Kākāriki karaka
Orange-fronted parakeet
Cyanoramphus malherbi
Their Story
Kākāriki karaka (orange-fronted parakeet) were once abundant throughout New Zealand, especially in the beech forests of the South Island. Following European arrival, habitat loss and introduced predators drastically reduced their numbers, and they were declared extinct twice during the 20th century.
In 1980 a small population was rediscovered in Lake Sumner National Park, with further birds later found in the Hawdon, Andrews and Poulter valleys of Arthur’s Pass National Park. Captive breeding began at Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust’s Peacock Springs facility in 2003, and since 2005 more than 300 captive-reared birds have been translocated to four pest-free islands. Results have been mixed, with populations rising and falling over time.
The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary provides ideal kākāriki karaka habitat and after a recent count, now holds the world’s largest population of this critically endangered bird (approximately 250-300 counted).
Conservation Status
Threatened – Nationally Critical
Kākāriki karaka are the rarest of New Zealand’s parakeets and among the rarest forest birds in the country.
Population
Around 360 birds remain. Naturally occurring populations survive in Arthur’s Pass and Lake Sumner National Parks, with reintroduced groups on Blumine Island and now within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.
Voice
A high-pitched chatter or rolling kākāriki call. Their constant communication calls are often heard among the beech canopy.
Food
Seeds, buds, flowers, honeydew and invertebrates. During beech masts, beech seeds form a major part of their diet.
Once widespread across Te Wai Pounamu, kākāriki karaka (orange-fronted parakeet) are now among our rarest forest birds. Twice declared extinct in the 20th century, they were rediscovered in remote South Island valleys and brought into a successful captive breeding programme. Probably with fewer than 400 individuals remaining, every new safe habitat counts. The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary’s pest-free beech forest offers an ideal refuge to help re-establish a wild mainland population and support the long-term recovery of this nationally critical species.
Small, bright green parakeet with a distinct orange band above the beak and orange patches on the sides of the rump. Slightly smaller and bluer than the more common yellow-crowned kākāriki. They are agile and fast-moving through the forest canopy.
Kākāriki karaka feed on invertebrates, seeds, leaves, buds, and fruit. They are active foragers, often seen fluttering and climbing through the canopy or dropping to the ground to feed. Their flight is fast and direct, with quiet wingbeats.
Kākāriki karaka usually nest in cavities in beech trees, with clutch sizes of 1–10 eggs. The female incubates while the male provides food. Breeding can occur throughout the year when food stocks are high, usually during a beech mast year. Young birds fledge after about five weeks.
Restricted to a few South Island valleys, including the Hawdon, Andrews, and Poulter in Arthur’s Pass National Park, and to several pest-free offshore islands/sanctuaries. The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary provides an important mainland site within old-growth beech forest habitat and now holds the largest population in New Zealand.
Kākāriki karaka are classified as Nationally Critical, with only a few hundred remaining. The key threat to the survival of the species is predation by stoats, rats, and possums. Conservation efforts focus on predator control, captive breeding and translocations to pest-free sites.
In partnership with the Department of Conservation and Ngāi Tahu, the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary aims to establish a self-sustaining mainland population of kākāriki karaka. There have been 3 successful translocations of kākāriki karaka into the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary’s pest-free environment and mature beech forest provide ideal conditions for their recovery. In a recent count (2025), we estimate there could be more than 300 kākāriki karaka in the Sanctuary.
🪶 Kākāriki karaka have been declared extinct twice — and rediscovered twice! Their persistence makes them one of New Zealand’s greatest conservation comeback stories.
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Win prizes for your best summer photo at the Sanctuary 📸🏆☀️
This season, we want to see the Sanctuary through your lens — the bright light through the canopy, the textures of the forest floor, and the tiny details that make summer feel alive.
Enter our Summer Photography Competition (part of our Sanctuary Seasons series) and you could win:
🏆 Instant camera (Junior Photography winner)
🌙 Family ticket to a guided night tour
📰 Feature in our newsletter + social media
🖼️ Printed display at the Visitor Centre
📅 Entries close 28 February - Submit your entries via our website: Link in bio
Photo credit: Helen Power - Entry from the spring photography competition
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #SanctuarySeasons #Ngahere #NaturePhotography #NZWildlife #NelsonTasman #VisitNelson #NZHikes #EcoTourismNZ #ConservationStorytelling
Feb 4
Looking for a unique and memorable date night? 🌙🌲
This February, we’re introducing Date Me Darling — private, curated date nights inside the Sanctuary at dusk.
Three styled locations. One couple at a time. You’ll have a styled spot along the main loop track, locally sourced food and drinks, a few games to share, and time to slow down together as the forest shifts into evening.
Beech Glade: for when you want the world to fall away — deeply hidden, totally private, just you and the hush of the forest.
River: crystal clear water, canopy above, flickering lights — the kind of setup you usually only see on Instagram.
Meadow: open sky, long grass, and the forest standing quietly at the edges like it knows not to interrupt.
Bookings are open now (limited spaces in February only so don’t miss out!): Link in bio
#DateMeDarling #NelsonNZ #NelsonTasman #ThingsToDoNelson #DateNightIdeas #NatureLovers #SupportLocalNZ #ConservationNZ #BrookWaimāramaSanctuary
Feb 3
Two cute to be true?
