What it is
Zealandia occupies the catchment of the former Karori reservoirs, which supplied Wellington with water from the late 19th century; the upper dam, a concrete gravity arch, was completed in 1908. When the fence was finished in late 1999 it was a world-first design built to keep out all land mammals down to the size of a mouse, and introduced pests inside were then eradicated.
Since then many species absent from the mainland have been reintroduced, including little spotted kiwi in 2000, kākā in 2002, tuatara and hihi in 2005, and takahē from 2011. Visitors follow walking tracks through regenerating forest and around the lakes, and the visitor centre at the entrance opened in 2010.
Getting there by bus
The closest stop is Highbury - Terminus (stop 4947), about 270 metres away, the end of route 25 from Khandallah via the city and Aro Valley; route 25 also stops at Highbury Road at Disley Street (stops 4946 and 5946).
Routes 21 and 37 run along Croydon Street in Karori, where Croydon Street (near 64) (stop 4389), Croydon Street (near 49) (stop 5389) and Croydon Street at Versailles Street (stop 5388) are about 340 to 360 metres away, four to five minutes on foot.
