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This facility is well located, on the water's edge, and handy to the main shopping and eating places of Whakatane. It is also a very well-run and efficient source of information (as it should be) with very capable and friendly staff on duty. It is attractive in its décor, offers comfortable seating, and is stocked with free literature, brochures and leaflets on just about anything a tourist or visitor might fancy doing, as well as on anywhere one might wish to visit. Town and district maps, bus timetables and so on are readily available here.…
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Date of experience: July 2016
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JohnDeereQueen wrote a review Oct 2016
Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand67 contributions12 helpful votes
Entertaining and enjoyable night walk to listen to kiwis and see other nocturnal creatures. Highly knowledgeable staff and well worth the money.
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Date of experience: July 2016
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It turns out that Whakatāne is the 'kiwi capital of the world' and during May and June the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust run nocturnal walks on Friday nights. These guided walks enter the Ōhope Scenic Reserve (take a torch and dress appropriately for the weather) and penetrate the dense forest in which the elusive, nocturnal and highly territorial kiwi live. May and June is courting and breeding season, and although you are probably unlikely to see a kiwi, you will certainly hear them calling to each other across the valleys and you may spot some fresh tracks and scat. The volunteer guides are a mine of information on kiwi and how the trust protects these adorable flightless birds. Our walk was a wonderful opportunity to learn about kiwi, meet enthusiastic local New Zealanders, walk the forest paths at night and stargaze. We were also shown some fascinatingly weird fungi, a few glow worms and plenty of NZ's poster insects...the cave weta. The trip met at a reserve car park and involved 2 hours of easy listening and walking through the forest. The 'cost' of $15 per adult or $40 per family of 2 adults and 2 children is, in fact, a direct donation to the Whakatāne Kiwi Trust which allows them to continue their protective work of trapping and removing feral predators from the forest. Information concerning booking these tours is available at the i-Site Information Centre and the booking office for the White Island boat trips at the Whakatāne Rendezvous Motel. An added bonus to this walk - that I would highly recommend - is that they hand out an intriguing map for the Fairbrother Loop Walk that shows both nocturnal and daylight highlights of this trail. We used the map the following night to locate a superb bank of glow worms flashing like stars near the river.....as we listened to the calling kiwi. A unique utterly NZ experience that was free!…
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Date of experience: May 2016
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