Kiwi Encounter

Our adult kiwi are at home in the kiwi house which is a purpose built facility that mirrors natural conditions. Kiwi are active at night, (nocturnal) when they come out to forage and feed, so in order for you to see kiwi, our Kiwi House is dark during the day.

Rainbow Springs and Kiwi Encounter are at the forefront of the effort to save our national symbol the kiwi from extinction. We’re working hard to raise and release kiwi back into the wild. Consequently, kiwi are an important part of the Rainbow Springs experience.

Rainbow Springs is also the home of Kiwi Encounter. Kiwi Encounter is a working nursery and hatchery where Kiwi are raised as part of Operation Nest Egg.

Eggs are brought to us from the wild and when they have hatched, and the kiwi are large enough to protect themselves from predators, they are released back into the wild.

Take a tour of Kiwi Encounter, you’ll learn much more about kiwi and its unique and endearing characteristics, origins, habitat and how it survives.

For all enquiries please contact us at info "at" kiwiencounter.co.nz. Click to book – which will go to IBIS online).

The Amazing Kiwi

Kiwi fascinate scientists as it is a bird more characteristic of a mammal. Here are some interesting features to note about the kiwi.

  • It has tiny wings, but cannot fly.
  • It has feathers that are more like fur.
  • It is the only bird in the world with nostrils at the end of its beak.
  • Their sense of smell is second to none.
  • It has no tail feathers, but does have whiskers, like a cat.
  • It has marrow in its bones, just like a human very unusually, the females have two ovaries where as most birds have only one.

For more on the amazing kiwi, click here.

Ngai Tahu Story

Ngai Tahu’s tourism routes extend back to what were the guides for many of the first European explorers.

In a more contemporary sense, tourism allows Ngai Tahu to extend to visitors our maanakitaanga (hospitality) and provide rich experiences within our natural environment, and now for generations to come.

Ngai Tahu has a range of tourism interests managed on a regional basis throughout New Zealand. With an emphasis on activities in the outdoors, Ngai Tahu Tourism’s operations align strongly with Ngai Tahu values around the environment, kã awa (rivers, streams and creeks), ka maunga (mountains) and te moana (the sea). This profile has a brief description of each activity, its location and contact details.

Ngai Tahu Tourism is a subsidiary of Ngai Tahu Holdings Group, the wholly owned investment company of Te Ru-nanga o Ngai Tahu, tasked with managing the commercial investments and creating wealth for the benefit of the Ngai Tahu shareholders.

Mo tatou, a, mo ka uri a muri ake nei – For us and our children after us.