Nature By Night
Nature by Night – an unforgettable sensory experience.
Be spellbound by seeing kiwi under the stars in their open nocturnal habitat; see pristine spring-fed pools full of trout, illuminated by 700 spectacularly coloured lights; hear bustling native bush wildlife; feel droplets of a crystal clear waterfall upon your skin; experience rich, earthy smells of pristine native flora; meet curious kea birds and our own living dinosaur – the magnificent Tuatara. It’s a whole new kind of nightlife.
Rainbow Springs by Night
Not ready to stop for the day? Finish off your day in Rotorua by strolling through peaceful Rainbow Springs at night - a great evening activity after dinner, or before dinner in the winter.
Explore Rainbow Springs by Night and discover the park in an exciting new way. Cleverly designed, multi-coloured lights create an entirely new ambience, highlighting all the best parts of our park and some parts you might not have noticed during your daytime visit. You can experience the eerie and unusual night noises typical of New Zealand forest.
What Will You See at Night?
One of the great new exhibits featured at night is the walk-through kiwi enclosure where you can view three of our kiwi on display in a glass-free open air environment. Read more about the Kiwi you will see at night:
Mamaku – arrived at Kiwi Encounter on 17th May 2007, from Orana Park, Christchurch. He is named after New Zealand’s tallest tree-fern. Mamaku is a mature male Brown Kiwi. He hatched on 13th October 2000 in Napier at Westshore Wildlife Reserve. He came to Kiwi Encounter with the hope that he’d form a captive breeding pair with on of our females. Mamaku has a beautiful singing voice and loves to entertain visitors to the Night Aviary with his vocal talents. Male Brown Kiwi make a shrill, high pitch whistle.
Koru – is the second chick from our captive breeding pair Tahi and Bracken – she hatched on the 19th April 2004. Koru is named after the beautiful, curled new fronds of New Zealand’s tree-ferns. Koru was a very vocal chick. Even when she was still in the egg her keepers could hear her calling through the shell. Now she is an adult she still likes to call. Adult kiwi females have a harsh, raspy call. Koru has a very long bill – perfect for capturing worms deep in the soil and leaf-litter.
Koanga – hatched at Kiwi Encounter on the 23rd of September 2006. He is the son of our captive breeding pair Tahi and Bracken. He is the baby brother of Koru. Koanga’s name means ‘Spring’ in Maori. Koanga grew like a spring too – his hatch weight was 239 grams, by 6 months old he was 1400 grams. At 2 years old he weighed 1800 grams. Koanga loves to dig. He has strong claws and powerful legs perfect for digging warm, safe burrows.
When visiting Rainbow Springs at night you may also see our graceful 45-year-old long-finned eel, the ancient living dinosaur the tuatara, majestic white swans and magnificent rainbow trout at they swim serenely throughout the park.
Many of New Zealand’s unique trees, ferns and plants stand proudly in the soft lighting including the silver fern, cabbage tree, nikau palm, kauri and the towering introduced Californian Redwood.
Why is the Night Lighting at Rainbow Springs so Special?
The special lighting in our park in called ‘Prime Lighting’ and it is the first time lighting of this type has been used in Australasia. There are over 700 lights throughout the park, with their special clarity and colour derived from crystals. Energy efficient, two-watt bulbs are integrated with specially developed crystals and together they emit a unique light.
Rainbow Springs is open until 10.30pm (9.30pm during winter) every night, except Christmas Day (closes at 4pm) and New Years Eve, when the last entry into the park is at 10pm. Run out of shopping time? The Rainbow Springs Gift Shop is also open until 6pm for a little shopping therapy, thaw out in front of our fire on those cold evenings.
The entry price into Rainbow Springs allows you to come back as often as you like within 24 hours of ticket purchase. This means you are free to come back day and night to see everything that Rainbow Springs has to offer.
You can also experience Rainbow Springs by Night with the Mitai Maori Cultural Experience right next door with our 'Beauty by Night meets the People of the Land' combo. This package includes return transfers from your Rotorua accommodation, Maori warriors on a pass-by in a traditional waka (war canoe), Maori Concert and Hangi Dinner and Guided Fairy Spring bush walk and glow worm tour. This is then followed by a guided walk through the spectacularly lit Rainbow Springs and a walk with kiwi in the open outdoor enclosure.
Click here to book your Beauty by Night Meets the People of the Land Experience.