to not frighten these timid birds away! Kiwis only come out at night, and their small size, quiet habits and brown feathers make them tough to spot, but it’s always an exciting occasion when we do.
 
There are plenty more animals and creatures you might encounter on a night-time tour to Tawharanui, and the good news is that New Zealand is home to zero dangerous species such as venomous snakes – which just leaves the fun and incredible ones for us to spot!