Brook Waimārama Sanctuary and @savethekiwinz teams have been busy over the past few days tracking and recapturing kiwi to remove their transmitters. Thanks to a huge team effort, all ten males were recaptured within just three days.
Some nest burrows held a surprise or two — in several cases a female was present, and a couple even contained chicks. One burrow amazed us all, with not one but two adorable chicks 😍
All chicks are fully independent at this stage of the season, and after quick health checks and transmitter removal, all adult kiwi were safely returned to their burrows.
This special footage was captured by kiwi handler Tamsin from Save the Kiwi, who led the transmitter removal mahi.
We estimate the 20 females and 21 males released in May last year have already produced around 10–15 kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) chicks in their very first breeding season — a strong sign the habitat is just right.
With transmitters now removed from all ten males, the kiwi are completely free, with no further handling needed. Annual kiwi call counts by staff and volunteers will help track the growing population across our 690 ha, ring-fenced, pest-free sanctuary.
Credit: Video courtesy of Tamsin Ward-Smith, Save the Kiwi
Thanks to our partnership with @terunangaotoa Ngati Toa and Save the Kiwi
#kiwipukupuku #littlespottedkiwi #brookwaimaramasanctuary #nelson #thetopofthesouth #conservation #biodiversity #nativebirds #natureloversnz #newzealandwildlife #pestfree #ringfencedsanctuary #conservationinaction
Jan 29
🎻 45 min string quartet concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary
Come and hear a dynamic young string quartet perform a 45 min concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. We welcome everyone to come along, and bring anyone you think might be curious to hear some classical music in a relaxed environment.
The @antipodes.quartet is part of the Fellowship Ensemble Programme, a joint venture between the @adamchambermusicfestival, @newzealandstringquartet and @chambermusicnz, as a career-development experience offered to four of this country’s most promising young string players.
The Antipodes Quartet are Eden Annesley (violin), Mana Waiariki (violin), Tal Amoore (viola) and Lavinnia Rae (cello).
On this occasion, Brook Waimārama Sanctuary are welcoming everyone at local prices: Adult $15, Child $9; Family $35 (on the door)
Find out more: (Link in bio)
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #NelsonNZ #Whakatū #WhatsonNelson #NelsonTasman #LiveMusicNZ #ChamberMusicNZ #StringQuartet #ClassicalMusicNZ #AdamChamberMusicFestival #NewZealandStringQuartet #ChamberMusicNewZealand #FamilyFriendly #NatureAndCulture #SupportLocalArts
Jan 27
2026 Bug of the year is here!
The lesser known cousin to bird of the year has come around(wait till they hear about fish or fungus of the year). This showdown aims to highlight the critters that go underappreciated compared to celebrity species like kākāpō. We would like to highlight the strange and wonderful species that occur within the Sanctuary, with the hopes to earn your vote!
Kahuwai | Black Tunnelweb Spider
Porrhothele antipodiana
I have a mixed history with this incredible spider. One hairy individual decided that my jersey pocket was a great place to set up shop. It received a rude awakening upon the home invasion of my unaware hand. Its brilliant fangs pierced and invenomated my finger, and despite the swelling and the shock and the pain… I couldn’t help but feel bad for evicting the guy. Its hobbit-like hole dwelling nature led the spider to my soft, warm pocket. Ironically, but not surprisingly, this species was the inspiration for Peter Jackson’s ‘Shelob’ in the Lord of the Rings films.
Kahuwai, the black tunnelweb spider, forms dense sheets of silk surrounding their tunnels. These sheets are monitored by the spider, who detects vibrations of a passer by. Wētā, land hoppers and any other unlucky invertebrate. The kahuwai swiftly grabs its prey and drags it into the depths. This spider however is also the victim of the endemic golden hunter wasp, who paralyses the spider before dragging it into the wasp’s nest (talk about shoes on the other foot!) and laying an egg beside it. The spider then becomes baby formula.
Despite the bite, this amazing spider has my vote! Check out the New Zealand Bug Of the Year 2026 website! Voting closes on the 16th of February!
Photo: @henry._.hart (in the second image of Shelob`s lair you can see a giant pill millipede has fallen victim...)
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #BugOfTheYear
Jan 25
2026 Bug of the year is here!
The lesser known cousin to bird of the year has come around(wait till they hear about fish or fungus of the year). This showdown aims to highlight the critters that go underappreciated compared to celebrity species like kākāpō. We would like to highlight the strange and wonderful species that occur within the Sanctuary, with the hopes to earn your vote!
This candidate is the beautifully disguised Rō, the Two-Spined Stick Insect. Micrachus hystriculeus is endemic to central Aotearoa, most common from Nelson, through Marlborough and Wellington. Stick insects display a classic example of crypsis. That is, their behaviour and physiology work in tandem to remain completely undetected and unharmed. They feed on leaves high in the canopy of trees like kānuka. At night you can often spot them, usually with the small males riding on the backs of the much larger females.
All modern New Zealand stick insects are the relatives of two colonisation events from New Caledonia around 30 million years ago. They radiated into nine separate genera and dispersed into coastal, lowland and subalpine ecosystems throughout the motu. This species, alongside at least five other stick insect species, live out their slow and sticky lives within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.
Will you vote for Micrachus hystriculeus? Check out the New Zealand Bug Of the Year 2026 website! Voting closes on the 16th of February!
Stay tuned for our last candidate…
Photo: Saryu Mae - @invertebratist
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #BugOfTheYear
Jan 24
