Welcome to The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary – an extraordinary part of New Zealand.
Just minutes from Nelson’s city centre, the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary is the South Island’s largest fully fenced eco-sanctuary—690 hectares of protected native forest alive with rare and threatened species. This is a place where you can reconnect with nature, breathe deeply, and experience the mauri (life force) of Aotearoa’s unique environment.
Home to iconic species like the kiwi, tuatara, and kākāriki, the Sanctuary offers self-guided exploration across 15km of walking tracks, as well as guided day and night tours.
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🌿 Ngahere Neighbourhood: koru of the mamaku (black tree fern)
Few sights in the ngahere are as iconic as the unfurling koru of a mamaku (Sphaeropteris medullaris). These towering tree ferns can reach up to 20 metres tall, with elegant black trunks patterned by hexagonal scars from fallen fronds.
Their massive fronds can stretch over five metres long, arching high above the forest floor to form a shady green canopy. The stalks and undersides are covered in small, spiny-edged scales — a key feature that helps distinguish mamaku from other large tree ferns.
Mamaku are widespread across Aotearoa, especially in lowland and coastal forests of the North Island and the wetter regions of the South. As new fronds uncurl, the koru shape symbolises new life, growth, and renewal — a form that continues to inspire art, design, and our connection to nature.
🔎 Species: Sphaeropteris medullaris
🟢 Conservation status: Not Threatened
📸 Photo by Rebecca Bowater
#NgahereNeighbourhood #BrookSanctuary #NativePlants #FernFriday #Mamaku #Koru #NewZealandNature #Conservation
Dec 9
We are proud to acknowledge Ngati Toa Rangitira as kaitiaki of the kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) now settling into life in the Sanctuary.
Their guidance and mātauranga were central to this year’s translocation — from naming the birds to the ceremony at our visitor centre.
Kiwi pukupuku are a treasured taonga, and we’re grateful to work alongside Ngāti Toa Rangatira and our iwi partners in supporting their return to Whakatū.
Ngā mihi nui to everyone involved in bringing these kiwi home.
Dec 8
📅 2026 Calendars – Now Available! 🌿
We’re excited to share two stunning 2026 calendars, created by local photographers and long-time friends of the Sanctuary — Deb Corbett and Sean McGrath.
Each calendar captures the beauty of Nelson’s wild places — from the native forest and wildlife of the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary to the rivers, ridgelines, and coastlines that surround it.
These beautiful calendars make the perfect Christmas gift — and every purchase supports local conservation right here in Nelson. 💚
Pick one up from our Visitor Centre next time you visit!
📍 Available now at the Visitor Centre
🎁 Perfect for Christmas giving
🎄Check out our other gift options and memberships
Nov 28
🌼 Ngahere Neighbourhood: mikoikoi (New Zealand iris)
With its elegant fans of golden-green leaves and delicate white blooms, mikoikoi (Libertia ixioides) brings quiet beauty to the ngahere. This hardy perennial herb is found from coastal cliffs to mountain slopes throughout Aotearoa and is a true New Zealand endemic.
In spring and early summer, mikoikoi produces clusters of white, three-petalled flowers that give way to striking orange seed capsules. Its leaves often take on yellow tones in full sun, forming dense clumps that help stabilise soil on ridges and banks.
Mikoikoi belongs to the iris family and is one of several Libertia species unique to Aotearoa. There are two species found within the Sanctuary, with Libertia moorae being endemic to Te Tau Ihu (Top of the South). You’ll often find it along the Sanctuary’s sunny forest edges and stream banks — a subtle but beautiful reminder of our native flora’s diversity and resilience.
🔎 Species: Libertia ixioides
🟢 Conservation status: Not Threatened
📸 Photo by Rebecca Bowater
#NgahereNeighbourhood #BrookSanctuary #NativePlants #Mikoikoi #NewZealandIris #Conservation #NewZealandNature
Nov 27
✨ An unforgettable kiwi pukupuku encounter
Sometimes, you just get lucky.
Some of our night tour visitors got the surprise of a lifetime. While admiring the glow worms, the group suddenly heard a male kiwi pukupuku calling nearby. Moments later, one of our visitors felt something gently brushing against her feet.
When the torch came on, there it was — a kiwi pukupuku standing right beside the group.
Even better, someone captured the moment on video.
This curious kiwi wandered off into the ngahere… then strolled back for another look. Encounters like this are incredibly rare, and seeing kiwi confidently exploring the Sanctuary — only months after their arrival in May — is a wonderful sign of how well they’re settling and thriving.
A magical night none of us will forget.
🎟️ Want to experience the ngahere after dark? Join one of our guided night tours.
[Link in bio]
Video credit: Carmeli Bitoin
#kiwiencounter #kiwisighting #BrookSanctuary #kiwipukupuku #LittleSpottedKiwi #AotearoaNature #PredatorFreeNZ #NelsonNZ #NZwildlife #ConservationNZ #Kaitiakitanga #NZnature #NatureLoversNZ #NZbirds #Nzmustdo #OnlyInNZ
Nov 24
🌿📸 Final call for entries! 🌸
There’s still time to enter our Spring Photography Competition — but be quick, entries close 30 November!
The Sanctuary is alive with the sights and sounds of spring: kākāriki flashes in the canopy, tūī among the kōwhai, and tiny fungi emerging along the tracks. Capture what inspires you most about the season and share the beauty of the ngahere through your lens.
🏆 Categories
• Junior Photographer (under 18) → Instant camera + 2x Night Tour tickets
• Adult Amateur Photographer (18+) → 2x Night Tour tickets
✨ Winning images will be featured in our newsletter, on social media, and displayed at the Visitor Centre.
📅 Take your photo at the Sanctuary before 30 November and enter online:
➡️ Link in bio
This photo was taken by Phillipa Orphan for last year`s competition
#BrookPhotoCompSpring #BrookSanctuary #NelsonNZ #NaturePhotography #Ngahere
Nov 23
