West Coast Wildlife Centre & Kiwi Walk
Visit the only place in the world where both kiwi species native to the West Coast can be seen, then walk through the surrounding rainforest for wild bird encounters.
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West Coast Wildlife Centre
The Wildlife Centre in the village centre is the conservation headquarters for the rowi kiwi — New Zealand's rarest kiwi species with fewer than 600 remaining.
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Rowi Kiwi Viewing Room
In a darkened nocturnal room, rowi kiwi can be observed at close range — their long bills probing the ground for invertebrates in the perpetual artificial dusk.
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Haast Tokoeka Kiwi Habitat
The second kiwi species on display is the Haast tokoeka — larger than the rowi and inhabiting the steep mountain valleys of the nearby Haast Pass region.
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Tuatara Terrarium
The centre also keeps tuatara — reptiles unchanged for 220 million years — providing an educational counterpart to the kiwi conservation programme.
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Rainforest Edge Bird Walk
A short walk from the centre into the rainforest edge often yields tūī, bellbird, kererū (wood pigeon), and on lucky mornings, the call of a wild kiwi at dusk.
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Waiho River Mouth
The Waiho River meets the Tasman Sea 3 km west of the village — the beach at the river mouth is a dramatic black sand and driftwood shore backed by rainforest.